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GREEN BAY – It didn’t take Brian Gutekunst long to identify a potential problem in this NFL draft unlike any other once the campus construction began late last month.
To mitigate travel restrictions on draft day, the Green Bay Packers scouting staff is staying in a hotel near Lambeau Field. Should make for smoother transit to the scouting war room, where the Packers will conduct their draft like any other year.
If they’re able to stay focused on their destination.
“I am a little concerned about our scouting staff,” Gutekunst said, smiling as he set up his one-liner. “Because they’ve got to walk right through the corridor of all the bars to the hotel, and that’s a temptation there.”
In truth, Gutekunst expects nothing can keep his scouting department from its signature weekend on the football calendar. Even an influx of fences, traffic cones and security. The Packers enter a potentially transformational draft this week hoping to find the right ingredients to push a budding championship contender over the hurdle of a Super Bowl run.
Their focus won’t be deterred from maximizing their eight draft selections, and potentially more if Gutekunst has his way. The Packers have less draft ammunition than recent years when they selected 11 players in 2024, 13 in 2023 and 11 in 2022.
“I think certainly we’d love to (add picks),” Gutekunst said. “Where we do that, and how we do that, will really be dependent on the opportunities that are there and the players that are there. We’re not going to pass up a really good player to move back unless we feel like we can still get that player. So we’ll see.
“I’d like to have 15 (picks) every year. I think that’d be just about right. I think there’ll be opportunities, but at the same time, it’s such an unpredictable thing, we’ll see.”
Gutekunst spent his 30 minutes with the media Monday trying to reveal as little as possible, an annual tradition for his required pre-draft availability. He emphasized more than once the desire to not draft for need, though the positional mandates on this roster are clear. The Packers GM did not share much of his plan for addressing this group of receivers and pass rushers, but it would be a surprise if Gutekunst exited this week without significantly adding to those depth charts.
What’s different is how Gutekunst will handle this draft unlike any other in his eight-year tenure. He opened Monday asking if reporters had any difficulty navigating the maze of fences leading to Lambeau Field, quipping that he rode his bicycle to work. Asked about the pressure of actually making a selection at No. 23 overall in the first round, creating an iconic moment with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Lot 1 of his team’s own stadium, Gutekunst chuckled and suggested he might still hear from outgoing president/CEO Mark Murphy on the need to not trade out of opening night.
But Gutekunst won’t approach this draft any differently than prior years, at least after arriving to work. The goal is the same as it ever was: making his roster better.
“We’re ready,” Gutekunst said. “We always joke that really the last Friday we should all take a five-day vacation and come back. There’s more mistakes made in these last few days than anything else, but the process went great. We have a great group. They work really well together, the way they not only attack their fall, but then there’s such collaboration with our guys through the all-star games, the combine, the pro days and everything we ask these guys to do that is so important to how we get to the answers.”
Pete Dougherty: Which cornerbacks might interest the Packers with pick No. 23 in the NFL draft?
That Gutekunst could crack jokes Monday was a sign of a GM who is at ease entering this week. At least as much as any GM can be. His mind might be fixed on finding the right players for his roster, but Gutekunst has a sense of what this moment means for not only his franchise, but the city that supports it.
“In all seriousness,” Gutekunst said, “it’s been really cool to see the kind of organization, the city, everybody rally around. This is something I don’t think a lot of people thought could ever happen. Whatever complications there are, trouble getting in and out of here, well worth it. Just really excited to see how this thing comes together.
“I just think you’ve got to give Mark a lot of credit. I mean, this was obviously his vision. For him to pull this off has been really cool to see.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Brian Gutekunst ready for NFL draft unlike any other in Packers tenure
Continue reading...
To mitigate travel restrictions on draft day, the Green Bay Packers scouting staff is staying in a hotel near Lambeau Field. Should make for smoother transit to the scouting war room, where the Packers will conduct their draft like any other year.
If they’re able to stay focused on their destination.
“I am a little concerned about our scouting staff,” Gutekunst said, smiling as he set up his one-liner. “Because they’ve got to walk right through the corridor of all the bars to the hotel, and that’s a temptation there.”
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In truth, Gutekunst expects nothing can keep his scouting department from its signature weekend on the football calendar. Even an influx of fences, traffic cones and security. The Packers enter a potentially transformational draft this week hoping to find the right ingredients to push a budding championship contender over the hurdle of a Super Bowl run.
Their focus won’t be deterred from maximizing their eight draft selections, and potentially more if Gutekunst has his way. The Packers have less draft ammunition than recent years when they selected 11 players in 2024, 13 in 2023 and 11 in 2022.
“I think certainly we’d love to (add picks),” Gutekunst said. “Where we do that, and how we do that, will really be dependent on the opportunities that are there and the players that are there. We’re not going to pass up a really good player to move back unless we feel like we can still get that player. So we’ll see.
“I’d like to have 15 (picks) every year. I think that’d be just about right. I think there’ll be opportunities, but at the same time, it’s such an unpredictable thing, we’ll see.”
Gutekunst spent his 30 minutes with the media Monday trying to reveal as little as possible, an annual tradition for his required pre-draft availability. He emphasized more than once the desire to not draft for need, though the positional mandates on this roster are clear. The Packers GM did not share much of his plan for addressing this group of receivers and pass rushers, but it would be a surprise if Gutekunst exited this week without significantly adding to those depth charts.
What’s different is how Gutekunst will handle this draft unlike any other in his eight-year tenure. He opened Monday asking if reporters had any difficulty navigating the maze of fences leading to Lambeau Field, quipping that he rode his bicycle to work. Asked about the pressure of actually making a selection at No. 23 overall in the first round, creating an iconic moment with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Lot 1 of his team’s own stadium, Gutekunst chuckled and suggested he might still hear from outgoing president/CEO Mark Murphy on the need to not trade out of opening night.
But Gutekunst won’t approach this draft any differently than prior years, at least after arriving to work. The goal is the same as it ever was: making his roster better.
“We’re ready,” Gutekunst said. “We always joke that really the last Friday we should all take a five-day vacation and come back. There’s more mistakes made in these last few days than anything else, but the process went great. We have a great group. They work really well together, the way they not only attack their fall, but then there’s such collaboration with our guys through the all-star games, the combine, the pro days and everything we ask these guys to do that is so important to how we get to the answers.”
Pete Dougherty: Which cornerbacks might interest the Packers with pick No. 23 in the NFL draft?
That Gutekunst could crack jokes Monday was a sign of a GM who is at ease entering this week. At least as much as any GM can be. His mind might be fixed on finding the right players for his roster, but Gutekunst has a sense of what this moment means for not only his franchise, but the city that supports it.
“In all seriousness,” Gutekunst said, “it’s been really cool to see the kind of organization, the city, everybody rally around. This is something I don’t think a lot of people thought could ever happen. Whatever complications there are, trouble getting in and out of here, well worth it. Just really excited to see how this thing comes together.
“I just think you’ve got to give Mark a lot of credit. I mean, this was obviously his vision. For him to pull this off has been really cool to see.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Brian Gutekunst ready for NFL draft unlike any other in Packers tenure
Continue reading...
