Green Bay Packers roundtable: The best parts about their 2018 NFL Draft

What was your favorite part of Brian Gutekunst’s first NFL Draft?

Brandon Carwile: Definitely his post-round pressers. Gutekunst is such a change of pace from the unrefreshing Ted Thompson. It almost catches you off-guard seeing personality out of your general manager.

Gutekunst was asked what he would do following Day 2 of the draft and his response was quite comical, “I go home, get two beers out of my garage fridge and hope the door’s not locked,” he said.

Outside of this light-hearted moment, Gutekunst provided great insight into his decision making and the process they took in the war room. I’m not sure how his first draft could have gone better. He was able to land a first-round talent in Jackson at pick 45.

Packer nation should be really excited about what we have in our new GM.

Mike Wendlandt: I got an absolute blast seeing him trade down to fleece New Orleans and almost immediately trade back up with Seattle to get the guy he wanted all along. His understanding of the board and who he wanted in Green Bay was evident with his deals, both for Alexander and trading up for Burks. He didn’t reach for either of them and say a spot to get them while still getting good value in both trades.

Other than the trades, I really liked all of his picks on Day 3. He saw upside and athleticism and the opportunity to bring competition into the locker room and he didn’t overreact to falling guys like Hercules Mata’afa or Holton Hill. He took value over what these guys could be, not what they are right now. Guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and James Looney won’t be ready in 2018 to make an impact but their futures are bright. Even getting a punter like JK Scott was a great move. Multiple scouts said that he’s the best they’ve scouted in years. I personally think he could be the next Shane Lechler.

Brian Sampson: My favorite part lied in the emotional roller coaster that was the first 18 picks. As team after team made their selection, I continued to cheer for guys like Derwin James and Tremaine Edmunds to continue to fall. Then, they were BOTH there at No. 14 and I was ecstatic.

Next: Packers' 20 best draft picks since the AFL/NFL merger

Unfortunately, Gutekunst pulled a fast one and traded all the way back down to 27. I was upset at that point, but understood he got a great deal out of the trade. However, when he moved back up to No. 18 only to select Alexander, I was a bit intrigued. All of those emotions in a short span of time is why fans are so addicted to sports.