Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has made three first-round picks over the past two drafts, and all three have been prospects out of the University of Georgia. In 2021, the Packers used their 29th overall pick on Eric Stokes, a speedy corner coming off a strong junior season that included four interceptions. Then, in 2022, Gutekunst used not one but two first-rounders to nab a pair of playmakers from a historically great Georgia defense. The picks were linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt.
“We kept the G on the helmet,” Gutekunst said following the selections of Walker and Wyatt. “Obviously, they’ve had a lot of success down there in Athens. These guys were two really prototypical fits not only as players but as people that we wanted to bring in the building. We’re really excited about that.”
Using Georgia as a pipeline isn’t a bad strategy. The school’s rise to power in recent years has been incredible to watch and has now made them a hotbed for high-end NFL talent.
Last year, Georgia set an NFL record after having five players drafted in the first round. That number will be tough to match even coming off back-to-back National Championships, but the Bulldogs do have five players in the top 40 on the consensus big board.
Maybe all five won’t have their names called on Thursday, yet there is a considerable chance that one will end up in Green Bay. Especially when each prospect could address an area of need for the Packers.
So, who are these five players in the conversation to continue Gutekunst’s streak of drafting players from one of the nation’s top programs? Here’s a quick look at Georgia’s first-round contenders for 2023.