During his tenure, Brian Gutekunst, the general manager of the Green Bay Packers, has built a reputation for being fiercely loyal to his draft picks.
He almost always keeps them on the initial 53-man roster coming out of the preseason and gives them a chance to develop and prove themselves on the field.
However, Gutekunst also has high expectations for his draft picks. Gutey expects to see promise within the first year, and if a player fails to meet those expectations and establish themselves as a useful piece, he has shown a willingness to cut bait and move on rather quickly.
This approach has both benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, it creates a sense of stability and continuity within the organization. Because the Packers are known as a draft-and-develop franchise, rookie draft picks know they will have a fair chance to succeed if they work hard and show flashes in practice and games.
On the other hand, it can also lead to missed opportunities. If a player is struggling early on but has the potential to develop into a solid contributor over time, cutting him too quickly could be a mistake. It takes time for certain players to adjust to the speed and complexity of the NFL game, and some players need more time than others.
One example of cutting a player too early came during Gutekunst’s first season as GM. He moved on from fourth-round outside linebacker Vince Biegel just one season after Ted Thompson selected him. After getting a look at inside linebacker, Biegel turned in a rock-solid season with the Dolphins, but injuries later derailed a promising start to his career.
Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst Can Admit When He’s Wrong
Despite these risks, Gutekunst has shown that he is willing to be patient with his draft picks, but only to a point. He expects progress and improvement over time; if he doesn’t, he will not hesitate to cut bait and admit that he and his staff were wrong in their evaluation.
A notable example of this approach was the decision to cut former fourth-round pick J’Mon Moore a year after getting picked. Moore appeared in 12 games, only catching two passes for 15 yards before the Packers released him. He struggled with drops, and the Packers were clearly right to replace him because Moore hasn’t appeared in another NFL game during his career.
From the same draft class (Gutey’s first), second-round pick Josh Jackson, a draft darling out of Iowa, was traded away going into year four because he hadn’t shown anything to suggest he was an NFL-caliber player.
Additionally, the Green Bay Packers moved on from fifth-round inside linebacker Kamal Martin after a rookie season where he appeared in 10 games (6 starts) and showed some promise. He played six games for the Panthers and was out of the league shortly after that.
And a few recent examples are third-round tight end selection Jace Sternberger, who Gutekunst cut bait on after two seasons, and third-round pick Amari Rodgers who made it only a year and a half before getting waived.
Final Thoughts on Brian Gutekunst
Now, this isn’t all a kudos to Brian Gutekunst because these are reasonably high draft picks that were significant misses by him and his staff. The redeeming quality, however, is that he doesn’t waste a ton of time trying to be the smartest man in the room and disregards what’s happening on the field.
Fundamentally, I agree with how Gutey handles the early rounds of the NFL draft. He prioritizes freak athletes at premium positions, making the process easier to understand. But I’m still not convinced he’s a terrific identifier of talent despite serving as a scout for the Packers organization since 1998.
Ultimately, Gutekunst’s approach reflects a balance between loyalty and pragmatism. He believes in giving his draft picks a fair chance to succeed but also recognizes that the NFL is a results-driven business and that players who fail to produce will not be given unlimited opportunities to do so.
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