What would Gutey do? Packers 7 Round Mock Draft Based on Past Trends

Trying to gauge what Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers are going to do in the NFL Draft feels like an impossible task—however, we are going to give it a try.

During his previous four drafts as GM, Gutey has thrown us his share of curveballs, not to mention that there are simply countless possibilities with all of the variables involved in the draft. While we all do our best to hone in on what the Packers will do, in reality, we know very little when it comes to which positions Green Bay will prioritize, what players make up their big board, or who will even be available when they are on the clock.

But again, we are going to do our best to predict what happens.

Despite all of the unknowns, and although four draft classes isn’t a massive sample size by any means, there are some trends that have developed during Gutey’s time at the helm.

So today, I will be putting together a seven-round mock draft for the Green Bay Packers based strictly on these trends and thresholds in an effort to make this as realistic as possible.

However, before we dive into who I selected, here are the seven trends or thresholds I will be adhering to.

Trading up: Brian Gutekunst has been very aggressive early on in the draft, trading up five times in four years, three of which have occurred within the first round.

RAS: This is a helpful tool that allows us to compare the overall athleticism of a prospect to others within their same position group based on their combine and pro-day numbers. Since taking over, Gutey has selected 33 players with complete RAS scores, and 26 of them have scored 8.0 or higher.

Premier positions: In the first round of the draft, there are a few select positions that Green Bay just does not pick. Those would be running back, interior offensive lineman, linebacker, and tight end. Typically I would include receiver as well, but given how big of a need it is, I’ll be making an exception.

Three of a kind: Going back to Ted Thompson’s final draft in 2017, the Packers have selected three players from the same position group in four of the previous five draft classes.

Age in Round 1: There are several older prospects in this class who will go in the first round, but they might not end up Green Bay Packers. Since 2009, Green Bay hasn’t selected a player older than 22 in the first round. And since 2015, only Eric Stokes was older than 21.

Pairing free agents with rookies: Who the Packers sign in free agency — or which positions they play, I should say — has given us a little insight into which position Green Bay may select early on in the draft. There are several examples, but a few include signing Tramon Williams and Davon House in 2018 free agency to then draft Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. The following year, Green Bay signed Billy Turner and drafted Elgton Jenkins. The Packers also signed Adrian Amos that same year and selected Darnell Savage.

Planning ahead/Building Depth: We, of course, want the Packers to find immediate impact players in the draft, but the draft is also about planning ahead and building depth—which Gutekunst has been diligent about doing with Rashan Gary, AJ Dillon, and Jordan Love being a few examples. So, just because a position group may look fine at the moment, looking ahead to future years can also provide us with some insight into which positions the Packers may be looking to address throughout the draft.

Now with all of that out of the way, I’ve put together my seven-round mock draft using Pro Football Network’s mock draft machine while making sure I stick to these principles.