Here you have it - our annual futile attempt at predicting who Brian Gutekunst will select with the Packers' first round pick.

Jonathan Krim - Kool-Aid McKinstry.   I expect the Packers to trade back 5-10 spots here, and corner is a serious need, with Carrington Valentine still a question mark and Eric Stokes unable to stay healthy. Some better choices (DeJean, Barton, Mims) will be gone, and McKinstry is a strong, smart press corner who fits the Hafley scheme, presuming his foot fracture (which affected his athletic testing) doesn’t look like it will linger. His lack of INTs is actually an indication that opposing QBs avoided throwing his way. 

Tony Wilson - Graham Barton.   Yes, probably a vanilla selection here, but OL is a huge need and Barton checks all the boxes. If the Zach Tom-to-center rumors are true, then Barton would add some fantastic competition to the RT spot. His athleticism and versatility makes him a very solid addition to an already stellar OL room.

Mike Price - Chop Robinson. Brian Gutekunst has a way of making every first round pick just a little shocking and spending a third first round pick in five seasons on a "too small" edge rusher when everyone expects an offensive tackle would fit perfectly. I could argue that Preston Smith is aging, Gary and Van Ness can move inside, that Kinglsey Enagbare is injured and that Jeff Hafley's defense needs a speed rusher but Gutekunst's predilection for being a weirder than you expect is why I'll predict Chop Robinson.   

Cory Jennerjohn - Cooper DeJean. The Packers have a bigger need at offensive line but can still get a quality offensive lineman in the second or third round. DeJean instantly transforms Green Bay’s secondary and makes it one of the top tier units in the game. 

Maggie Loney - Amarius Mims.  Mims has been the most polarizing option for Packers fans since this process started, but the closer we get to draft night the more I think he's the selection. While he's bigger than what Green Bay normally prefers at tackle, it's hard to beat his upside. He played right tackle his entire collegiate career and didn't allow a single pressure, sack, or quarterback hit in his last three seasons. He's also only 21 years old coming from a strong SEC program. It just makes too much sense. 

Gil Martin - Cooper DeJean. DB Cooper DeJean would be a perfect and diverse player for the secondary who could play safety, slot corner or boundary corner in a pinch

Ken Lass - Cooper DeJean. The Iowa defensive back falls to Pack because of first round frenzy over quarterbacks, linemen and receivers.  Starts immediately at safety and provides depth at corner.  

Dusty Evely - Jer'Zhan Newton.  This is probably just wishful thinking on my part, but the defensive line could use a game-changing, penetrating defensive lineman, and Newton most certainly fits that description. He would fit perfectly into Hafley's defense, so this would be a nice little "welcome to Green Bay" gift for Hafley.

Tim Backes - Cooper DeJean. This is a really tough year to predict, but everything about Cooper Dejean just makes too much sense. He fits the Packers' measurables, he's got great college production, he's at a position of need, and they skipped the pre-draft meetup as they've done with other recent first round picks!

Rex Sheild - Jer'Zhan Newton.  General manager Brian Gutekunst has often drafted the best player available with the most upside, rather than a position of immediate need, in the first round, and Newton would be the perfect heir apparent to Kenny Clark, who is set to be a free agent in 2025 and seeking a third NFL contract ahead of his age-30 season. DT T.J. Slaton is also slated to be free agent in 2025. Put simply, the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and first-team AP All-American, who will turn 22 in August, is a disruptor and has found himself in the backfield more times than not, as evidenced by his 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss last season. 

Mark Oldacres - Javon Bullard - Taking Bullard in the first round would be a surprise to many, since he ranks 58th on the consensus big board, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.Athletically, he compares closely to Darnell Savage, whom the Packers might like to replace. Savage was 48th on the consensus board when Green Bay drafted him, while Eric Stokes, who like Bullard, is a defensive back from Georgia, was 56th. Bullard is a great athlete, can play both safety and slot corner, and did so at a high level in college. The Packers could potentially trade back and pick up extra draft capital, before taking Bullard later, or simply draft him at 25.

Joseph Randolph - Amarius Mims. OTs with over 36" arms don't come around very often, especially with the movement skills that Mims has. He's got a little bit of footwork to coach up before he's a guaranteed eraser on either side of the offensive line. Starting experience be damned, this is a future All-Pro in the making.

Greg Meinholz - Amarius Mims.  If he’s available, I think we see OT Amarius Mims from Georgia go to the Packers. He’s that type of big-bodied athletic freak that Brian Gutekunst covets, and if Gute really believes Zach Tom is a much more talented Center than Tackle, then I think perhaps selecting Mims will kick Tom inside. Due to the success of Rasheed Walker along with Tom at Tackle, if Mims isn’t quite ready to start immediately, the Packers will likely be just as satisfied with letting him play a depth role his rookie season and then bring him along to start year 2. Gutekunst loves his big time athlete projects in the first round, and this year could be no different.

Jersey Al Bracco - Chop Robinson.  Just for fun, I'm going to go out of the box here and move away from everything I've thought up until this point.Could I see Gutey picking a 21 year old explosive athlete but still raw prospect wiithout a lot of college production at a premier position in the first round? Sound familiar?