3 Big Things from the Green Bay Packers 1st Round Picks

Oct 16, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis (7) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker (7) and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt (95) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis (7) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Quay Walker (7) and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt (95) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Green Bay Packers
Feb 25, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Green Bay Packers break two first-round trends

There are certain trends and thresholds that the Green Bay Packers have typically stuck to in the draft, and this doesn’t only apply to Brian Gutekunst, but it extends back to Ted Thompson’s time as GM as well. A few of these include a prospect’s age, their RAS score, and the position they play.

However, during the 2021 and the first round of this year’s draft, we’ve seen Gutekunst stray away from those benchmarks.

Typically linebacker isn’t a position that the Packers have valued very highly, but this offseason, they would re-sign De’Vondre Campbell and then spend a first-round pick on Quay Walker–the first time that Green Bay has drafted a linebacker in Round 1 since they took AJ Hawk.

When it comes to Wyatt, he is 24-years-old, and since 2009, the oldest player that the Green Bay Packers have selected in the first round was 22 years old. In fact, since 2015, every first-round pick except for Eric Stokes (22) was 21-years-old.

It’s always going to be a challenge trying to figure out who the Green Bay Packers are going to target in the draft, but as Gutekunst shifts further away from past trends and thresholds, it’s becoming an even more difficult task.