Packers GM Brian Gutekunst discusses 'subterfuge,' possibility of draft trades and preference at safety

GREEN BAY – Brian Gutekunst wasted no time Monday morning making clear what his annual news conference entering the 2024 NFL draft was about.

In his opening answer to an otherwise innocuous question on how he uses his 30 pre-draft visits, Gutekunst dropped the word “subterfuge.” He’s embarking on his seventh draft as the Green Bay Packers general manager this week, and after successfully transitioning the franchise from one star quarterback to another, Gutekunst is just too seasoned to beat around the bush.

He enjoys playing the tricks of deception that come with this time of year.

“Make sure you get that out there,” Gutekunst said.

Gutekunst hasn’t had much opportunity to pull one over on the rest of the league, drafting almost annually at the bottom of the first round. He relishes any chance he can get, though. It’s part of the competitive gamesmanship that leaks into draft strategy throughout the NFL.

“Hopefully not fooling ourselves,” Gutekunst said when asked what he hopes to accomplish through subterfuge. “I think just sometimes, you don’t want anybody to get a bead on what you’re doing, particularly this time of year.”

A useful reminder to anyone trying to glean information from the Packers’ approach three days before the draft opens with the first round Thursday night. Gutekunst isn’t here to be helpful, not now. Take everything he says for what it is: subterfuge.

Packers’ draft board is set with days to spare

Gutekunst might not be revealing which players he’s targeting this week, but he’s comfortable with his scouting department’s internal evaluation. The Packers draft board was set firm this past weekend, he said.

He’ll have one last meeting with his scouts Monday night before taking a step back until the first round begins.

“There’s work to be done between now and then,” Gutekunst said, “but as far as guys changing on the board, I wouldn’t expect that.”

Gutekunst said there are few debates over players once the draft starts. The time for that was in the buildup toward setting the board. As the picks are made, Gutekunst and his staff are more cognizant of how trends develop in front of them.

“It’s more about just seeing what’s falling,” Gutekunst said. “What’s expected, what’s unexpected and what the choices are going to be when it’s your time to pick. The work’s been done. It’s always interesting how it falls. You never really can predict it, but the opportunity to make your football team better is always exciting.”

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Despite young roster, Gutekunst wouldn’t shy away from drafting another large class

After fielding the NFL’s youngest roster last season, Gutekunst holds 11 picks entering the draft. It could be a challenge to fit 11 rookies on his 53-man roster this fall, but Gutekunst said his preference is still to yield another hefty draft class.

“With more at-bats, you have more chances for hits,” Gutekunst said. “There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’ I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room and how much that accelerates the growth of your football team. I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward.

"To me, there’s just never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room.

“We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”

Gutekunst’s comfort in making draft-day trades comes from diligence in maintaining multiple options

A staple of Gutekunst’s draft record is his willingness to make trades, even if it means falling back in the order with the risk of losing a coveted prospect.

A year ago, Gutekunst drafted tight end Luke Musgrave with the 42nd-overall pick in the second round. Receiver Jayden Reed was available when the Packers were on the clock for their next pick at No. 45. Gutekunst traded the pick to Detroit for No. 48 and an additional fifth-round selection. When it was his turn at No. 48, Gutekunst traded back two more slots for an additional sixth-round pick from Tampa Bay.

Gutekunst eventually drafted Reed with the 50th-overall pick. Reed became quarterback Jordan Love’s leading receiver as a rookie. Adding to a successful second day of the draft last year, Gutekunst was able to select tight end Tucker Kraft in the third round. Gutekunst said he was comfortable drafting Kraft with the 50th pick if Reed was off the board because the two players had similar value, enabling him to make two trade backs for additional picks.

“Whenever you trade back,” Gutekunst said, “you have to expect to lose the players that are on the board that you might be willing to pick at that spot. I think that’s part of it. I think that’s why we work so hard at getting the value right of the players on the board, is so you can read it. If you feel like it’s strong, and you can move back and still get someone you have the same kind of value on, you do. I think you have to be very careful of falling too in love with individual players. I think you have to be careful of that. I think you have to think of these things as not emotionally, but just, hey, we do a lot of work to get the value right. If the board is telling us we can move back, then we will.”

Gutekunst wants to remain ‘interchangeable’ at safety as he looks for pairing with free-agent signing Xavier McKinney

One of the Packers' primary needs this week is finding another starting safety to pair with free-agent acquisition Xavier McKinney. Gutekunst will have to sift through what’s considered a weaker safety class to find value.

McKinney profiles as a classic post safety in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme, but Gutekunst said he wants to continue having flexibility on the back end, as the Packers have used the position in the past.

“For me, those guys, I’d love to be interchangeable,” Gutekunst said. “I’d like for them to be able to do everything. I think that really is tough on an offense when those guys can move down inside, they can play the post, they can go in the nickel and cover. I think when you have two guys that can do everything, I think it’ll allow Jeff to be much more efficient.”

Among the pressing questions with potential first-round picks this week is whether Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean fits better as a cornerback or safety. Gutekunst said he doesn’t have a preference for DeJean.

“I think he can do both,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s very versatile that way. I think he’s obviously a very good athlete. His ability to take the ball away is very impressive. Obviously, he’s got some teams ability as well. So he’s a very well-rounded player. I think he can do either. I think it’s really going to come down to where you may need him.”

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Andre Dillard, Greg Joseph add ‘competition’ to Packers roster

The Packers got a head start adding competition to their roster, signing veteran tackle Andre Dillard and kicker Greg Joseph this spring. Both additions came at positions Gutekunst was particularly keen on adding depth and options.

“Andre, that was a nice ability to get him kind of involved in the beginning of our offseason program,” Gutekunst said after signing Dillard last week. “Obviously first-round pick coming out (in 2019), very talented. Spent some time starting last year in Tennessee, so he’s got some starts under his belt. Certainly, we lost some offensive line depth over the past few months, and I think it was just an opportunity to bring in another guy we feel is going to be pretty competitive in that room.”

Joseph will compete with 2023 rookie Anders Carlson to be the Packers kicker this fall.

“I think Anders had a promising rookie start,” Gutekunst said, “but we wanted to bring in competition. That position is obviously critical to us attaining our goals moving forward, and we’ll continue to make sure there’s competition through training camp on that one.”

Packers ‘excited’ to open 2024 season in Brazil despite clear challenges

Gutekunst said he’s looking forward to opening the second season with Love at quarterback at a neutral site, despite the long travel required to reach Brazil. He indicated a preference over playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Philly.

“I’m excited for it,” Gutekunst said. “I’ll say there’s going to be some challenges along the way. It’s going to be new, but obviously it’s an away game on a neutral field. I’m excited about that. I think our players are very excited for it. I think it’s going to be interesting, a Friday night (kickoff). I think it’ll give us a little more recovery before the next game. Hopefully that next game is a home game for our fans. We’re working through the scheduling and trying to figure out where the obstacles and the challenges are for it, but I know our players are excited. To me, it’s just another opportunity.”

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