GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2019, even after signing Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in free agency, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst bet on traits and upside in using his first-round pick on edge rusher Rashan Gary.
In 2023, the Packers moved up from No. 15 of the first round to No. 13 as part of the Aaron Rodgers trade. Gutekunst bet on traits and upside in using his first-round pick on edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
In his first mock draft for NFL.com, draft expert Lance Zierlein logically used the same thinking in picking Texas A&M edge defender Shemar Stewart with the Packers’ first-round pick.