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Packers don’t need to select edge rusher with first pick of draft

By Freddie Boston

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Jachai Polite #99 of the Florida Gators gets past Ty Chandler #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Jachai Polite #99 of the Florida Gators gets past Ty Chandler #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The Green Bay Packers need to strengthen their pass rush, but not necessarily with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Edge rusher is the Packers‘ biggest need this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they have to use their first pick of the draft at the position.

I’m against drafting for need. The Packers will have multiple opportunities not only in the draft, but also in free agency, to strengthen the pass rush.

General manager Brian Gutekunst will have options with the 12th overall pick, which is the first of Green Bay’s two first-round selections. Edge rushers like Jachai Polite or Clelin Ferrell could still be available.

But just because edge rusher is the team’s biggest need, that doesn’t mean Gutekunst shouldn’t also consider a player at another position.

Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson is a name many Packers fans have been talking a lot about recently, partly due to a number of different mock drafts.

If Hockenson is still there at No. 12, Gutekunst should run up to the podium himself to hand in the pick. Tight end isn’t the team’s biggest need, and they could address the position later in the draft, but Hockenson could be a difference maker in the Packers offense.

Owning two first-round picks also gives Green Bay some flexibility. With a lot of talent at edge rusher in the draft, Gutekunst could use the 30th overall pick to address the team’s top priority.

And that’s before we even consider free agency.

It’s in free agency where the Packers can focus on addressing their biggest needs, which then takes the pressure off when the draft begins in late April.

It will be no surprise if Green Bay use the 12th overall pick to strengthen the pass rush. And if Gutekunst feels the top player on his board, who can have the biggest impact on the team is a pass rusher, then it makes a lot of sense.

But the Packers shouldn’t draft an edge rusher first just because it’s their biggest “need”. Green Bay needs players who can make game-changing plays regardless of position, and that’s who they need to find with the 12th pick in the draft, no matter the position.

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