I’m finally retired and can stay up late to see the Packers’ first-round pick. Can’t wait to see who they select.

Looks like you picked the wrong (year) to quit (workin’).

Kyle from St. Charles, MO

Hypothetically viewing the draft with the fan’s exclusive knowledge of what the player will become but not knowing when they will be drafted and by whom would be entertaining. I always love rewatching the downtrodden fan reactions when someone like Josh Allen gets drafted by the Bills while fans are clamoring for Josh Rosen (who knew?). I enjoy watching these young men’s careers blossom. Who would have thought Tucker Kraft would mean what he does to us now?

I love those stories because they show the lengths scouts go to identify premier NFL talent. South Dakota State has a tremendous football program, but the Missouri Valley is not exactly the Southeastern Conference. Kraft’s sample size against NFL-caliber talent was small, but the Packers turned on the film and saw the future. That third-round pick is now one of the faces of this franchise. Meanwhile, a top 10 pick like Rosen was out of the league by 25. It’s a wild sport.

The question from Joe in Bozeman seems to be a common mindset. How can we be better when we lost so and so? It doesn’t account for the new arrivals, however. IMHO, Franklin is smarter and more assignment sure at linebacker, Benjamin St-Juste is an upgrade at corner and Jordan Morgan should be able to adequately replace Sheed in the least. Rashan Gary needs to be replaced but he wasn’t performing up to par anyway. Hopeful? Maybe. But health aside, the roster is better today than it was in February with more to come.

I’m sure I’ll catch grief for saying this, but it never ceases to amaze me how some fans cannot grasp how quickly this game moves and the challenge for teams to stay on the front end of that curve. Will the Packers always get it right? No, but it’s not like Green Bay moved on from the veterans it did this offseason and didn’t replace them with comparable players or prospects with the potential to be even better.

Chase from Diamond Springs, CA

Mike mentioned Micah Parsons and Zach Tom, but I’m going to show Devonte Wyatt some love here. Didn’t his growth essentially make the Parsons trade a pure win? And if either Parsons or Wyatt is on the field, we’re a similar threat to what we were before the trade. Obviously both let us reach new levels and obviously Parsons is elite, but I honestly think we would have been okay defensively as long as one of them was on the field.

Case in point to the last question – the Parsons trade would’ve been much more difficult to execute if Wyatt wasn’t ready to move into Kenny Clark’s spot at the head of the table at defensive tackle. And you saw what happened when Wyatt went down on Thanksgiving. When healthy, Wyatt is easily one of the top 5-10 players on this team.

Y’all have gone on record saying you don’t expect GB to try to move up in the draft given the lack of picks overall. I’m just wondering if the acquisition of Philly’s fifth-round pick from the Dontayvion Wicks trade changes your thoughts on that at all. If Green Bay wanted to make their first pick earlier in the second round, roughly how many slots might they move up by packaging their fourth- or one of their fifth-round selections?

Plausible. I just don’t think the Packers have the firepower to get back into the first this year – not without touching that 2028 first-rounder or sacrificing Day 2 picks next year. The problem with moving up this year is the value of picks plummets on Day 3. Per DraftTek’s chart, Green Bay might be able to move up five or six picks in the second round by trading their fourth-rounder and maybe two or three spots by dealing their fifth. Gutekunst likes to wheel and deal, but this could be a great year for the Packers to let the board come to them.

It seems like people have forgotten that Savion Williams was the more productive rookie receiver for most of last season. He scored a touchdown before Matthew Golden and had some amazing clutch catches in critical moments. I totally understand the excitement around MG, but what’s up with people suddenly questioning Savion?

First-round picks are the bright shiny object attracting the attention of most NFL fanbases, so it’s understandable Golden gets the publicity. But Williams has a third-round pedigree himself and a ton of God-given talent, meaning Matt LaFleur can dig deep into his bag of offensive tricks.

Chuck from Whitewater, WI

I think I enjoy reading the Pre-Draft Picture articles more than the Prospect Primers. Mike’s article on QBs is right on. The point is the Packers have a need for a backup quarterback. If a player Gutey has identified falls on Day 2 or 3, the Packers will happily take him. Otherwise, there can always be trades (e.g. Malik Willis), free agency, and the waiver wire. It’s really no different than any other position except this is more in the spotlight.

The other lesson learned from 2024 is how important it is for NFL teams to keep their eyes open at all times. Earlier that year, the Packers drafted Michael Pratt to compete with Sean Clifford for the QB2 job. Neither man won, so the Packers went back to the Rolodex and traded 10 cents on the dollar for Willis on the eve of the season. Change well spent.

If the new ST coach wants to use a starting position player, do both the position coach and coordinator need to buy in? Does ML have a say in that decision?

It’s always a conversation, but the job of the coaches is to put core starters in positions that make sense. For example, Xavier McKinney is a great insurance policy to have playing as a perimeter “bullet” (or flyer) on kickoff coverage because A) he’s not absorbing a ton of contact out there and B) the coaches can rest easy knowing he’ll keep his leverage. You’re not going to see him in the middle like Nick Niemann or Kristian Welch. My point is it’s not about just playing starters on special teams. It’s playing starters on special teams where it makes the most sense.

Good morning, Wes. If the Packers do not draft a running back next week, can we conclude MarShawn Lloyd is healthy (enough) to have senior management’s confidence for the 2026 season?

It suggests Lloyd has not had any setbacks this offseason, but the Packers need to see the former third-round pick stack days this spring before they can feel confident he’s ready to go. Still, I don’t think the Packers necessarily need to draft a running back. Chris Brooks is back on a two-year deal, so the only running back the Packers must replace is Emanuel Wilson. If you recall, Wilson was a former undrafted free agent who seized an opportunity due to Lloyd’s and AJ Dillon’s season-ending injuries. Green Bay could add competition through college free agency if a running back doesn’t materialize in the draft itself.

LaFleur, as you stated, made it clear about communicating the roles with the players and took responsibility for that, which he always does, but is it fair to consider that perhaps some of the players didn’t like their roles and it wasn’t about poor communication? To me it seems we perhaps had a few players who didn’t understand the “team” concept. Appreciate your thoughts. GPG

The message has been sent to both the players and the coaches. Now we wait for the “read” receipt.