Packers keep swinging and missing in third round of draft
The Green Bay Packers need to end their third-round curse in the NFL Draft.
It’s not just a Brian Gutekunst thing, either. While he continues to swing and miss in the third round, the curse started well before he became general manager.
To prove it, let’s look back at the Packers’ past 10 third-round selections.
Packers’ past 10 third-round draft picks
- 2022: Sean Rhyan, OL
- 2021: Amari Rodgers, WR
- 2020: Josiah Deguara, TE
- 2019: Jace Sternberger, TE
- 2018: Oren Burks, LB
- 2017: Montravius Adams, DT
- 2016: Kyler Fackrell, EDGE
- 2015: Ty Montgomery, WR
- 2014: Khryi Thornton, DT
- 2013: Richard Rodgers, TE
As of yet, none of them have received a second contract from the Packers, and the team moved on from four of them before the end of their rookie contracts.
Amari Rodgers was released in only his second season after struggling with fumbles. Jace Sternberger never made an impact on offense and was released early in his third season.
Ty Montgomery switched to running back, but then fell down the depth chart behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams before being traded in his fourth season.
Khyri Thornton never played a snap for the Packers.
It has only been one season for Sean Rhyan, but it couldn’t have gone much worse.
Rhyan played just one snap all season, and he was also given a six-game suspension in November. Zach Tom made a huge impact along the offensive line, and he was drafted a round later than Rhyan.
The best third-round pick on this list was Richard Rodgers, best remembered for his Hail Mary catch against the Detroit Lions in 2015.
While he was never a game-changing receiver, he had good hands and rarely made mistakes. Rodgers became a trusted target for Aaron Rodgers in the passing game.
In his four seasons with the Packers, he made 120 catches for 1,166 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Maybe the Packers would be better off going back to 2013 when they didn’t own a third-round pick.