Brian Gutekunst attacked the Green Bay Packers' biggest needs about as intentionally and effectively as he ever has, but one dream prospect got away from them.
After trading up for defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77, Green Bay never got another shot at Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III. The consensus board had him at No. 122, an entire 31 picks after the Las Vegas Raiders called his name.
It's the ultimate what-if moment. What if Zuhn had fallen to that consensus ranking? Would the Packers have made a move? Only Gutekunst knows the answer to that, but insight from Graham Harmon of Gig Em Gazette makes it even more painful that Zuhn isn't coming to Green Bay.
"Maybe Texas A&M's most underrated prospect in the entire draft. Can play at tackle or at center and is a huge plus in pass protection in both arenas. Held up very well in pass pro against (Rueben) Bain and (Akheem) Mesidor in the playoff game," writes Harmon.
Trey Zuhn III would've been the perfect addition to Packers offensive line
Harmon is 100 percent correct. Zuhn's ability to play from tackle to center is not only rare, but something the Packers desperately need, given their lack of depth across the line.
As Harmon notes, Zuhn is an elite pass protector. According to Pro Football Focus, his 96.8 pass-blocking grade ranked No. 1 among 632 tackles last season. It's important to avoid the what-if game in the NFL Draft, but that's easier said than done with Zuhn.
The Packers can't have too many complaints. They landed a potential future starter in fifth-rounder Jargon Burton, who could quickly push starter Sean Rhyan for the starting center job. Burton can play any of the three interior positions.
But Green Bay ideally needed to add multiple linemen to address its paper-thin depth. Zuhn is an elite athlete with rare five-position versatility, just like Zach Tom offered coming out of college.
It's why the Raiders drafted him earlier than expected. They saw the talent. In Las Vegas, he will join an ascending offensive line already led by Tyler Linderbaum and Jackson Powers-Johnson.
The Packers will feel pretty good about their draft class, as they should, despite only picking six times. The lack of picks came from two aggressive trade-ups, and, of course, sending their first-rounder to the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons.
In what turned out to be a much weaker draft class than usual, there aren't many truly heartbreaking misses. There were no glaringly obvious Jaxon Smith-Njigbas or Cooper DeJeans for the Packers to regret passing on.
But Zuhn could be that player. The Packers didn't get many opportunities to draft him, as the Raiders moved in far sooner than the consensus boards expected.
Harmon's assessment further confirms what he already knew: Zuhn's ability in pass protection, his athleticism, and five-position versatility would've been perfect for the Packers. Had he not gone earlier than expected, would Zuhn have become a Packer?
It's a painful what-if we may never know the answer to.
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