Green Bay, WI — (RI) — The potential challenges inherent in the NFL draft’s virtual format became apparent Monday as Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst conducted a conference call with reporters.
Gutekunst was about to answer a question when a technical issue caused him to get dropped from the call for about a minute, but he’s confident the Packers I.T. staff will have him ready to draft at home this week.
Gutekunst says the “Mock Draft” went well.
With the new set up, the Packer’s GM says he is comfortable talking with his staff via phone before making first round pick.
Even tho draft interviews were cancelled, he believes his team has enough information on their prospects.
Gutekunst says there aren’t many obstacles with drafting from home.
The GM says he’s pretty comfortable with their technical process this week.
The GM talks about what the backup plan is if something went wrong.
The Packers have 10 picks in this draft, 5 in the first 5 rounds and 5 in the final two rounds. Brian talks about how aggressive the Packers can be moving up or down.
Since there are no OTA’s or minicamps, the Packers have to dig deep to try and get players opportunities.
The Packers are preparing for NFL Training Camps opening on time in the last week of July.
The Packers filled some key positions by signing free agents Rickey Wagner, Christian Kirksey and Devin Funchess.
The government restrictions might make it more difficult to sign undrafted players from the Midwest to 90 man roster for tryouts.
With a deep receiver draft class, don’t expect the Packers to wait until later rounds to get a good one.
Having 5 picks in the 6th and 7th rounds is a good thing value-wise.
The Packers have a list of veterans you can sign if you come up short at a position in the draft.
He doesn’t know yet if the circumstances will cause a trading frenzy during the draft.
The Packers still need a traditional slot receiver to replace Randall Cobb, but the team wants well-rounded players who can play multiple positions.
If there’s a good QB on the board, Gutekunst wants to draft a winner.
Defensive Back Tramon Williams’ future with the Packers will be determined after the draft.
Gutekunst refuses to think the 2020 NFL season could be canceled due to COVID-19.
Going into virtual draft, he’s trying to get to a point where it became simple, knowing how the communications will go.
The NFL Draft starts Thursday night.
