The Green Bay Packers made headlines when they opted to take quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It appears the decision came from the top of the front office in general manger Brian Gutekunst.
According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Gutekunst was adamant about bringing in Love:
So even with obvious holes on the offense — topped by the lack of a proven No. 2 receiver behind Davante Adams — Gutekunst admittedly weighed the short-term and long-term gains and believed the better value was in the long term with Love, whether LaFleur liked it or not.
The Packers came up one game shore of gaming it to the Super Bowl last season and many presumed they would do what they can to address the notable voids on offense. It is clear that the team is in desperate need of a complementary option to wide receiver Davante Adams in the passing game for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And they certainly had no shortage of options in the first round with one of the deepest receiver classes in recent history.
Although head coach Matt Lafleur is well aware of the roster needs they had to fill, Gutekunst opted to trade a fourth-round pick to move up four spots and take Love. Rodgers now finds himself on the opposite end of the spectrum in Green Bay. He was taken in the first round as a successor to future Hall of Famer Brett Favre back in 2005.
Expectations remain as high as ever for the Packers going into the 2020 NFL season. Gutekunst has likely set himself up for severe criticism in the years to come, especially if the team falls vastly short of expectations.
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