Throughout his career as Packers GM, Brian Gutekunst has shown that he is always willing to make moves in the draft.
He’s traded up in the 1st round multiple times.
He also traded down in the 1st round in his first draft.
In short, he moves around to get the guys he wants.
This year, the Packers have needs all over the team ranging from refilling the receiver room to upgrading the defensive line to hedging bets on a number of injured players, and – as always – they have needs on special teams.
The Packers have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, giving Brian Gutekunst plenty of options to move around for any players he may have his eyes on. In a draft with a wide talent plateau from the top of the 1st round to the latter portion of the 2nd round, the Packers may benefit from trading down early to have more chances at picking a winner (check out the Packers options for trading up here).
So, what options to the Packers have for trading down in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Well, lets start with an inventory of the Packers picks to see what they’re working with (all values are gathered from DraftTek’s Trade Value Chart):
- 1st round pick #22 overall: 780 points
- 1st round pick #28 overall: 660 points
- 2nd round pick #53 overall: 370 points
- 2nd round pick #59 overall: 310 points
- 3rd round pick #92 overall: 132 points
- 4th round pick #132 overall: 40 points
- 4th round pick #140 overall: 36 points
- 5th round pick #171 overall: 21.4 points
- 7th round pick #228 overall: 1 point
- 7th round pick #249 overall: 1 point
- 7th round pick #258 overall: 1 point
Given that, here are some potential trade options for the Packers where the math works out for a possible deal:
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #22 (780 points) for Chiefs 1st round pick #29 (640) and 3rd round pick #94 (124)
The Chiefs pick at #29 and #30. If they have their eyes on a player a little higher up, they may want to move. Kansas City has a glaring need for edge rushers and if someone like George Karlaftis or Travis Jones or Jermaine Johnson starts to drop, they may call to move up. This would give the Packers another Day 2 pick if the top of the board doesn’t fall the way they want.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #22 (780 points) for Texans 2nd round pick #37 (530) and 3rd round pick #68 (250)
In this scenario, the Packers drop into the top of the 2nd round, which would probably only happen if things went terribly for them in the first 21 picks. The Texans, who already have two 1st round picks, may be looking for another pillar to their rebuild (possibly even a quarterback), giving the Packers some more Day 2 capital.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #22 (780 points) for Falcons 2nd round pick #43 (470) and 2nd round pick #58 (320)
The Packers drop a little deeper here, but get a couple picks in the 2nd (at the edge of the second talent plateau of this draft class) and giving them 5 top 60 picks. With this move, the Falcons get a second 1st round pick, while the Packers set themselves up to go high quantity at the top of the draft. The Packers know all draft picks won’t pan out, so this would increase their odds of finding two or three quality players that could put them over the top.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #28 (660 points) for Jaguars 2nd round pick #33 (580) and 4th round pick #106 (82)
If the Packers get their man at #22, they may be willing to move down from #28. In this scenario, the Jaguars move up from the first pick in the 2nd round to get another 1st round pick (which comes with a 5th year option), and give the Packers the first pick in the 4th round to do so.
Green Bay’s 1st round pick #28 (660 points) for Ravens 2nd round pick #45 (450) and 3rd round pick #76 (210)
Another scenario the Packers may entertain if they are happy with their pick at #22. The Packers can slide down for a couple Day 2 picks if the Ravens see someone they were considering at #14 fall down the board.
.
So there are the most likely ranges the Packers could move down to if they weren’t in love with anyone when their pick came up and they wanted to add some extra picks.
We don’t know what the Packers are thinking or who might be available, but we do know that Gutekunst has a history of moving around and it is a key part of his draft strategy. With 11 picks for the Packers, this should be an exciting draft.
.
Want to learn more!?
Don’t just watch the draft – understand it and learn why GMs make the moves they do.
Get more insight into how winning teams build through the draft (and how losing teams fail)!
Start with a introduction to how the draft works then get deep into understanding draft strategy with our draft book (rated a #1 New Release): A Fan’s Guide To Understanding The NFL Draft: Strategies, Tactics, And Case Studies For Building A Professional Football Team
Then jump into free agency with another #1 New Release: A Fan’s Guide To NFL Free Agency Hits and Misses to better understand this critical part of the NFL offseason and see where teams have found (or missed) success in this critical component of team-building.
Finally, get to the game behind the game with our latest must-have book: A Fan’s Guide To Understanding The NFL Salary Cap – which lays out detailed, easy-to-follow scenarios to explain exactly how contract structures and salary cap rules impact teams. This book explains why teams do what they do in the offseason!
All these great books are available in ebook and paperback – and free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!
If you don’t have Kindle Unlimited, you can get a free trial of Kindle Unlimited here!
.
Check out our PFTW 2022 Mock Draft Archive to see how simulated scenarios played out!
Check out Packers Draft Central for all our latest NFL Draft coverage!
.