New mock draft has Packers making familiar move that will infuriate fans

The Green Bay Packers draft a defensive back in the first round of the NFL Draft. Stop the train if you've heard that before.

Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst has poured a ton of draft capital into his defense since 2018 – specifically, capital spent on the defensive backfield. That's why the Packers' defensive struggles in the Joe Barry era have been so disappointing and why so many are calling for Barry's job with the Packers at 6-8 and coming off two massive losses that largely could be pinned on the team's defense.

It's a sore spot in Green Bay, yet the latest CBS Sports 2024 NFL mock draft has Gutekunst doubling down in the defensive backfield once again.

Projected at pick No. 11, analyst Chris Trapasso believes the Packers will draft Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.

"McKinstry is the exact cornerback the Packers probably need moving forward in their secondary," Trapasso wrote.

While in a vacuum it's hard to knock the Packers for taking arguably the best cornerback in the draft, in the greater context of the Gutekunst era this move would be infuriating for fans.

If Green Bay drafted McKinstry, as this mock suggests the Packers would, he would go down as the eighth defensive first-rounder in the Gutekunst era and the fourth defensive back (cornerback Jaire Alexander in 2018, safety Darnell Savage in 2019 and cornerback Eric Stokes in 2021).

Sure, Alexander was mostly a hit for Gutekunst, but he's been incredibly injury-prone of late. The same could be said for Stokes, who flashed promise as a rookie but hasn't been able to stay healthy since. And Savage? He's shown upside but has largely been a disappointment.

Of course, what this mock isn't factoring in would be the likely new defensive coordinator in place of Barry (whose contract runs out this offseason), but Packers fans would be finding their heads spinning at Gutekunst devoting yet another first-round pick to a defensive unit that has largely underperformed since 2010 – the last time Green Bay won the Super Bowl.

A case can be made that an offensive lineman to protect Jordan Love would be a better first-round choice or even a running back because neither Aaron Jones nor A.J. Dillon are guaranteed to be back next season.

If Gutekunst had to improve the secondary then how about some fresh new talent at safety?

Either way you look at it, another first-round cornerback is not who this team needs right now.