Trade Up or Trade Down? Packers’ Draft Day Decision

Green Bay Packers will have to wait until the end of the first day of the NFL draft to make their selection. Green Bay finds itself at number 30 out of 32. They’re the third-to-last team picking in the NFL Draft. After a successful 2019 season, Green Bay leaped to the 30th position. There is a very good chance that Green Bay could trade out of that spot. The question which way? Could they trade up or trade down? Each has a very real possibility of happening. Let’s build a case for both.
A case for trading up
The player that Green Bay wants at the middle linebacker will not be there at 30. That is the thought. Now, drafts can be weird and players can fall into your lap. But as it stands in most mock drafts, the top middle linebackers will not be there. Green Bay could make a move up to get Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray or LSU’s Patrick Queen. Murray is more of a likely candidate to get traded up for. NFL.com’s Peter Schrager did note that NFL teams love Murray, and he could higher than people expect him to in a couple of weeks. A thing to remember is Brian Gutekunst was not shy to move up last year when he saw a player he liked in Darnell Savage.
A case for trading down
Trading down is one of the more annoying and sad things in the NFL Draft. There are three days of draft coverage and with only one round being broadcasted, trading down is annoying on night one. But it makes sense from time to time. Where Green Bay is in the first round is an ideal position for a trade down. A team that might want a quarterback that has fallen could make a move for that spot in the draft. The hope would be that Green Bay has a selection in the second round in the first 10 picks and could add more draft capital as well. Even if the Packers do not have a middle linebacker or offensive tackle available, it would be dumb to trade down with all the receivers available.
We’ll see what the Packers do in a couple of weeks.
Charlie.