Green Bay Packers: 5 Reasonable Predictions for the 2020 NFL Draft

We all love bold predictions, but here are five reasonable predictions for the Green Bay Packers draft this weekend.

With the NFL Draft now just two days away, there are plenty of bold predictions that are out there. Whether it’s in regards to a certain team or the draft as a whole, bold predictions have been popping up and I’m sure there will be a few more between now and when the first round kicks off.

While they are certainly fun, and in the past I’ve made a few myself, they are bold for a reason. Meaning, they probably aren’t likely to actually happen. So to bring some realistic expectations to this year’s draft for the Green Bay Packers, I’ll be making my five reasonable predictions for their upcoming draft.

Now, just because I wouldn’t consider these predictions bold, will they all happen? I highly doubt it. But I think the chances of them happening are, as the title of this article states, reasonable. And as I go through each prediction, I’ll be explaining why I believe that.

So let’s take a look and see how many actually come true.

Packers won’t take a LB until Round 3 or later

If this actually does happen, I expect a portion of the fan base to be upset given that linebacker is a perceived huge need for Green Bay. And to some extent it is. While Blake Martinez was reliable, he was also limited and even with Christian Kirksey taking over, there are still question marks.

But with that said, this is just not a premier position in the NFL. I mean, look at Kansas City who just won the Super Bowl, they didn’t exactly have lights-out middle linebacker play. Secondly, it’s simply not a position that the Packers value highly and on top of that, under Mike Pettine, Green Bay primarily plays with only one linebacker on the field anyways.

Not to mention that this year’s class has been noted as a fairly deep one at the linebacker position. So Green Bay can likely find someone who they like beyond Rounds 1 and 2.

Brian Gutekunst will make at least 2 trades

Brian Gutekunst has only been the general manager of the Green Bay Packers for two drafts up to this point, however, we already know that he likes to make trades and move around. In 2018 he would move back in Round 1 before eventually trading up for Jaire Alexander. Then in Round 3 that same year, he would move up to take Oren Burks. And just this past year, Gutey moved up again in Round 1, this time to select Darnell Savage.

So as we look ahead to this year’s draft, I am expecting much of the same. There is the potential that Gutey will move up in Round 1 to get a receiver or an offensive tackle that he loves. I could also see him trading out of Round 1 because the value just isn’t there. Not to mention that Green Bay has 10 draft picks this year and some compensatory picks coming in 2021 to move around with.

In fact, in his conference call on Monday with reporters, Gutey mentioned that he’d like to “move around and get to the areas of the draft I (Gutekunst) think are strong.” So having said all of that, I think he makes at least two moves.

Packers take a CB within the first 4 Rounds

This is a positional need that has flown under the radar a bit this offseason, but it’s a fairly major one. Despite spending plenty of draft capital on corner in recent years, question marks still remain outside of Jaire Alexander.

For one, Kevin King has an injury history and he will also be a free agent after the 2020 season. Meanwhile, Josh Jackson rarely saw the field in 2019, Ka’dar Hollman is still an unknown, and while Chandon Sullivan emerged over the second half of the season, it’s reasonable to wonder if he can duplicate that performance for an entire season.

Like linebacker and receiver, cornerback is another very deep positional group in this year’s draft class, and I expect the Green Bay Packers to take advantage of that.

Packers take a WR in Round 1

Now, this may seem like a no-brainer but this is something that the Packers haven’t done since 2002 when they took Javon Walker out of Florida State. However, this is the year that drought comes to an end.

This is a Green Bay Packers team that was just one game shy of the Super Bowl and for much of the season, it was the passing game that was holding the offense back. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, along with Aaron Jones and Davante Adams as weapons, one more high-profile, high-impact receiver could be all it takes to put this offense over the top. As a result, Gutey makes it happen in Round 1.

Packers Take a QB but not Early

Shortly after the season ended, Gutekunst mentioned that the Packers would be open to taking a quarterback early on in this year’s draft. They’ve even held a virtual meeting with Jalen Hurts and they’ve been strongly connected to Jordan Love. But I don’t think that they take either, it just doesn’t make sense.

With Aaron Rodgers’ contract he will certainly be in Green Bay for two more years, likely a third, and potentially a fourth. And while some will point out that the Packers drafted Rodgers while Brett Favre was nearing the end of his career, this isn’t really an apples to apples comparison to today.

Rodgers was considered by many the first overall pick, however, Hurts and Love are not anywhere near that level of player. Not to mention that Green Bay went to the NFC Championship game last year. So I think Gutey chooses to draft more immediate impact players early on instead.

Now having said all of that, the Packers have seven Day 3 picks including five in Rounds 6 and 7. So I’ll predict that they take a swing at a quarterback in that portion of the draft.