It's been nearly 10 years since the Packers pulled off a trade to move up in the first round of the NFL Draft, and it sounds like they might be interested in doing that again.
According to NFL.com, the Packers are plotting to trade up from the 14th overall spot so they can land a "top-tier talent." If the move happens, it would mark the first time Green Bay has moved up in the first round of a draft since 2009, when they selected Clay Matthews with the 26th overall pick. Nine years ago, the Packers used the ninth overall pick on B.J. Raji, then traded back into the first round to grab Matthews after making a deal with the Patriots.
Although the idea of a Packers trade does seem kind of surprising -- and that's mainly because they haven't done it in nearly a decade -- maybe we shouldn't be shocked at all. After all, new general manager Brian Gutekunst, who took over for Ted Thompson in January, has already proven that he's willing to pull the trigger on a big move or two, if that's what needs to be done. In just three months on the job, Gutekunst has already made several splash signings, including Mo Wilkerson and Jimmy Graham.
The other reason it wouldn't be shocking to see the Packers trade up is because they have the ammo to do it. The Packers have a total of 12 picks in this year's draft, which is more than any other team in the NFL. If Gutekunst wants to move up, he's got three fifth-round picks that he can use as trade bait. The Packers also have multiple picks in the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds.
Basically, with 12 picks, the Packers are one of the few teams that could turn the 2018 draft on its head and make a move that would totally shock everyone.
If the Packers are looking to move up, the guess here is that they'd be looking to take either a defensive back or a pass-rusher. During a predraft interview on Monday, Gutekunst seemed to indicate he would prefer a pass-rusher over a defensive back.
"Big guys are harder to find than small guys at every level of football," Gutekunst said, via Packersnews.com.
Of course, since the goal of every general manager is to be as ambiguous as possible during draft season, he also added that both positions are important.
"There's teams that have dominant pass rushes and been so-so on the back end and been fine," Gutekunst said. "There's teams that have been really, really good on the back end and so-so pass rush and been fine. And then, vice-versa. There's teams that have been really good up front and their back end wasn't good enough and it cost them."
So who will the Packers trade up for?
A total shock would be if they were able to move up and walk away from the draft with Bradley Chubb. If that were to happen, you'd almost have to consider the draft a success for Green Bay, no matter what happens with the rest of their picks.
Earlier this month, we took a look at several draft options for the Packers, and you can check that out by clicking here.
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