Packers Draft Rumors: Green Bay interested in trading up from pick 30, per reports

The 2019 NFL Draft is not yet underway, but the Green Bay Packers are already making some headlines. The Packers hold picks at 12 and 30 overall to use in Thursday night’s first round, and it is their plans for their second pick that has people talking.

Two of the top insider reporters covering the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Adam Schefter of ESPN, are both reporting on the Packers being interested in trading up from the 30th pick. Schefter reports that the team is making calls about trading up already, while Rapoport says they are a team that “could move up for the right player.”

Of course, the draft board will dictate what happens, but the Packers do have picks at 44 and 75 that could be ammunition for a big move upwards, as well as a pair of fourth-round picks. One possibility could be to package picks 30 and 75 to move up nine or ten spots, then flip the fourth-round picks to get back into round three. In fact, that is very similar to what general manager Brian Gutekunst did last year after trading back from 14 to 27; he moved back up to 18 by sending a third-rounder, then got back into the late third to take linebacker Oren Burks.

The other question is about what player or players could convince the Packers to move up from 30. Given the team’s apparent interest in offensive linemen during the lead-up to the draft, it would make sense for Gutekunst to make a move for one of them if they last longer than expected. Another option could be one of the Iowa tight ends or a front-seven player on defense.

In any case, we’ll know in a few hours what Gutekunst’s plans are and if this trade happens. But this should be a sign to Packers fans that they should not tune out during the late teens and early 20s later this evening.