Brian Gutekunst’s four years of draft history as Green Bay Packers general manager has provided a few clues in the first round: He prefers young and elite athletes, and he’s not afraid to trade up to get a player.
In a new mock draft from Chad Reuter of NFL.com, the Packers checked both boxes with a reasonable trade-up scenario from No. 28 to No. 21, ensuring the team got help at both edge rusher and wide receiver. In the mock, Reuter had the Packers move up seven spots in a trade with the New England Patriots and then take Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis and Ohio State receiver Chris Olave with back-to-back picks at No. 21 and No. 22.
The cost of the move was a third-round pick and fourth-round pick.
The trade and picks fit Gutekunst perfectly. In three of his four drafts, he traded up in the first round to get a player (Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, Jordan Love), so spending mid-round picks to go up seven slots is right in his wheelhouse. Karlaftis could be a likely…