Nobody's NFL Draft record is perfect, by any means. With that being said, there aren't all that many holes to poke in what Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has done since 2018. Yes, the Green Bay Packers (and Gutekunst, specifically) have been the subject of a ton of public scrutiny with the way the team has drafted in recent years, but you aren't going to find many real "misses" among his selections.
Therefore, putting together a list of his 10 worst draft picks so far was abnormally difficult due to the fact that only two of these classes have actually finished out their rookie contracts. With all of that in mind, let's get nit-picky about Brian Gutekunst's first six draft classes with the Green Bay Packers, prefaced with the idea that he's really been excellent overall.
Top 10 worst draft picks from Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst (so far)
10. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State (1st round, 2020)
Alright, it's a little unfair to say this at this point and maybe even a little bit of a hot take. But there's no doubt that the Jordan Love pick is the reason why things fell apart over the last handful of years for the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers, and at this point, nobody really knows if it's going to be worth it.
Over the course of his first three NFL seasons, Jordan Love has barely played at all. The Packers traded up to get him but they obviously haven't had any real need for him to play with Aaron Rodgers winning the NFL MVP award in both 2020 and 2021.
Love has huge shoes to fill, to say the least. He can easily be removed from this list with a big season in 2023, but that's all very much in the to be determined category. Was trading up to select Jordan Love worth the headache it's caused the last three years? We'll find out.
9. Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State (5th round, 2023)
You know it's a good sign for your NFL Draft history when a fifth-round pick who hasn't even taken part in a preseason game cracks the list of your 10 worst draft picks as a GM. Sean Clifford was a weird pick for the Green Bay Packers this year, not because they didn't need a backup quarterback but simply because they could have done a lot better than this.
There were a lot of quarterbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Packers had a lot of picks. As a matter of fact, they had 13 picks in total in this year's draft, and Clifford wasn't expected -- by anyone -- to get drafted. The Packers could have gone after a player with better upside in the event that they actually need someone to replace Jordan Love for any reason.
8. Hunter Bradley, LS, Mississippi State (7th round, 2018)
Who drafts a long snapper? With all due respect to Hunter Bradley, who undoubtedly worked hard to get to the point he was at in 2018 when he was drafted by the Packers, you just simply don't see long snappers get picked.
Even though they play a position that is mission critical, you will typically see teams invest in this position after the NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers and GM Brian Gutekunst obviously felt like Bradley was the long snapper they couldn't live without, so they selected him in the 7th round back in 2018.
And Bradley lasted through his rookie contract with the team. He competed on the offseason roster with the Cardinals in 2022 and is now a free agent.
7. Sean Rhyan, OL, UCLA (3rd round, 2022)
I can't fault Brian Gutekunst for drafting players in the trenches. It's a strategy that has paid off well for him in the past, so I like the process here. But at some point, there's got to be a little bit of overkill especially when you are passing on other players that could help your roster.
The Packers could have taken a shot on Matt Corral, who could have been an interesting backup option to Jordan Love this coming year. They could have taken running back Dameon Pierce, who ended up having a huge year as a rookie for the Texans. They could have taken Tariq Woolen, who became a steal for the Seahawks.
It's not just about taking the best players who went later in the draft, either. When are the Packers going to get a contribution out of Sean Rhyan? We're only one year into his career, so we'll find out, but when you use a top 100 pick on a guy, that guy's got to play.
6. J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri (4th round, 2018)
Drafting wide receivers has been a huge point of controversy for Brian Gutekunst in his time as general manager of the Green Bay Packers. You can't be super critical of fourth-round picks because Day 3 picks are tough to project, in general, but J'Mon Moore was one of the bigger misses for the Packers since Gutekunst became GM.
Moore was the 133rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and was taken just before players like running back Chase Edmonds and tight end Dalton Schultz.
Moore played in 12 games during his rookie season, catching two passes. He bounced around to a few different teams in the years that would follow but ultimately hasn't been on an NFL roster since 2021.
5. Josiah Deguara, TE, Cincinnati (3rd round, 2020)
When you use a top-100 pick on a player, you expect pretty big-time results. The Packers used the 94th overall pick on former Cincinnati tight end Josiah Deguara in 2020 and he has turned out to be a decent rotational player and special teams guy.
But over the course of his first three years with the Packers, Deguara hasn't played more than 35 percent of the Packers' offensive snaps in a given season and has played a part-time role on special teams as well.
He has 39 career receptions and two touchdowns over the course of his first three NFL seasons.
4. Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt (3rd round, 2018)
The Green Bay Packers weren't the only ones who were enamored by Oren Burks' combination of size and athleticism coming out of the 2018 NFL Draft class. In fact, a lot of people really liked his projection to the NFL even with some question marks about where he would land position-wise right away.
From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com prior to the 2018 NFL Draft:
"In any other decade, Burks' lack of familiarity for any position for more than a year would force him into the "tweener" stack and he would be on his way. In today's game filled with hybrid players and sub-packages, Burks' background could make him more valuable. He needs to play with more consistency in diagnosing and tackling, but his athleticism, cover talent, and ability on special teams make him a developmental prospect with decent upside."Lance Zierlein
Ultimately, Burks never really did figure it out in the NFL. As the 88th overall pick in the draft, he was expected to develop into a full-time starter and the Packers gave him the chance to do so. He played in 59 games for the Packers through his first four NFL seasons but they let him go after his rookie contract expired. He played last year for the 49ers and had a career-best 38 tackles.
3. Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M (3rd round, 2019)
The story of Jace Sternberger not turning out to be a really good NFL tight end is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing on this list. Sternberger took the SEC by storm in 2018 as a transfer at Texas A&M where he caught 10 touchdowns and averaged over 17 yards per reception.
His rookie year with the Packers was limited to just six regular season games, but expectations for him grew as he caught a touchdown in the 2019 playoffs for Green Bay. Ultimately, though, that 2020 season would end up being a disappointment as Sternberger caught just 12 passes on 15 targets. He never emerged into even a TE2 for the Packers and hasn't even played in the NFL since that 2020 season.
He's been bouncing around to different teams since the Packers let him go but the excitement over Sternberger possibly becoming something has faded into nothing.
2. Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson (3rd round, 2021)
Drafting the wide receiver position has been a struggle for Brian Gutekunst, have we mentioned that? Obviously, everyone is hoping that Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and now Jayden Reed can develop into a long-term trio at the position. But prior to their arrival in Green Bay, it was a lot of trial and error. That was part of Aaron Rodgers' gripe with the front office.
The Packers thought they had a steal on their hands in Amari Rodgers, a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Rodgers came from a Clemson program that seemingly prints out top-flight receiver prospects, but he wasn't a good fit for Green Bay. His primary role with Green Bay during his first and only two years with the team was returning punts, and unfortunately, he simply couldn't hold onto the ball.
He fumbled the ball seven times with Green Bay before he was let go last year right in the middle of the season.
1. Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa (2nd round, 2018)
With his ball-hawking skills, it's really hard to believe that Josh Jackson didn't become something in the NFL.
Jackson was a converted wide receiver at Iowa who was absolutely awesome playing a full-time cornerback role for Phil Parker's defense in 2017. He was named an All-American after racking up 48 total tackles, eight interceptions, a forced fumble, and 18 passes broken up. Despite being a little raw at the position, Jackson was a second-round pick by the Packers in 2018 and he actually had 10 passes broken up during his rookie season.
Unfortunately, that would be the best it would get. Jackson was traded to the New York Giants in August of 2021 and was waived just two months later. He's still bouncing around the league a bit right now, but certainly not living up to his second-round billing.