What’s going on with Green Bay Packers and third-round draft picks?
If it seems like it has been forever since the Green Bay Packers hit on a third-round draft pick, it’s because it basically has.
Brian Gutekunst was named as the general manager in 2018 and has struck out with every third-round pick since then.
His first bust came with the selection of Oren Burks in 2018. Green Bay envisioned transitioning him from a safety to a safety/linebacker hybrid. Unfortunately, that never came close to fruition and Burks could never earn consistent playing time.
The next miscue came in 2019 in Jace Sternberger. Sternberger didn’t even make it to his third season and still hasn’t caught on with a team.
The Green Bay Packers have a tradition of failing to develop viable third-round draft picks, and it seems to be growing.
Josiah Deguara, the Packers’ 2020 third-rounder, appears to be headed down that same path. He was drafted as a tight end/fullback hybrid, but hasn’t been able to prove he was worth the high draft capital. He will likely make the roster this year, but unless something changes, he’ll constantly be battling for one of the final roster spots.
The jury is still out on Amari Rodgers who had a disastrous start to his career. Rodgers was basically handed return duties and some playing time at wide receiver last year, but quickly lost all trust in himself. He is a lock to make the team this year simply due to his draft status from a year ago, however, he needs a lot of work.
Finally, it’s far too early to judge Sean Rhyan, this year’s third-rounder, but the rookie hasn’t gotten off to a good start. Rhyan has seen Zach Tom leapfrog him on the depth chart and earn some time with the ones. It’s far too early to draw conclusions, but there’s already concern about why Rhyan hasn’t been able to earn early practice time.
However, the blame isn’t solely on Gutekunst, as this curse started before his time. The third-round selections in the eight years before he took over include Montravious Adams (2017), Kyler Fackrell (2016), Ty Montgomery (2015), Khyri Thornton and Richard Rodgers (2014), and Alex Green (2011) They didn’t have a third-round selection in 2012 nor 2013. Fackrell is, perhaps, the lone exception.
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I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, as Green Bay has drafted well outside of this round. However, considering that we are 12 years and counting since the Packers’ last decent third-round pick (Morgan Brunett in 2010), it’s fair to wonder what’s in the water in Green Bay.