With One Compensatory Pick, Packers Will Have Fewer Picks in 2025

When it comes to draft picks, the more the merrier for Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.

“The more the better,” he said after selecting 11 players in the 2024 NFL Draft. “If you’re going to try to build each and every room the best you can each and every year, you’ve got to have the draft picks to do that. … That will always be the goal, and some years are easier than others to do that.”

It will be much more difficult in 2025 because they’ll be on the clock less than usual when they host next year’s draft.

After having 11 draft picks in 2024, 13 in 2023 and 11 in 2022 for an NFL-high 35 over the last three years, Gutekunst will have to get by with fewer picks next year. Not only are there no extra picks coming following the trade of a veteran player – for now, anyway – the Packers are in line to get only one free-agent compensatory pick in 2025.

That is projected to be a seventh-rounder for losing Yosh Nijman to the Carolina Panthers, according to OverTheCap’s Nick Korte.

Compensatory picks are awarded for losing more and better free agents than were signed. This offseason, Gutekunst made two big splashes by signing safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs. Those signings wiped out the compensatory picks that would have been coming for losing guard Jon Runyan and safety Darnell Savage.

According to Korte, Nijman’s two-year, $8 million contract from the Panthers puts him right on the fringe between a sixth- and seventh-round pick.

It’s possible Nijman will start a bunch of games and play a lot of snaps, which could nudge him into the sixth-round bracket. Korte figured Nijman would have to play about three-fourths of the snaps for that to happen. He is projected to be the swing tackle behind Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton.

Regardless, as it stands, the Packers are scheduled to have only eight picks next year – their own pick in each of the seven rounds and the comp pick for Nijman. That would tie for the fewest in the Gutekunst era; the Packers had eight in 2019, as well.

In the 2024 draft, Gutekunst was armed with additional picks in the second and third rounds following the trades of Aaron Rodgers and Rasul Douglas. Plus, he gained three compensatory picks (fifth, sixth and seventh rounds).

In the 2023 draft, Gutekunst gained an additional second-round pick from the Rodgers trade. Plus, he picked up two compensatory picks (fifth and seventh rounds).

In the 2022 draft, Gutekunst picked up first- and second-round picks from the Davante Adams trade. Plus, he netted two compensatory picks (fourth and seventh rounds).

In the 2021 draft, Gutekunst landed three compensatory picks (fourth, fifth and sixth rounds).

Following Gutekunst’s big free-agent spending spree in 2019, which landed Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Adrian Amos and Billy Turner, the Packers were not awarded any compensatory picks.

It’s obviously way too early to forecast the Packers’ 2025 draft plans, but the relative lack of picks could put Gutekunst into selling mode.

“More at-bats, right. You’ve got more chances for hits,” he said before the draft. “There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’

“I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room, and how much it accelerates the growth of your football team. I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward. So, to me, there’s never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room. I think that’s really important. We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”

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