Packers: 5 bold predictions for the 2019 NFL Draft

5. Green Bay will trade into the top five

No matter how the draft is assessed, it’s clear that the Packers have made great strides to shore up a handful of positions in free agency, but there are still some holes to fill, and the draft can make it work. Brian Gutekunst showed that he isn’t afraid of draft-day trades last year by trading down in the first round and still ending up with the talented Jaire Alexander.

However, this year, the Packers’ arrow may point up the board instead of down for a draft-day trade. With 10 picks in hand and only a few positions left to address, the Packers may throw a few chips to the center of the table if a team is looking to move down or around.

With only a year of being a general manager under his belt, Gutekunst has still shown he has the right mix of risk-taking and conservative thinking to make a team better and minimizing damage to the roster’s integrity. This is evidenced by his trade of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the signing of Adrian Amos as well as a pair of pass rushers, and releasing a few fan favorite names in the name of the salary cap.

Risky, but not damaging.

This is the only kind of move that Gutekunst will consider on day one of the draft. If there were bets being placed, mine would be on the New York Jets or the Oakland Raiders’ picks at three or four, respectively, being shopped around.

Again, the name of the game is calculated risk. For the #3 or #4 pick, there will still be franchise-changing talent on the board, and teams will not give that up lightly.

In the event of a trade, the Packers would likely trade the #12 pick, the #44 pick, and a third or fourth-round pick, as well as a first round pick in 2020.

The other likely trade if this bold scenario came to be is trading the Packers’ first three picks, #12, #30, and #44, for a top-five pick.

Doing so will prove a few things, namely that Gutekunst has a lot of faith in who he’s drafting, the Packers are ready to take big risks to become contenders again, and they’re acknowledging that Aaron Rodgers’ championship may be closing sooner than we’d like to see.

These are all bold, unlikely, and perhaps impossible predictions. But if they happen, the Packers have been thinking about doing them for months, knowing full well the risks, the possible rewards, and the pressure that will be placed upon this 21- or 22-year old man.

They’ll know what they’re doing.