Green Bay Packers: 5 Surprise first-round picks in play for 2020 NFL Draft

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 09: Defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. #11 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers reacts against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second quarter at TCFBank Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 09: Defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. #11 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers reacts against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second quarter at TCFBank Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Green Bay Packers, 2020 NFL Draft (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers, 2020 NFL Draft (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

The Green Bay Packers will have plenty of options at No. 30 overall. Here are five players who could be under the radar selections in the first round.

Plenty of opinions exist about which position the Green Bay Packers should target with the 30th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Dig even deeper, and opinions have already been formed about which players might be reaches at pick No. 30 based on mock drafts.

Spoiler alert: NFL teams don’t always evaluate players the same way the public does. Additionally, teams visualize what a player could be in the future rather than what he currently is as a prospect. This leads to surprise draft picks that fans weren’t expecting from their favorite team.

A perfect example of this is when the Packers selected outside linebacker Rashan Gary with the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft. Gary was touted as a potential first-rounder, but almost nobody had projected Gary as a potential pick for Green Bay at pick No. 12.

Some of the biggest needs on the Packers’ roster at the moment include wide receiver, inside linebacker, defensive line and offensive tackle. Other underrated needs include cornerback, safety and interior offensive line.

The Packers have several key players who have expiring contracts after the 2020 season, which could lead to a some surprise selections early on in this year’s draft. For instance, cornerback Kevin King and center Corey Linsley are both entering the last year of their current deals.

Green Bay has a roster ready to win now, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t plan for the future. Because of that, we could see a surprise selection with the 30th overall pick. With that said, here are five players who are flying under the radar as potential picks for the Packers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.