The 2025 NFL Draft will be pivotal for general manager Brian Gutekunst’s post-Aaron Rodgers rebuild of the Green Bay Packers.
He and the Packers front office built both the youngest playoff team (2023) and the second-youngest playoff team (2024) of the last 45 seasons in the first two years of the Jordan Love era, per CBS Sports Research. That’s an indicator things are going in the right direction, but entering the third season of the rebuild, Gutekunst needs to hit up and down the board to elevate the Packers closer to Super Bowl contention.
Love and his youthful cast of playmakers have performed well for the most part since Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in 2023, but they could really make a leap with a little more help. The Packers didn’t register any yards from scrimmage by anyone older than the age of 26 in 2024, which is how they totaled the third-most scrimmage yards (6,435) by players 26 or younger in a single season in NFL history, according to CBS Sports Research. Wider receiver, cornerback, edge rusher and defensive tackle are all incredibly valuable positions that need to be addressed this week in the 2025 draft.
Cornerback likely rises to the top given the uncertainly around two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander’s status in Green Bay. On Monday, Gutekunst didn’t give much of an indication one way or the other on Alexander’s Green Bay future.
“We’ll work through that,” Gutekunst said, via The Athletic, on Monday. “I don’t really have any updates on Jaire. He’s obviously on our roster right now. We’ll see how the draft goes and then see where we are at that point.”
OverTheCap.com projects Green Bay to possess $6,506,629 million in effective cap space in the 2026 offseason, the ninth-fewest in the NFL at this moment in time, so it’s critical Gutekunst aces his 2025 draft class. Let’s zoom in on what he and the Packers front office needs to emphasize in the upcoming draft, plus the picks they have available and some of CBS Sports’ expert mock draft projections.
Check out the latest NFL mock drafts from experts as part of CBS Sports’ full coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft, which kicks off Thursday night from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Familiarize yourself with the 2025 NFL Draft order, the latest draft day intel and learn what each team’s best-case-scenario pick looks like. For more in-depth draft analysis, check out “With the First Pick” podcast with host Ryan Wilson and former Titans general manager Ran Carthon.
Green Bay Packers team needs
- Team needs: CB, DL, EDGE,WR, OT, IOL, RB
- Notable additions: G Aaron Banks, CB Nate Hobbs, WR Mecole Hardman
- Notable losses: C Josh Myers, DT T.J. Slaton, CB Eric Stokes, LB Eric Wilson, RB AJ Dillon
Green Bay Packers 2025 draft picks
- Overall selections: 8
| Round | Pick | Player | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 23 | ||
| 2 | No. 54 | ||
| 3 | No. 87 | ||
| 4 | No. 124 | ||
| 5 | No. 159 | ||
| 6 | No. 198 | ||
| 7 | No. 237 (from Steelers) | ||
| 7 | No. 250 |
Green Bay Packers mock drafts, projections
Derrick Harmon: The Packers are even odds to take a DL/edge first, and Harmon is the type of prospect who fits their profile. He’s also -1000 to be a first-round pick, so we want to be sure to slot him in before the end of this mock. — R.J. White
Jahdae Barron: The Packers need cornerback help. No. 1 corner Jaire Alexander could easily be on another team by either the end of the month or next offseason (check his 2026 cap hit), and 2021 first-round pick corner Eric Stokes didn’t pan out and departed in free agency. Barron won the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back, and he had a 91.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, the second best by a cornerback in the nation. He’ll help patch up Green Bay’s secondary nicely. — Garrett Podell
Will Johnson: The Cowboys have to get another option to go with CeeDee Lamb. Golden can fly and will be a nice complement to Lamb to help get this offense going again with Dak Prescott healthy. — Pete Prisco
Trey Amos: Amos is a long, fast physical corner in coverage and he excels in both man and zone schemes. He doesn’t panic on downfield throws because of his length and speed, and he flashes good ball skills. He will need to improve in run support but don’t be surprised if he keeps rising through the pre-draft process. — Ryan Wilson
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Author: Garrett Podell
April 24, 2025 | 1:30 pm
