The 2025 NFL Draft will be in Green Bay for the first time ever. It will certainly be a special even for the Packers and the local community. But don’t expect that to affect general manager Brian Gutekunst’s approach to the process.
Asked about it during his press conference at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Gutekunst said that he would be open to trade out of the first round if a good opportunity arises, even if it means not making a pick on Day 1 in Green Bay.
“Having the draft in Green Bay really doesn’t change anything for how we go about that. I mean, we’re going to do what’s best for the Green Bay Packers,” Gutekunst mentioned. “If that’s trading out of a pick, we certainly would do it. But either way I think it’s going to be a great event, it’s going to be pretty special. We’re all excited.”
A move down sounds appealing
Trading down is usually good from a process perspective, because the team gains draft capital and maximizes its chances to find impactful players in a naturally uncertain business.
Throughout his stint as GM, Gutekunst has moved up and down the board, and his thoughts about the 2025 class might make a trade back even more plausible.
“There’s a lot of numbers in this draft, overall. I think that a lot has to do with the NIL and the guys staying around for school a little bit longer,” Gutekunst pointed out. “I think there’s been a lot of talk about the offensive and defensive lines maybe being a little bit stronger than in some years. But I think it’s a good draft overall, we’re excited for it. We certainly think there’s a bunch of opportunities to help our football team.”
Fans should’ve known that the front office wouldn’t be impacted by the draft in Green Bay to make their decisions. Any general manager affected by this type of event probably wouldn’t be in that position anyway. Brian Gutekunst will follow his normal process, and that’s how things should go, wherever the draft may be.
