The Green Bay Packers' draft classes under general manager Brian Gutekunst have been a mixed bag—some home runs, some swings and misses.
Gutekunst’s early drafting career got off to a shaky start.
While he nailed his first-ever selection with Jaire Alexander at No. 18 overall in 2018, the rest of that draft class left plenty to be desired. Josh Jackson, Oren Burks, J’Mon Moore, and Cole Madison -all taken within the first five rounds- never developed into reliable contributors.
Then there are the 2020 and 2021 classes, which might go down as some of the most underwhelming in recent franchise history.
By the time the Packers take the field in 2025, Jordan Love could be the only player remaining from those two draft classes. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that prides itself on building through the draft.
That said, Gutekunst has rebounded in recent years.
His last three draft classes have been far more productive, landing key contributors like Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Tucker Kraft, and Edgerrin Cooper. He’s found value at nearly every position—except, ironically, the first round, where his track record remains questionable.
Now that the 2024 season is in the books, it’s time to take a hard look at some of Gutekunst’s biggest misses. These five Packers draft picks are officially busts.
AJ Dillon
AJ Dillon was a second-round pick in 2020, and if not for the one-year deal he signed last offseason, he’d already be out of Green Bay.
Now, it’s just a matter of when, not if, his Packers tenure officially comes to an end.
Dillon’s career started with promise—he averaged 5.3 yards per carry in a limited role as a rookie, flashing the power and bruising style that made him an intriguing prospect.
But instead of building on that success, he regressed every season. His yards per carry dipped year after year, bottoming out at 3.4 in 2023.
At this point, Dillon is nothing more than a career backup who has never shown the explosiveness or versatility to be a true starting-caliber NFL running back.
Green Bay has already moved on, bringing in Josh Jacobs as their lead back and investing a third-round pick in MarShawn Lloyd. With Emmanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks also on the roster, there’s simply no room for Dillon. His time with the Packers is over, and looking back, this was a missed opportunity in the 2020 draft.