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Are Packers looking to trade up from pick 13?

By Paul Bretl

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 01: Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 01: Brian Gutekunst, general manager of the Green Bay Packers speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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A recent report from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentions that the Green Bay Packers are one of a handful of teams who are trying to move up in the first round of the NFL Draft. To what extent the Packers are trying to make this happen is an unknown.

Brian Gutekunst making a move up the draft board would not be uncommon. In fact, it has happened within the first three rounds of each draft that he has been the GM, including three times in the first round.

At pick 13, the Packers are positioned to enter the top 10 for an elite prospect. Players that could be on their radar in a trade-up scenario might be Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson, or Tyree Wilson.

However, the 2023 Green Bay Packers are in a different position than in previous years, which is why I still believe that trading down makes more sense than trading up.

For one, they find themselves in the midst of a transition at quarterback rather than being a Super Bowl favorite. It’s not as if they are one player away. Their salary cap situation in 2024 is still going to be tight as they continue to feel the effects from previous offseasons, so they need more cost-effective rookie deals on the books moving forward, not fewer.

Along with all of that, it’s not as if they have only one position to fill, either. Instead, the Packers have a number of pressing needs, some of which include tight end, wide receiver, interior defensive lineman, edge rusher, safety, and others. This is also a draft class where the strength at many of those positions just mentioned is on Day 2, so not addressing those needs right away at pick 13 doesn’t mean that Green Bay won’t be able to still add high-end talent later on–not to mention that there is a lot of value in having an additional Round 2 or 3 selection in this year’s draft class.

Using the Rich Hill trade value chart, if the Packers want to move up to pick seven where Las Vegas is, they would have to trade away picks 13, 78, and 116. In order to swap picks with Philadelphia to get to 10 overall, Green Bay would have to part with picks 116, 232, and 235.

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