Packers enter draft without Round 1
- Green Bay will enter this draft without a first-round pick for the first time since 1986. (espn.com) - Team insiders say the Packers are targeting cornerback help and slot depth behind Javon Bullard. (packers.com) - The lack of a Round 1 pick raises the question of how far GM Brian Gutekunst will be willing to move up. (espn.com)
Green Bay will sit out the first round of the National Football League draft Thursday night and wait until No. 52 for its first pick Friday. (packers.com) The Packers have not entered a draft without a first-round pick since 1986, according to ESPN. General manager Brian Gutekunst said this week the club still went through its usual first-round preparation. (espn.com, packers.com) Green Bay’s missing first-rounder is the cost of its August 2025 trade for edge rusher Micah Parsons, a deal that sent 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys. ESPN reported Gutekunst believes he still has enough draft capital to move up in Round 2 if a target starts to slide. (espn.com) That leaves the Packers balancing two timelines at once: they already paid premium draft capital for a star defender, but they still have roster holes to fill this weekend. The team’s own pre-draft review said cornerback is a priority and the slot also needs depth behind starting nickel Javon Bullard. (packers.com) The draft setup is unusual for Gutekunst because his first selection is not scheduled until the 20th pick of the second round. Packers.com said Green Bay enters the three-day draft with eight total selections, including picks No. 52, 84, 120, 153, 160, 201, 236 and 255. (packers.com, packers.com) Green Bay has skipped making a first-round choice before, but under different circumstances. ESPN noted the Packers traded out of the first round in 2008 and 2017, while this year they begin the draft without a Round 1 pick at all. (espn.com) Gutekunst said Tuesday he remains open to trades, and Packers.com described that flexibility as part of the club’s annual draft approach. The practical question now is whether Green Bay waits at No. 52 or packages picks to climb high enough for a cornerback it values. (packers.com, espn.com) The first round starts Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh, but the Packers’ real draft window opens Friday. After four decades of usually having a Thursday-night seat, Green Bay’s first move may come only when the board starts thinning at the positions it needs most. (packers.com, packers.com)
