We are just one month away from the NFL Draft. Held in Green Bay for the first time ever, will Packers GM Brian Gutekunst stand pat with eight picks to make, or should fans anticipate an active few days for the team?

To start with, the Packers will almost certainly make at least one, if not multiple trades come draft time. Since taking over in 2018 Gutekunst has made trades involving draft picks every single year. With 2020 being the lone exception he has made multiple trades in every draft. The team has traded up and down, as well as sending players for picks in following years.

I would expect more of the same this year. Green Bay has a deep and talented roster, but they definitely have holes to fill. The draft is their last and best shot to get this team ready to compete for a championship. Lets look at what those trades may look like.

Green Bay Trades Up

To me this is the less likely option, but also the more exciting of the two. What kind of player would lead the Packers to giving up future assets to go an get?

Example 1: Green Bay trades Pick 23, Pick 87, Pick 159 to Atlanta for Pick 15. Green Bay selects Tetairoa McMillen or Matthew Golden

These two players seem to be the consensus top WR in this draft class. With it being a deeper class in the trenches, a trade up for the Packers in my mind would involve hunting for a wide receiver or a cornerback.

Trading up to 15 allows Green Bay to get ahead of teams like Seattle, Los Angeles and even a team like Arizona that may be considering adding to their WR rooms.

Example 2: Green Bay sends Pick 23, Pick 104, 2026 4th Rounder and Javon Bullard to Jacksonville for Pick 5. Green Bay selects Travis Hunter.

Look, would this ever happen? Probably not. But hear me out. The Titans and Browns go QB with the first two picks and New York takes Abdul Carter third. The Patriots, who have spent millions more than anyone else in Free Agency still do not have a left tackle for their new franchise cornerstone. That puts Hunter in play at 5.

Jacksonville has holes all over the roster, including safety. This gives them extra picks, and a player that may be left without a spot in Green Bay after the Nate Hobbs signing. Hunter kills two birds with one stone for Green Bay as he provides them with a legit WR or CB option.

Green Bay Trades Down

The more likely of the two options given what is perceived as a deeper class in the middle than at the top. Trading down gives Green Bay multiple bites at the apple to deal with the issues at CB, WR and DL.

Example 1: New England sends Pick 38, Pick 106, and a 2026 Third Rounder to Green Bay for Pick 23. Green Bay targets a player like Luther Burden or Jayden Higgins at 38.

In this example New England takes Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter if one of them falls to four. Still needing a Left Tackle New England jumps back into the first to take a player like Josh Simmons who likely doesn’t make it past Kansas City at the end of round 1, or even possibly sooner to Houston at 25.

Example 2: Kansas City trades Pick 31 and Pick 63 to Green Bay for Pick 23 and 124. Green Bay targets James Pearce Jr or Emeka Egbuka

Like New England in the previous example, Kansas City is desperate for OL help. This lets them jump Houston to grab a player like Simmons or even an interior lineman like Grey Zabel.

Packers Players on the Block

There a few players on the Packer’s roster that would not surprise me if they were moved on draft day for a variety of reasons. I do not think two of these are likely, but there are arguments to be made.

1.) Jaire Alexander: This is not new information, and the prevailing wisdom is that there is no chance he is on Green Bays roster come this summer. That being said, if Green Bay doesn’t move him prior to the draft it gets a lot more interesting.

2.) Javon Bullard: I alluded to this above, but the Nate Hobbs signing has put the Green Bay secondary in a strange spot. Bullard played best when the team put him in the slot, but Hobbs is a player that has occupied that space for the majority of his career. While it’s certainly possible that Green Bay intends to play Hobbs outside more, it wouldn’t stun me if Green Bay considered moving him for an additional pick they might be able to spend on a true outside CB.

3.) Rasheed Walker: The least likely of the three, but I could understand the thought process. Multiple teams are coming into this draft desperately needing a tackle. Houston, Seattle, Kansas City and New England to name a few. Walker has played fine, but is Green Bay willing to spend the money he’ll ask for when the time comes? They have repeatedly referred to last years first round pick Jordan Morgan as a tackle, so despite projections placing him at guard it’s possible the Packers give him every chance possible to take the job from Walker this summer.

However it plays out, don’t expect the Packers to stand pat on draft day. This is a team that knows it is close, and I expect them to draft accordingly.