The time is here! Happy draft day to all who celebrate! Timelines have been filled with prospect evaluations and mock drafts since the season ended, and now it’s time to sit back and see how it all transpires. Rather than sharing another mock draft, the purpose of today’s article is to look back at Brian Gutekunst’s time making draft picks for the Green Bay Packers. He has knocked some of his picks out of the park. Unfortunately, some have been major swings and misses.
Brian Gutekunst has been the guy in charge of making all of the draft selections since being named the General Manager (GM) of the Green Bay Packers in January of 2018. This will be his eighth draft as the guy calling the shots. Since becoming the GM, the Packers have compiled a record of 73-42-1. They have made the playoffs five different times with a record of 3-5 in the postseason. While Gutekunst has had his share of successes since becoming the General Manager, the draft is an area where he has some room for improvement.
Different draft picks come in with different expectations. Some players have massively exceeded expectations, like day three picks Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker. As a general rule of thumb for this exercise, day three picks were not highly considered as “busts” because their expectations to contribute were significantly less than a day one or day two draft pick. This exercise focuses more on day one and day two draft picks who came in with higher expectations. Nonetheless, it’s time to dive in.
Honorable Mention – J’Mon Moore (133rd Overall, 2018)
First up, as an honorable mention “bust,” is wide receiver J’Mon Moore. Moore was a fourth-round pick in 2018 out of Missouri. Because he was a day-three draft pick, expectations for him were not as high as if he were drafted in the second round. That said, he was expected to contribute. Instead, he only played one season with the Packers and logged two catches for 15 yards and fumbled once.
Moore barely saw any time on the field. He played 74 snaps all season. The Packers quickly saw they didn’t nail their evaluation of Moore. He had the size and measurables that teams look for in prospects, but he lacked speed, explosiveness, polish, and maturity. Moore never made his mark in the NFL and has been out of the league since 2021. As a fourth-round pick, it’s hard to call him one of the biggest busts of the Gutekunst era, but it’s a selection Gutekunst would want back if he could do it again.
5) Josiah Deguara (94th Overall, 2020)
Coming in at number five is tight end/H-back Josiah Deguara. The former third-round pick out of Cincinnati was part of the famous 2020 draft, where the Packers selected Jordan Love in the first round. Fast forward to now, and Love is the only player from that draft class still on the team. Deguara did play out his full rookie contract, unlike other players on this list. That is about the only bright side for Deguara, though.
At the beginning of his four years with the Packers, Deguara tore his ACL, so his time healthy was limited to only three seasons. During his time healthy, Deguara appeared in 50 games, including ten starts. He logged 47 catches for 425 yards and two touchdowns. His role on offense was never going to produce strong statistical numbers, but he also wasn’t on the field much in general. Deguara’s offensive snap counts never exceeded playing more than 35% of snaps.
Much of Deguara’s impact came lined up as an H-back, where his responsibility was to be a lead blocker in the run game. He was also one of the core members of the special-teams units. Every team needs a player like this. They just usually aren’t third-round picks. When drafted on day two of the draft, it’s expected that you become a contributing member of either offense or defense. Deguara was not that.
Many draft experts expected Deguara to be a late-day-three draft pick, so this selection was confusing from the get-go. Gutekunst took a chance and drafted him well before that. Deguara essentially became a part-time fullback who was not a threat in the passing game. The Packers could have found a player like that at the end of the draft to fill the same role. Deguara was not Gutekunst’s finest draft pick.
4) Eric Stokes (29th Overall, 2019)
Next on the list is former Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes. Stokes was drafted 29th overall in the 2021 draft. The future of the athletic rookie looked very bright. He quickly took over for Kevin King and started 14 games, logging 55 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and 1 interception. After his rookie season, Stokes’ contributions took a downward turn.
Years two through four were full of shaky performances and injuries. He began his second season as a starter, but midway through the season suffered an ankle injury that ended his season. That injury carried into year three, where he started the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He eventually became healthy enough to play, but after four games, he was sidelined the rest of the year with a hamstring injury. These injury-riddled seasons forced the Packers to decline his fifth-year option.
Stokes was finally healthy again for his fourth season and played in all 17 games, but he was not the same player he was as a rookie. In 17 healthy games, he didn’t log a single pass deflection or interception. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of over 100 when targeting Stokes and completed over 65% of their passes. Not only was he not having a positive impact on defense, but he also didn’t contribute on special teams at all.
As a rookie, Eric Stokes looked like a strong draft pick from Brian Gutekunst. While Gutekunst has no way of predicting injuries, it can’t be ignored that Stokes only had one solid season of contributions, which is not ideal from a former first-round pick. Even when he was healthy, his play got worse. In fact, he hasn’t recorded a pass deflection since his rookie season. Looking back, Stokes might have been the right selection at 29th overall, but expectations, injuries, and lack of development make Stokes one of Gutekunst’s bigger busts.
3) Jace Sternberger (75th Overall, 2019)
Number three on the list is the former 75th overall pick of the 2019 draft, tight end Jace Sternberger. Coming off a college season at Texas A&M that earned him All-American and All-SEC honors, Sternberger was considered to be a top-three tight end prospect in the 2019 draft class. The Packers were looking for younger and more athletic reinforcements at the positions. Unfortunately, Sternberger never became that.
Sternberger’s time with the Packers was short-lived. He was with the team for parts of three years. As a rookie, he didn’t catch a single pass. His rookie season was filled with injuries and next-to-no production. He ended his rookie season being targeted only once, and that one target was a drop. Year two was better, but still, Sternberger finished with only 12 catches for 114 yards and one touchdown.
In his Packers’ career, he logged 18 games and 262 snaps…total. He also received a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Not long after, he was released. Sternberger was expected to be a fixture for the Packers at the tight end position for years to come. Gutekunst took a chance on Sternberger, and he ended up being one of the worst tight ends the Packers have had in the last decade.
2) Amari Rodgers (85th Overall, 2021)
The former third-round pick out of Clemson comes in as the second biggest bust of the Gutekunst draft era, with an argument to be number one on the list. The 2021 Packers’ draft wasn’t anything special as a whole, but Amari Rodgers ended up being one of the worst wide receivers to wear a Packers uniform in recent memory.
Gutekunst selected Rodgers at 85th overall. Amongst the other wide receivers in this draft were Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Rashad Bateman, Nico Collins, and Amon Ra St. Brown. Gutekunst was never going to have a chance at drafting Chase or Waddle, but he selected Rodgers over Collins and St. Brown – two guys who now are amongst the best in the league. Rodgers is already out of the league.
Rodgers’ tenure with the Packers lasted less than two years, where he played in 26 games but only logged 201 offensive snaps. He tallied eight catches for 95 yards with a catch percentage of 50%. Rodgers did play 202 snaps on special teams, primarily as a returner. He logged 40 punt returns with an average of 7.6 yards per return and 17 kick returns with an average of 18.9 yards per return. Neither of which is very impressive either.
What Packers fans might remember most about Amari Rodgers was his struggle to hold onto the football. In 26 games, Rodgers fumbled seven times, which is almost unheard of for skill players. Gutekunst brought Rodgers in to fill a role similar to how the San Francisco 49ers use Deebo Samuel. Rodgers never ended up becoming that. Instead, he was a liability every time he stepped onto the field.
1) Josh Jackson (45th Overall, 2018)
Lastly, the biggest bust from the Gutekunst draft era is cornerback Josh Jackson. The former second-round pick out of Iowa was one of the most celebrated draft picks in recent memory. Many draft experts had mocked him to the Packers at 14th overall. Gutekunst worked his magic and landed Jaire Alexander in the first round, Josh Jackson in the second round, and an additional first-round pick for the following offseason. At the time, that seemed like an A+.
The Packers were given many high grades from different draft experts for their ability to land Jackson in the second round. Several analysts thought landing Jackson at 45th overall was a steal. Everyone from NFL.com to ESPN.com to Bleacher Report all lauded the Jackson pick. Walter Football even read:
“45. Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa A+ Grade
Holy hell, I forgot Joshua Jackson was still available. How in the world did he fall this far? Jackson is a player who could’ve gone No. 14 overall to the Packers, and I would’ve been fine with it. Some people whose opinion I respect think Jackson should’ve been in the conversation as the top cornerback in this entire class. Jackson is tall and instinctive and in the mold of Aqib Talib, and he should be an instant upgrade in Green Bay’s atrocious secondary.”
Expectations for Josh Jackson were high. Unfortunately, Jackson never turned into the player he was once hoped to be. He started 12 games as a rookie, but it was downhill from there. He only played 12% of the defensive snaps in his second season and 44% in his third season. Jackson only played three years with the Packers before they traded him to the New York Giants for another journeyman cornerback, Isaac Yiadom.
Over the 42 games he played wearing the green and gold, he had a total of 12 pass deflections, 0 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery. Opposing quarterbacks found quite a bit of success when targeting Jackson. They completed 67.6% of their passes and had a 111.8 passer rating. When Alexander and Jackson were selected in 2018, they were thought to be the answer in strengthening the Packers’ secondary for years to come. Unfortunately, Gutekunst’s swing on Jackson ended up being his biggest whiff.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Every GM has draft picks that become a huge success. But they also all have their fair share of stinkers, and Brian Gutekunst is no different. Throughout his tenure making draft picks for the Green Bay Packers, he has reloaded a roster with an abundance of young talent that should allow them to contend for years to come. He also made several picks that ended up being big busts. Luckily, none of his misses are to the level of the infamous Tony Mandarich selection.
