Packers: Why trading up from No. 30 in the draft makes sense

With 10 draft picks to work with, the Green Bay Packers should consider trying to move up from No. 30.

Brian Gutekunst has already made two first-round trades as Green Bay Packers general manager, and he’s only had one draft.

His first trade was particularly important, as by moving down 13 spots to the New Orleans Saints’ pick at No. 27, the Packers netted a 2019 first-rounder in return. That gives them two opening-round selections this April, at No. 12 and No. 30.

Last year the Packers got the player they wanted by moving back up to select Jaire Alexander. A similar move would make sense from No. 30 this spring.

Few teams have the luxury Green Bay has in this draft. Not only will the Packers pick twice in the first round, but they also own 10 selections in total.

With that added flexibility, the Packers can be more aggressive in the early rounds and possibly jump up in the first round. They’d give up a mid-round pick or two in return, but they’d still have seven or eight to work with.

So who could the Packers trade up to get? There’s an outside chance one of the two Iowa tight ends falls to the 20s.

It’s not out of the question three quarterbacks go inside the top-20. Then there are the top defensive prospects like Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams, Josh Allen and Ed Oliver. Linebackers Devin White and Devin Bush, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, and offensive linemen Andre Dillard and Jawaan Taylor could all be early picks.

Let’s say T.J. Hockenson is also one of the top-20 selections. Noah Fant could then drop to, let’s say, pick No. 21. The Seattle Seahawks are set to pick at that spot, but to say they should be a serious trade-down candidate would be an understatement.

The Seahawks’ draft situation is almost the reverse of the Packers’. They will enter the draft with just four picks, with zero in the second, sixth and seventh rounds.

If it sounds familiar, it’s because it is. In last year’s draft, Green Bay traded a first-rounder (No. 27), a third-rounder (No. 76) and a sixth-rounder (No. 186), receiving Seattle’s first pick (No. 18) and a seventh-round selection (No. 248). Using Drafttek’s trade value chart, a similar offer might be enough to make a deal this year.

The trade would make sense for Seattle as it would only move down nine positions, but acquire another third-round pick. For Green Bay, it would give them an opportunity to target a player who can help at a position of need.

If Fant or Hockenson is still there at No. 21, a trade up would make a ton of sense for the Packers as it would move them ahead of the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders (who have two picks ahead of Green Bay at No. 30), two teams who could be landing spots for a tight end in the first round.

Some mock drafts even have Brian Burns and Montez Sweat making it to No. 21. If Hockenson and Fant are both gone by the Seahawks’ pick, the chances of a top edge rusher falling increase. And again, moving up to take either player would be a great move for Green Bay.

Gutekunst is willing to be aggressive and take risks. He did so last year in the draft, and again this offseason in free agency.

If he looks to trade up early in the draft, making a deal with the Seahawks would make a lot of sense.