Ranking the Packers Draft Classes Under GM Brian Gutekunst

The NFL draft is just a week away. Instead of attempting to guess at what the Packers may do in this upcoming draft, lets look back at the drafts prior to get a sense of how GM Brian Gutekunst has performed since taking over the job from Ted Thompson.

We are going to use a few metrics here to decide on the quality of the class. First is simple, is the player still on the team and contributing? Next, is the player still doing that even if they aren’t doing it for Green Bay any more. Finally, is a single player or two so good that it can lift an otherwise mediocre class? We’ll start from the worst and move our way up.

#FIREGUTE

2021 Draft:

• 1st Round: Eric Stokes
• 2nd Round: Josh Myers
• 3rd Round: Amari Rodgers
• 4th Round: Royce Newman
• 5th Round: Tedarell Slaton, Shemar Jean-Charles
• 6th Round: Cole VanLanen, Isaiah McDuffie
• 7th Round: Kylin Hill

Not a lot to say about this draft. Eric Stokes over Tyson Campbell, Josh Myers over Creed Humphrey, Amari Rodgers over Nico Collins. There’s not a nice way to put it, this class was a disaster. The only player from the draft still on the team is the recently resigned Isaiah McDuffie. When the best pick from your draft is a backup LB/ST player or a run stuffing DT no longer on the team, there’s nothing good to say.

Not Great Bob!

2018 Draft:

• 1st Round: Jaire Alexander
• 2nd Round: Josh Jackson
• 3rd Round: Oren Burks
• 4th Round: J’mon Moore
• 5th Round: MVS, JK Scott. Cole Madison
• 6th Round: Equanimeous St Brown
• 7th Round: James Looney, Hunter Bradley, Kendall Donnerson.

Frankly this is another not great class, but its buoyed by a couple of things. First, getting an extra 1st round pick from the Saints to move back while still getting a multiple time All-Pro/Pro Bowler in Jaire Alexander is incredible work. MVS was a solid contributor during his time with the team as well. After that it gets dark again. The team perhaps gave up on JK Scott too soon, and Oren Burks has made himself a solid career. Beyond that however half of these players are no longer in the league and several contributed absolutely nothing to the team while there.

He’s Not The Best GM, But He’s Not the Worst Either

2019 Draft:

• 1st Round: Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage
• 2nd Round: Elgton Jenkins
• 3rd Round: Jace Sternberger
• 5th Round: Kingsley Keke
• 6th Round: Kadar Hollman, Dexter Williams
• 7th Round: Ty Summers

Building off the work he had done the year prior, Gute managed to land two real hits with Gary and Jenkins. In addition Darnell Savage started for the team multiple years and no Packers fan will ever forget him putting the nail in the Cowboys coffin in the first playoff game of Jordan Loves career. Ty Summers also contributed on special teams as well.

Live, Laugh, LOVE.

2020 Draft:

• 1st Round: Jordan Love
• 2nd Round: AJ Dillon
• 3rd Round: Josiah Deguara
• 5th Round: Kamal Martin, Jon Runyan Jr, Jake Hanson
• 6th Round: Simon Stepaniak
• 7th Round: Vernon Scott, Jonathan Garvin

This was the hardest draft to place but also the easiest to explain. The class as a whole is terrible. Only a single player from it remains on the team, half the class is completely out of the league, and the players that aren’t are either backups or stop gaps. And none of it really matters because he got the QB right. This class will let the Packers continue to put a winning team on the field for the next decade because they got that one pick right.

Too Early to Tell, But The Vision is There.

2023/2024 Drafts:

• 1st Round: Lukas Van Ness, Jordan Morgan
• 2nd Round: Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Edgerrin Cooper, Javon Bullard
• 3rd Round: Tucker Kraft, Marshawn Lloyd, Ty’Ron Hopper
• 4th Round: Colby Wooden, Evan Williams
• 5th Round: Sean Clifford, Dontayvion Wicks, Jacob Monk, Kitan Oladapo
• 6th Round: Karl Brooks, Anders Carlson, Travis Glover
• 7th Round: Carrington Valentine, Lew Nichols, Anthony Johnson, Grant Dubose, Michael Pratt, Kalen King.

It’s a bit of a cop out putting these two classes together, but two things are true. Both drafts have yielded multiple starters for a team that has been to the playoffs two years straight now. A playoff team with the youngest roster in history to do it. Gutekunst made 24 picks combined in these two drafts and 23 of those players are on rosters today.

There are players that look like they could be All Pro/Pro Bowl Caliber like Edgerrin Cooper and Jayden Reed. There’s solid down to down contributors in players like Brooks, Williams, Bullard, and Wicks. There are players that injuries have slowed but have a ton of potential, Morgan, Musgrave, Lloyd.

For a team like the Packers that maybe doesn’t always have the same resources as other franchises, these are the kind of drafts you need to make the standard.

HOLD UP LET HIM COOK

2022 Draft:

• 1st Round: Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt
• 2nd Round: Christian Watson
• 3rd Round: Sean Rhyan
• 4th Round: Romeo Doubs, Zach Tom
• 5th Round: Kingsley Enagbare
• 7th Round: Tariq Carpenter, Johnathan Ford, Rasheed Walker, Samori Toure

This may be divisive, but hear me out. The first five picks in this draft have been starters or solid rotational players for the two youngest playoff teams in league history. Offensive line help is so hard to find in the league that players like Dan Moore are getting 4 year 82 million dollar deals. The Packers found three starters, including a left tackle in the seventh round!

Injuries have been an issue, but both Watson and Doubs are legitimate starting wide receivers. Kingsley Enagbare has been more than you could ask for from a 5th rounder as part of the teams pass rush rotation.

Walker and Wyatt are probably the biggest disappointments from the class, but both played fairly well under the Packers new defensive coordinator and have one more year to show what they can do.

What Packers fans should ultimately take from this is that while his earlier classes left a lot to be desired, the 22-24 classes should have fans very hopeful. If Gutekunst can keep this up Green Bay should be in a great position for years to come.