General Manager Brian Gutekunst’s Packers third round pick hit rate has been less than stellar. Meanwhile, he offered many surprises during the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. A lot of draft analysts expected the Packers to target the defensive line or cornerback early on. With the entire wide receiver room returning and the free agent signing of Guard Aaron Banks, few expected Gutekunst to target receiver or offensive line. He had other ideas.
Gutekunst drafted Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round, even though the Packers hadn’t used a first-round pick at the position in 23 years. Then he selected North Carolina State offensive tackle Anthony Belton in the second round. Finally, Gutekunst went with a wide receiver again in the third round, selecting Savion Williams out of TCU. To say Gutekunst has struggled drafting in the third round would be an understatement. In this article, we will break down all of those third-round selections.
Struggles in the First and Third Rounds
I recently wrote an article examining the Packers’ recent misses with their first-round picks and my theory behind it. You can read that article here. But Gutekunst has drafted even worse in the third round during his tenure as general manager. Obviously, third-round picks should not be as good as first or second-rounders. Strangely enough, Gutekunst has gotten much more production from his fourth and fifth-round selections than in the third.
Early years 2018-2020
Let’s examine Gutekunst’s first three third-round picks. In 2018, he selected linebacker Oren Burks out of Vanderbilt. Gutekunst liked him so much that he traded up to get him. Burks was never able to crack the starting lineup in Green Bay but has enjoyed more success with the 49ers and Eagles. In 2019, he selected tight end Jace Sternberger from Texas A&M. However, Sternberger was frequently injured and not effective when healthy. He most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League.
While those two selections were well-liked by fans at the time, the 2020 selection of Josiah Deguara was not. Thought to be more of a late-round pick, Gutekunst selected the tight end out of Cincinnati 94th overall. The Packers believed Deguara could be the next Kyle Juszczyk, a tight end/fullback hybrid. Deguara has never approached Juszcyk’s level of performance, either as a blocker or a receiver. Despite never being an effective player, Deguara managed to stay on the roster for four seasons. He is currently on the Arizona Cardinals.
2021 Draft
The 2021 Draft was easily Guntekunst’s worst. Their first two selections, cornerback Eric Stokes and center Josh Myers, were below-average players at best. Neither pick was well received, with most draft analysts believing there were better players on the board. However, many fans were excited when Gutekunst moved up in the third round to select wide receiver Amari Rodgers from Clemson.
This pick was a total disaster and is considered one of Gunekunst’s biggest mistakes. Rodgers was supposed to be the punt returner and fill the role of a “gadget” player in Matt LaFleur’s offense. Rodgers was not effective as a receiver and fumbled five punt returns in 10 games during his sophomore season in Green Bay. He was released in November of 2022, falling short of even playing two seasons for the Packers. He is no longer in the NFL and, just like Sternberger, has spent time with the Birmingham Stallions.
Finally Some 3rd Round Production
Brian Gutekunst needed to nail the 2022 draft, and that’s exactly what he did. He managed to draft three starting offensive linemen, all of them selected after the second round. Starting tackles Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker were fourth and seventh-round picks. And in the third round, Gutekunst selected current starting right guard Sean Rhyan from UCLA.
Rhyan, however, got off to a shaky start to his career. He only played in one game as a rookie and was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. In the 2023 season, the coaches allowed him to split time with Jon Runyan Jr at right guard despite Runyan being the better player that season.
After Runyan signed with the Giants in free agency, Rhyan still split time at right guard in the 2024 season with rookie Jordan Morgan. He was more effective than Morgan, and his pass blocking significantly improved. If Rhyan can continue the development he showed in 2024, he could earn a contract extension before the end of the season. He’s off to a shaky start in the preseason, however. Lining up at center with the second unit, Rhyan whiffed on a crucial block that resulted in a strip-sack touchdown for the Jets.
Gunekunst Hits a Home Run
With Sean Rhyan struggling mightily as a rookie, Gutekunst’s third-round picks once again came under fire. That is until he selected tight end Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State. Kraft got off to a slow start during his rookie campaign. He was coming from an FCS school and was behind fellow rookie Luke Musgrave on the depth chart. That all changed when Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney during the 2023 season. Kraft took over as the starting tight end and has not looked back
Last season, Tucker Kraft had 50 catches for 707 yards and 7 TDs. Those numbers don’t jump out at you until you look closer. Kraft averaged 9.1 yards after the catch on his 50 receptions. Not 9.1 yards per catch. 9.1 yards after he has the ball in his hands. That led NFL tight ends by a large margin, with George Kittle second at 6.8 yards after the catch. Kraft figures to be a larger part of the offense this season, and Gutekunst finally hit a home run in the third round.
2024 Third Rounders
The Packer entered the 2024 NFL Draft with two late 3rd-round picks. They used the first one on running back Marshawn Lloyd out of USC. Both the fans and draft analysts widely praised the pick. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked Lloyd as the best running back in the draft. Lloyd was expected to back up starting running back Josh Jacobs. However, he has had trouble staying healthy and was limited to six carries as a rookie. Lloyd is currently nursing a groin injury, so the jury is still out on him until he can stay healthy.
The other third-round pick was linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper from Missouri. Hopper was a surprise selection because a lot of draft analysts expected him to be a late-round pick. Hopper played mostly special teams as a rookie, stuck behind starters Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie. This year, Hopper is believed to be behind free agent addition Isiah Simmons, so he may be limited to a special team role for the foreseeable future.
Savion Williams
As I mentioned earlier, the Packers selected wide receiver Savion Williams with their third-round pick in the 2025 Draft. Williams has size and speed, measuring 6 feet 4, 220 pounds, and ran a 4.48 forty-yard dash. Even though he’s a terrific athlete, Williams was considered to be a raw prospect, especially when it came to running routes. Drop issues also plagued him at TCU. Some draft experts considered him a project, so it was a little surprising when the Packers selected him in the third round.
Williams’ biggest strength is his ability to break tackles both as a receiver and as a running back. He led all college receivers in missed tackles forced. When running the football, Williams had a higher missed tackle percentage than both Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo. Of course, it was a small sample size of just 51 attempts, far fewer than either of those stars. This led many people to compare Williams to veteran Cordarrelle Patterson, a running back/wide receiver hybrid.
After researching Williams, the pick was starting to make sense. As mentioned earlier, Matt LaFleur has been looking for a gadget player for his offense. Savion Williams’ traits and abilities make him the perfect candidate for that role. The Packers have been using Jayden Reed as a gadget player, but because he is undersized, the results have been mixed.
Setback for Williams
As training camp got underway for the Packers, Savion Williams got off to an impressive start. He made an exceptional one-handed catch and was looking like a third-round steal. However, Williams would suffer a concussion, which cost him valuable practice time. He already missed time in the off-season following shoulder surgery. Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenovich recently said Williams “got a ways to go.”
It sounds like Williams needs reps, yet because of the injury, he is not getting them. He is already buried on the depth chart behind Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. This could limit Williams’ ability to get on the field this season and derail his chances to become LaFleur’s gadget player. Hopefully, Williams can stay healthy and show the Packers he deserves to play meaningful regular-season snaps at both wide receiver and running back.
Conclusion
General Manager Brian Gutekunst enters the 2025 season with two years remaining on his current contract. With new team president Ed Policy now at the helm, a decision on Gutekunst’s future will likely be made following the conclusion of the season. While the Packers’ overall performance will be the primary factor in determining whether an extension is warranted, individual player development may also be a meaningful factor in shaping perceptions of Gutekunst’s draft record.
In particular, the progress of Marshawn Lloyd, Ty’Ron Hopper, and wide receiver Savion Williams, Gutekunst’s most recent third-round selections, will be worth watching closely. If even one of these players emerges as a key contributor, it could begin to shift the narrative around Gutekunst’s struggles in the third round. A consistent role on offense for Williams seems the most likely path to improving Gutekunst’s success/failure rate with third-round picks.
