Brian Gutekunst: You can never have enough competition for roster spots
The Packers are coming off of a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs with the youngest roster in the league and they used free agency to add running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney to the group, so they aren't heading into the draft with any glaring holes to fill.
That doesn't mean General Manager Brian Gutekunst is looking to package some of the team's 11 picks into a deal that will leave them with fewer new faces joining the club, however. Gutekunst actually suggested going in the opposite direction during a Monday press conference because his belief is that fights for roster spots across the board are the best thing for the team.
“With more at-bats, you have more chances for hits,” Gutekunst said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’ I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room and how much that accelerates the growth of your football team. I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward. To me, there’s just never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room. We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”
Five of the Packers' 11 picks come in the first three rounds and maximizing the return on those selections would leave the Packers well positioned for another postseason run.
