Having ranked Brian Gutekunst's absolute worst draft picks, it's only fair that we look at his best.
The good far outweighs the bad for Gutekunst during his tenure as the Green Bay Packers' general manager. He has consistently built rosters capable of reaching the playoffs, which the Packers have done six times since he took the job in 2018.
How do these rankings work? This isn't just a list of the best players Gutekunst has drafted. It also factors in draft value, where they were picked, whether they met expectations, and longevity. A bit of everything.
The Packers' greatest draft moves under Brian Gutekunst, ranked
10. WR Dontayvion Wicks (Round 5 in 2023)
Dontayvion Wicks at No. 10 perfectly encapsulates our criteria for these rankings. Is he the best wide receiver Gutekunst drafted? No. Christian Watson or Jayden Reed would likely take that title.
But the Packers got incredible value. Not only did they land Wicks in the fifth round, but after three years in Green Bay, Gutekunst traded him for a fifth- and sixth-round pick.
Wicks made an impact on the field, too, catching 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns across three seasons. He also produced big plays in crucial moments, like his 20-yard touchdown against Stephon Gilmore in the playoff win over Dallas, or his game-sealing catch with one shoe against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving in 2025.
He struggled for consistency, and drops were a big issue in 2024, but Wicks' smooth route-running and big-play ability made him one of Jordan Love's favorite targets. Wicks more than lived up to his fifth-round value, and the Packers added two picks by trading him away.
9. LB Edgerrin Cooper (Round 2 in 2024)
Not every pick is a surprise standout who nobody saw coming. Everyone knew how talented Edgerrin Cooper was coming out of college, which made it a no-brainer once he fell to 45th overall in 2024.
And Cooper has been as good as advertised, adding game-changing speed and athleticism to the middle of Green Bay's defense. Cooper made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2024 and last year received PFF's 16th-best grade among 88 linebackers.
Cooper flies to the football, but he's also excellent in coverage, which has been a problem for Packers linebackers in recent years. He posted fewer sacks and tackles for losses in Year 2, which could say more about the adjustment to his role than anything else. Micah Parsons forced quarterbacks to throw almost instantly, which made it less necessary to blitz Cooper. It'll be fascinating to see if Jonathan Gannon unlocks that part of his game again in 2026.
8. S Evan Williams (Round 4 in 2024)
You could hear the collective groan from the Packers fanbase when Evan Williams was announced as the pick in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Jaden Hicks had a lot more buzz and had surprisingly fallen to Day 3. Turns out, Gutekunst knew what he was doing.
Williams is an ascending star in the Packers' defense. In 2024, he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team despite not getting his first real opportunity until Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Locked into a full-time role last season, Williams took his game to an even higher level. He broke up five passes and intercepted three while becoming one of the team's best run defenders. Williams' 82.4 run defense grade ranked 10th among all safeties.
The sky is the limit.
7. WR Romeo Doubs (Round 4 in 2022)
Christian Watson is arguably the Packers' most talented receiver of the Gutekunst era, but that's exactly what you'd expect. Green Bay traded two second-round picks to move up for him at No. 34 overall.
Romeo Doubs arrived 98 selections later with far less buzz, but he became a crucial piece of the Packers' passing game. Doubs started 50 games for the Packers, making 202 catches for 2,424 yards and 21 touchdowns.
While injuries and inconsistent play have hit the Packers' receiving corps in recent years, Doubs has remained the consistent, reliable target Love needed. Gutekunst couldn't have asked for any more after drafting Doubs in the fourth round. Doubs signed a big deal with the New England Patriots in free agency, a move that is expected to net the Packers a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2027.
6. T Rasheed Walker (Round 7 in 2022)
It's difficult enough trying to find a quality starting left tackle in the first round. The Packers found theirs in the seventh. And they needed Rasheed Walker far more than they likely anticipated, as David Bakhtiari's knee injury prevented him from playing a full-time role.
Bakhtiari played in the 2023 season opener, which you may remember as the first game of the Jordan Love era after the Aaron Rodgers trade. That was the last time Bakhtiari played for the Packers, with Walker taking over as the starter from Week 2.
He held that job for three seasons, making 48 starts. Per PFF, Walker allowed 14 sacks on 1,649 pass-blocking snaps, and his pass-blocking grade came in above 70.0 in all three seasons. The Packers believe in 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan, which allowed them to move on from Walker after an up-and-down 2025 season, but make no mistake about it: he was a home-run pick.
Walker entered the league as a seventh-rounder, and ended up starting almost 50 games at the most important position along the offensive line.
5. T Zach Tom (Round 4 in 2022)
No team knows how to find elite offensive linemen on Day 3 of the draft like the Packers. In the same class that they landed Walker in the seventh round, Gutekunst smashed a home run by selecting Zach Tom in the fourth.
Tom entered the league with the potential to play multiple positions. At one stage, reports suggested the Packers viewed him as a future star at center. But once he got an opportunity at right tackle, the rest was history.
In the past two seasons, Tom has ranked 12th and 16th among all tackles for PFF's pass-block grading. Green Bay could have a million offensive line problems this season, but when healthy, Tom isn't one of them. He's one of the best right tackles in football. Not bad for a fourth-round pick, right?
4. TE Tucker Kraft (Round 3 in 2023)
Tucker Kraft is climbing this list fast. By the end of his rookie season, he had shown signs of overtaking Luke Musgrave on the depth chart, whom the Packers drafted a round earlier. Since then, Kraft has soared to stardom.
A torn ACL robbed him of a potential All-Pro season in 2025. He caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. George Kittle believed Kraft was the TE1 in the NFL before the injury.
Kraft has the yards-after-catch ability of a running back, making him almost unstoppable once he gets the ball in open space. Good luck tackling him. His return will greatly boost the Packers' offense this season, and it's only a matter of time before he climbs further in these rankings.
3. OL Elgton Jenkins (Round 2 in 2019)
Two Pro Bowls. Five-position versatility. It's hard to argue with that.
By PFF's count, Jenkins played 4,551 snaps at left guard, 906 at center, 524 at left tackle, 374 at right tackle, and two at right guard. Across 3,743 pass-block snaps, he allowed just nine sacks, 18 hits, and 192 pressures.
Jenkins stepped up wherever he was needed along the offensive line. Gutekunst hit a home run in Round 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft.
2. CB Jaire Alexander (Round 1 in 2018)
Jaire Alexander isn't just No. 2 in these rankings because he made two Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro teams, although it sure helps. It's also due to Gutekunst's genius draft-day magic.
Gutekunst pulled off a rare double trade. The Packers entered Round 1 with the 14th overall pick, but they surprisingly traded it away to move all the way down to 27th overall, receiving a 2019 first-round pick as compensation. But Gutekunst wasn't done, as he'd use that 27th selection to jump back up to 18th, parting ways with the 76th and 186th selections in the package.
In short, the Packers started at No. 14 and, through two trades, ended up with No. 18 and a future first-round pick, while still landing their top target in Alexander.
And to make it even better, this was Gutekunst's first pick as the Packers' GM.
1. QB Jordan Love (Round 1 in 2020)
Remember the reaction? The confusion, the anger, the criticism. Not just from Packers fans, but from the national media. Nobody could believe the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers' successor just three months after reaching the NFC Championship Game. Not only that, but they traded up for Jordan Love.
Yet here we are, and we're so thankful Gutekunst risked facing pitchforks outside 1265 Lombardi Ave to do what he felt was best for the Packers' future.
It's almost impossible to truly replace an all-time great like Rodgers, but Love has stepped into the four-time MVP's shoes admirably, helping steer the Packers to the playoffs in all three seasons as a starter. Since taking the reins in 2023, Love has thrown for 10,929 yards, 80 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions with an excellent 97.8 rating.
And he is only just getting started.
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