GREEN BAY – When it comes to acquiring additional or better picks in the first round of the NFL draft, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst hasn’t taken a swing for the fences.He did some maneuvering early in his tenure, but nothing like trading a future first-round pick or a slew of second-day picks to improve his draft position.In his first draft in 2018, he traded back from No. 14 to No. 27 and then traded up to No. 18 to select cornerback Jaire Alexander.In 2019, he used the first of his two opening-round picks to select defensive end Rashan Gary at No. 12 and then traded a pair of fourth-round picks to move from No. 30 to No. 21 to select safety Darnell Savage.In 2020, he traded a fourth-round pick to move from No. 30 to No. 26 to select quarterback Jordan Love.Those were creative moves, but hardly blockbuster trades.Since then, he’s been quiet as a mouse when it comes to bettering his position in the first round.Will it stay that way as the 2026 draft gets underway? Probably, but a nice collection of picks in 2027 will allow him some room to at least move up in the second round, if he sees someone he really wants.Gutekunst traded his ’26 and ’27 first-round picks to Dallas for edge rusher Micah Parsons before the start of last season, and so he enters the April 23 start of the draft with eight selections, one each in Rounds 2-4 and 6, two in Round 5 and two in Round 7.With a high pick of No. 52 overall (second round), getting into the first round with what Gutekunst has at his disposal would require multiple picks this year, possibly a future pick, possibly a player, or maybe a combination of all three.How the Packers could move into the first roundTo see what it might take to get the Packers into the first round just based on picks, let’s take a look at the value of his slots based on the Rich Hill Draft Value Chart, which is one of the tools teams have used when figuring out proper trade compensation:2nd round (No. 52 overall) – 109 points3rd round (No. 84 overall) – 51 points4th round (No. 120 overall) – 24 points5th round (No. 153 overall) – 11 points5th round (No. 160 overall) – 10 points6th round (No. 201 overall) – 5 points7th round (No. 236 overall) – 2 points7th round (No. 255 overall) – 1 pointOverall, Gutekunst has 213 points to work with.
A year ago, when he had a single pick in Rounds 1-6 and two picks in Round 7, he had 437 points.At a minimum, Gutekunst needs 75 points to reach the No. 32 spot (184 points) owned by the Seattle Seahawks. In other words, he would have to give up his third- and fourth-round picks this year, along with No. 52.He would be left with the last pick in the first round, two fifths, a sixth and two sevenths. It’s not inconceivable he could take that chance if there were a cornerback, pass rusher or defensive lineman he could plug into the starting lineup right away.But given his past three first-round picks − including No. 13 Lukas Van Ness in 2023 − weren’t season-long starters as rookies, it’s questionable whether he’d get a starting-caliber player there.
What’s more, he’s plucked instant starters out of the second round in four of his past five drafts, so the risk doesn’t seem logical.If Gutekunst wanted to use a future pick to move up in the draft, he could offer his second-rounder next year, for example. But, in general, a future pick is worth one round less than it would be if it were traded this year, so his second-rounder would be considered a mid-third-rounder in trade value.So, maybe he could milk 50 points out of a future second.Trading future picks isn’t a bad idea given Gutekunst is expecting four compensatory picks next year due to the free agents he lost this offseason.
Two of the picks (for Malik Willis and Romeo Doubs) are hovering around fourth-round value based on the contracts they received, but the Willis pick could wind up a third if he puts up big numbers as Miami’s starting quarterback.At the moment, the Packers are in line to have 11 picks next year, including three fourths, two fifths and two sixths. If they catch a break with Willis, they could have a second, two thirds, three fourths, two fifths, two sixths and a seventh.The problem is that those compensatory picks can’t be traded yet. Their exact position isn't determined until next year.For now, Gutekunst can trade only his own picks, which are a second, a third, two fourths, a fifth, a sixth and a seventh.He might be able to trade his second (109 points) this year and his second and third next year (about 75 points) and get up to the 32nd pick. If he wanted to get up a little higher, he could throw in one or both of his fifths this year.So, if he moved to 32nd that way, he would have a first, a third, a fourth, two fifths, a sixth and two sevenths this year.He would potentially have a third, three fourths, two fifths, two sixths and a seventh next year.How the could Packers move up in the second roundA more-likely scenario would be for Gutekunst to move up in the second