The Green Bay Packers invested heavily in its offense by taking three offensive players in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
On Saturday’s final day of the draft, the Packers went heavy on defense and used four of their picks on that side of the ball.
When it all ended, Green Bay selected four offensive and four defensive players with its eight picks this weekend.
Here’s the Good, Bad and Ugly from the Packers’ draft.
THE GOOD
WIDE RECEIVER UPGRADES: When Gutekunst sees a problem, he really attacks it.
Gutekunst took three offensive linemen in 2021, 2022 and 2024. He took three safeties last year. And he took three wide receivers in 2018 and 2022.
After the Packers’ wideouts were the most disappointing group on the roster last year, Gutekunst was hell-bent on fixing the problem. So Gutekunst used two top-100 picks on receivers.
First, the Packers used their first round pick on Texas wideout Matthew Golden. That marked the first time Green Bay took a wide receiver in Round 1 since 2002 when the Packers took Javon Walker.
Gutekunst then used his third rounder — the 87th overall pick — on TCU wideout Savion Williams.
“It was just kind of how the board fell to be honest,” Gutekunst said.
Please!
The Packers’ receivers were a colossal disappointment in 2024, and at the room was just dramatically upgraded.
Golden ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds at this year’s NFL Combine, fastest among all the wideouts. While Golden is just 5-foot-11, 191 pounds, speed certainly kills. And the Packers suddenly have a burner that they desperately needed in their wide receiver room.
“He’s going to be a speed threat right away,” Gutekunst said. “He is one of those guys that covering him from a man perspective is going to be extremely tough on teams. So when we get to some of those third-down things where people are trying to mug us up and we need somebody to get open fast, he can do that.”
Williams has terrific size, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 222 pounds. During his five years at TCU, Williams played in 52 games, caught 137 passes for 1,655 yards (12.1) and had 14 touchdowns. Williams also ran the ball 62 times rushes for 384 (6.2) and six TDs. Played 52 games.
Many scouts compared him to Cordarrelle Patterson, a versatile player who’s carved out a 12-year career with six NFL teams.
“I just do whatever my team needs me to do,” Williams said. “Mostly, teams, they want me to play receiver, but they like the fact they can move all around the formation doing things like that.”
The Packers’ top three returning wideouts — Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks — were mediocre in 2024. But the additions of Golden and Williams give this unit a chance to take a major jump.
“It’s going to be really competitive to get on the field and get snaps and get targets and all those things,” Gutekunst said. “But that’s the way you want to want it, right? To win in this league, you have to have playmakers and right now, across the board, really at all the skill positions, I feel pretty good about our playmakers.”
A MOMENT TO REMEMBER: Far too much of the draft coverage focused on overhyped players like Shadeur Sanders instead of terrific stories like the one of Packers’ defensive end Barryn Sorrell.
Sorrell was one of 16 players that sat in the green room this weekend — an area off the stage where potential draftees wait to hear their name called. Sorrell wasn’t drafted until the fourth round, and afterwards, broke down and wept when addressing the state media.
When Sorrell stopped crying, he talked about his journey and his joyous walk across the draft stage where euphoric Packer fans celebrated him.
“Man, just an unreal feeling,” said the 6-foot-3, 256-pound Sorrell said. “I really don’t have any words to describe it. It’s definitely going to be one of the best memories I’ve had in my life. This day has been great. Just the energy that these fans bring.
Sorrell wasn’t expecting to be a first round pick, but came to the draft anyway.
It sounds like he paid his way here,” said Milt Hendrickson, the Packers director of football operations. “Just wanted to be a part of it. If that isn’t enough of an anecdote to tell you what kind of kid that is, I don’t know what else there is.”
Sorrell arrived in Green Bay Wednesday and watched Thursday’s first round with several NFL legends back at his hotel. He went to the green room Friday, but wasn’t selected in either the second or third round.
“I just had to switch that perspective and realize that it’s a blessing to even be there,” Sorrell said of being in the green room. “Not everybody gets drafted and definitely not a lot of people go to the green room. So, just grateful for the opportunity.”
Sorrell was even happier when he heard his name called Saturday.
The Packers made him the 124th selection overall and he rejoiced on stage in front of another big crowd outside of Packer headquarters. Sorrell then went to Lambeau Field and did a Lambeau leap in front of a few thousand fans.
“Just walking out on the field I could feel the energy,” Sorrell said. “I could feel the fans’ energy and I’m just ready to reciprocate that on game day. I’m ready to come here and make that type of impact. And then the Lambeau Leap, man, it’s just the energy and the way they embrace it. Man, that was a great experience.”
And well worth the wait.
LINE DANCING: Gutekunst is always loading — and reloading — on the offensive line. In fact he took three linemen in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
Gutekunst was back at it this year taking offensive tackle/guard Anthony Belton in the second round and guard John Williams in the seventh.
The Packers have three offensive linemen — Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan — heading into contract years. In addition, center Elgton Jenkins will turn 30 this season and his salary cap number balloons to $24.8 million in 2026.
But the Packers helped themselves in the short term — and the long term — by addressing offensive line again.
THIS AND THAT: Sixth round defensive tackle Warren Brinson (6-5, 315) could be the space-eating defensive tackle the Packers lost when free agent T.J. Slaton signed with Cincinnati. … Seventh round cornerback Micah Robinsin from Tulane ran the 40-yard dash in 4,42 seconds.
THE BAD
DYNAMIC DIVISION: The Packers appear to have improved themselves, adding a pair of playmaking wide receivers and an offensive lineman who could become a force.
The problem is the rest of the NFC North — which was football’s best division in 2024 — appears better, as well.
Defending divisional champion Detroit beefed up both lines of scrimmage with defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and guard Tate Rutledge. Minnesota, which finished second in the division last year, added a potentially dominant offensive lineman Donovan Jackson and gifted wideout Tai Felton.
And Chicago, which had a terrific free agency, added tight end Colston Loveland, wideout Luther Burden and tackle Ozzy Trapilo in the first two rounds.
The Packers went just 1-5 in the NFC North last year, and the division appears to be even better.
THE UGLY
THE ALEXANDER DRAMA: For now, disgruntled cornerback Jaire Alexander remains on the roster. Whether that’s the case later this summer remains unclear.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that Alexander took part in the first week of the voluntary offseason program — which was done virtually because the draft was held in Green Bay. Gutekunst said there are “he’s on our roster now and that’s how we’ll proceed.”
Do the Packers really want to go down Alexander Road again?
Alexander has played just 34 of the last 68 regular season games for the Green Bay Packers.
He ran out for the coin toss — and called it — in a 2023 game vs. Carolina, even though he wasn’t a captain.
And during a “prove it” season in 2024, Alexander once again spent more time on the sideline than on the field and missed 11 of 18 games.
Somehow, though, when last season ended, Alexander had the audacity to say, “You don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say. … I don’t have anything good to say.”
The Packers had hoped to trade Alexander by now, but haven’t been able to receive what they deem adequate compensation. So for now, Alexander remains a Packer.
Based on past history, keeping him around is risky business.