Despite the ire of Green Bay Packers fans over how the 2020 NFL Draft played out, there’s a case that the front office actually had a quality performance.
The Green Bay Packers, historically, have always believed in the philosophy of acquiring their franchise players through the NFL Draft and developing them. Rarely has the Pack gambled in free agency for marquee players due to this philosophy.
Through this strategy, they have developed superstars such as linebacker Clay Matthews, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Davante Adams, linebacker LeRoy Butler and wide receiver Donald Driver — just to name a few.
In the aftermath of the Ted Thompson era, however, new general manager Brian Gutekunst has shown a slight change of heart when it comes to the offseason. While still maintaining the conservatism displayed in previous regimes, his first year as the new head honcho he focused on retooling an average defense that finished as the No. 15 ranked total defense in terms of yards allowed per game with 354.4 in 2018.
It is also noteworthy that the team finished as the No. 29 (tied with the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals) in interceptions with only 7 for the season.
The return value of the moves made in the 2018 offseason was on full display as Green Bay finished their 2019 regular season as the No. 9 defense in the NFL in terms of points allowed with 313. Edge rushers Za’Darius and Preston Smith (not related) both recorded at least 12.0 sacks on the season while safety Adrian Amos became a cornerstone defender for the Packers due to his prolific tackling and solid coverage abilities.
While this is the exact reason why one should dabble in the free agency frenzy, Green Bay is now faced with a salary cap dilemma at the same time as current stars like running back Aaron Jones, nose tackle Kenny Clark and left tackle David Bakhtiari all have expiring contracts at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
With the pressure of these contract renewals looming over Brain Gutekunst’s head, it is understandable as to why he was unable to plunge into free agency this year as much as he would have liked.
There is a desperate need at wide receiver as well as the inside linebacker position but because of salary cap restrictions and an unwillingness to disrupt a team that is coming off of a 13-3 season that featured an NFC Championship appearance, Gutekunst was only able to acquire linebacker Christian Kirksey and wide receiver Devin Funchess to each position, leading to the general manager relying on the draft to plug the gaping holes that remain on the roster.
The immediate reactions of the 2020 NFL Draft picks by the Green Bay Packers were overwhelmingly negative, primarily due to the organization not selecting a single wide receiver with any of their nine draft selections. Instead, the most headlining move by the front office was making a trade with the Miami Dolphins by sending No. 30 and 136 picks to trade up to No. 26 and used it to draft quarterback Jordan Love out of Utah State.
Many fans and analysts have slammed the franchise for betraying Aaron Rodgers, leading some to go as far as to say Rodgers should demand a trade out of Green Bay. However, here are three reasons why this draft was actually successful.