The Green Bay Packers' selection of Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round during the recent NFL Draft was widely questioned and criticized by fans and media. However, while the pick has some fans scratching their heads, many inside league circles know exactly what Green Bay and General Manager Brian Gutekunst are doing.
“You’re not going to get a quarterback that talented unless you bottom out, and what franchise wants to do that?” Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy said of the Packers' move, via Sports Illustrated. “This is a proactive move by Gutey. It puts that team in a position where they’re going to be competitive for maybe the next 20 years if this thing comes together.”
Jordan Love dominated the 2018 college football season with 3,567 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding seven additional touchdowns on the ground. And at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds with a rocket arm, Love had all the tools to be a top pick when he entered the draft.
However, Love failed to reach the same kind of success in 2019, as he threw only 20 touchdowns and saw his interception total jump to 17. For that reason, Love wasn't selected until pick No. 26.
The Packers actually made a similar move in 2005 when they drafted a talented quarterback out of Cal with the 24th overall pick as franchise quarterback Brett Favre's career wound down.
However, unlike Favre in 2005, Aaron Rodgers is still very much an elite NFL quarterback. Nonetheless, despite protests to the pick, Love isn't coming into Green Bay expecting to be the starter. With that said, he should benefit from sitting behind Rodgers for a few seasons just as Aaron did before him.
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