Green Bay Packers Noted as a ‘Trade-Up Candidate’ in the Draft

If anything many expect the Green Bay Packers to trade down on draft night. However, a recent article lists them as a ‘trade-up candidate’.

The NFL Draft is rapidly approaching and there still remains quite a bit of uncertainty when it comes to what the Green Bay Packers are going to do in the first round. There are of course a number of positions that they could choose to address and in Brian Gutekunst’s short tenure as GM, we have seen that he isn’t afraid to make trades.

In 2018 he would trade back in Round 1 before moving back up to take Jaire Alexander. Then just last year, he would trade up once again in the first round, this time to select Darnell Savage.

If anything, this year seems like a prime opportunity for the Green Bay Packers to trade back and out of Round 1. Given their needs at a number of positions which includes receiver, linebacker, interior defensive lineman, tackle, and even cornerback, along with the depth in the draft at a few of those positions, moving down and netting an additional top-100 draft pick should absolutely be in play.

However, in a recent article by Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic, he names the Green Bay Packers as a “trade-up candidate” in this year’s draft. Something that I don’t think many are necessarily expecting.

Kapadia’s reasoning behind the move up is that the Packers desperately need to add some juice to the passing game and he also notes Gutey’s aggressiveness to make trades and going after the player that he wants.

While both of those points are certainly valid and I’m sure we would all love to see Justin Jefferson, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, or CeeDee Lamb lining up opposite of Davante Adams, with the overall depth of this year’s class, the Packers can stay put and hang on to their third and fourth-round draft picks while still likely landing an impact wide receiver.

Whether that be Jalen Reagor, Brandon Aiyuk, or Denzel Mims, all three have the potential to make an immediate impact and help turn this passing game around. Not to mention that there are a number of other viable options that can be taken in Round 2 or later.

In fact, Jim Nagy, who is the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl and a former NFL scout, noted on Twitter that a number of NFL teams have said that they can find starting-caliber receivers into Rounds 3 and 4 of the draft.

Now, does that mean the Packers should wait until then to address the wide receiver position? Not at all, but staying put or trading back to pursue a tackle or an interior defensive lineman while going after a receiver in Round 2 makes more sense than losing draft picks to trade up.

Seeing how Gutey has navigated the draft the previous two years to select players that he feels can step in and make an impact right away has definitely been a welcomed sight. But with that said, given the overall depth of this year’s class along with the Green Bay Packers having a number of needs other than just receiver, if anything, I’m putting them in the trade-down category.