Brian Gutekunst is spending Saturday with an eye on the future, and the Green Bay Packers general manager has already gotten an early look at one of college football’s biggest stages.
Gutekunst was in attendance for Texas’ game against Texas State, and he is also set to be on hand later Saturday for LSU against Clemson. For a Packers team without its first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, the trip makes plenty of sense. That selection was part of the deal that brought superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons over from the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season.
Even without that first-rounder, Green Bay still has plenty of reason to keep close tabs on programs loaded with talent. Texas, LSU and Clemson all figure to offer potential targets in the second round and beyond, and the Packers have shown they can find real value in those areas of the draft.
The front office’s recent track record backs that up. Safety Evan Williams, a fourth-round pick in 2024, has turned into a difference-maker.
In the 2025 season, he posted 100 total tackles, four tackles for loss, five pass deflections, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. He has emerged as one of the best safeties in the league and is poised for a great third year.
Green Bay has also hit on offense with tight end Tucker Kraft. The third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has grown into one of the top players at his position.
As a rookie, he caught 31 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns. In 2024, he broke out with 50 receptions for 707 yards and seven touchdowns.
Kraft was off to an even bigger start in 2025, hauling in 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns through eight games before suffering a torn ACL. Once healthy again, he will be a key piece in Green Bay’s offense.
That kind of success in the middle and later rounds is why Gutekunst’s presence at Texas, LSU and Clemson matters. The Packers may not have a first-round pick in 2027, but their scouting work already suggests they’ll be looking to add another impact player from one of those rosters next season.
In Other News...
Packers Players Spark Debate With Their Night Out In Chicago
Several Packers players made the trip to Soldier Field in Chicago for Night 2 of Yes homecoming concert, taking in a show that drew 70,000 fans and featured multiple special guests. Jordan Love, Micah Parsons and Dani-Dennis Sutton were among the players who shared upbeat reactions on social media, giving the outing a little extra visibility at a time when every public appearance by prominent athletes tends to travel fast.
Yes return to touring in the United States after several years made the concert a noteworthy event on its own, and the Packers presence only added to the conversation around it. For a team whose players are already under the microscope, a night like this can quickly become more than just a night off, especially when reactions from the locker room start to circulate before the next round of football headlines takes over. [Read more 🡒]
Packers May Have An Undrafted Receiver Fans Can't Ignore
J. Michael Sturdivant did enough in the preseason to make the Packers keep paying attention, and for an undrafted rookie receiver, that is no small feat. A six-catch, 112-yard game helped him turn a camp body label into a legitimate roster spot, and it came at a time when Green Bay was sorting out a receiver room that already features Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden at the top.
Sturdivant is not being asked to step in as a primary target, but his size and speed give the Packers another different look in the passing game. The expectation is that he can help stretch the field and work the sidelines, the kind of role that can matter even without a heavy target share, especially if Green Bay keeps looking for depth behind its established receivers. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Pass Rush Gamble Will Get An Early Reality Check
With Micah Parsons recovering, the Packers are asking a lot from a pass rush built around youth, opportunity and projection. Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell are expected to be front and center early, and Green Bays first three weeks of the 2026 season should offer a cleaner look at how ready that group really is when the pressure starts to build.
The schedule is soft enough to give the Packers some breathing room, but it also means the evaluation could come quickly if the edge rush does not show up as hoped. If Van Ness and Sorrell struggle to make the kind of impact Green Bay wants, the front office may not wait long before exploring veteran help, with names like Josh Sweat or Maxx Crosby looming as possible fixes. [Read more 🡒]