Packers reportedly almost made a big trade in Round 1 of 2024 NFL Draft

Green Bay Packers fans were urging general manager Brian Gutekunst to trade up when three of the top cornerbacks in the NFL Draft class—Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean—continued to fall in the first round.

The Packers seemingly never had interest. They made no moves to get a corner on the opening night and even passed on DeJean at No. 25 overall.

Green Bay didn't prioritize cornerback, waiting until its final pick to select Penn State's Kalen King. Offensive line, safety, and linebacker were the Packers' biggest priorities throughout the draft, with eight of their 11 picks going on those three positions.

While the Packers seemingly had no interest in trading up for a cornerback, a recent report suggests they did have conversations about moving up nine spots in the opening round.

Packers were reportedly in negotiations to trade up in first round of NFL Draft

According to ESPN's Brady Henderson, the Seattle Seahawks were "discussing trade-back scenarios" with five teams, including Green Bay. Henderson adds that the Packers ended discussions as the Seahawks' pick neared, indicating their trade-up target was off the board.

"The Packers bowed out as Seattle's pick approached, which is why Schneider only referred to having four opportunities to trade back from 16," reports Henderson.

This backs up what Gutekunst said after the opening night of the draft.

"We had an idea of a couple players that we thought might have a chance to a slide a little bit. If that happens, could we possibly go up to do that? Didn't happen," said Gutekunst. "It became evident pretty early in the night that we were going to either sit and pick or we might move back."

Piecing that together, it sounds like the Packers were making calls with the Seahawks in case one of their targets fell, but they quickly realized it wasn't going to happen.

The million-dollar question is, who were they considering?

We can assume it wasn't a move for a quarterback, wide receiver, or tight end, which takes nine players off the board from the top 15. If they knew well in advance of Seattle's pick at No. 16, it likely means it wasn't pass rusher Laiatu Latu or offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, who went right before that selection.

That leaves three options, and they are all offensive tackles: Notre Dame's Joe Alt (went No. 5), Alabama's JC Lathan (No. 7), and Penn State's Olu Fashanu (No. 11).

Gutekunst said they knew "pretty early in the night" that they wouldn't trade up. Considering the Packers selected Jordan Morgan in the first round and added two linemen later on, it makes sense that they would've considered trading up for a player at the position.

It also shows they weren't interested in moving up for a cornerback like Mitchell or Arnold. Both prospects were on the board at No. 22, three picks before the Packers'.

How different would Green Bay's draft have looked if one of those tackles fell to No. 16?

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