Does Wes have to see himself out for his “a lot to sink your teeth into” line or is he escorted out?
Michael from Portland, OR
So with the draft behind us what’s next?
Rookie minicamp, then schedule release, then OTAs and full minicamp, then the dead zone, then training camp. Plenty if you ask me.
Did I miss something or do I “misremember”? In past years, wasn’t there a rundown on packers.com of all the UDFAs posted within a day or two of the close of the draft? I always look forward to getting my GBP info here rather than any other sources but I haven’t seen the UDFA stories here this year (yet?)
Some years we’ve been given the official announcement shortly after the draft. Last year we got it when the players arrived for rookie minicamp at the end of the week. It’s all above our pay grade.
Interesting draft. Seems like we got the defensive depth we were looking for PLUS best kicker in the draft AND one more O-line jar for the shelf. Not bad. Two questions: How many of our picks had pre-draft visits to Green Bay? What position group do you think will change the most between now and training camp? I’m think RB or TE.
Based on the reported list of pre-draft visits, the Packers didn’t draft any of them, but two are reportedly signing as UDFAs. To your last question, that depends on the first impressions of the UDFA class.
John from Stevens Point, WI
If you could sum up the Packers’ 2026 draft in one word, what would it be?
Lots of talk about Dani Dennis-Sutton being one the “steals” of 2026. The superlatives are all over the post-draft-O-sphere. “Great value,” “elite RAS,” “prototypical edge rusher,” “high floor,” “big, long, explosive,” etc. Kinda begs the question – why the slide to the fourth?
Beauty/beholder applies to nothing if not the draft.
Tyler from Cross Plains, WI
Hey guys, Gutey mentioned a couple guys he was considering for a pick, even considering trading up for one of those guys, only for them to still be available when we pick in the next round. Gutey seemed excited for this, to get a guy he didn’t think would be available, but is there also some pause that you may have gotten the evaluation wrong? I guess that’s where you tell yourself, “Trust the board.”
No process produces flawless results, but a personnel department that questions its evaluations in real time doesn’t have a process it believes in.
John from Los Angeles, CA
For two different players, I heard Gutekunst express surprise they were still available, saying they had them graded significantly higher. Do our scouts know something the other 31 teams’ scouts don’t? If those players hit or miss, how does that affect how the team evaluates the related scouts? If a player you grade busts, are you evaluated more harshly if you graded him way higher than consensus?
I don’t know how the Packers evaluate their scouts, but the draft board is built by consensus, with several personnel executives writing their own reports on players as cross-checks on others. It’s never one individual’s opinion. It’s just one individual’s final decision.
Gents, thank you for guiding us through the draft hullabaloo. It seems like the draft selections are as much tangibles (stats, film, combine numbers, etc.) as they are intangibles (interviews, player character, football IQ.) My question is how much do scouts, coaches, and BG, depend on the former versus the latter?
There’s no set formula. It’s about getting to know as much as they can about the entire picture of a player and feeling confident in the investment. But above all, the game film has to show the player has the ability to play at this level. None of the other categories can override that.
