Who Will Packers Pick in First Round of NFL Draft? Scout Breaks It Down

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Who will the Green Bay Packers pick with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night? The starting point to answering that question is determining which players won’t be available at No. 23.

With that in mind, I texted a list of names to a personnel director. Focusing on the Packers’ key areas of need, the list consisted of receivers Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden, offensive linemen Josh Simmons, Josh Conerly and Grey Zabel, edge defenders Mykel Williams, Shemar Stewart and Donovan Ezeiruaku, defensive tackles Derrick Harmon, Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen, and cornerbacks Will Johnson, Jahdae Barron and Trey Amos.

“I think they all have a good chance of being there, besides McMillan,” he replied.

That, obviously, doesn’t mean all the remaining 14 players will be available. It means there’s no consensus whatsoever, and that one team’s No. 15 player could be another team’s No. 40 player and one team’s No. 50 player could be another team’s No. 20 player.

This is a draft class that’s ankle-deep in star power but overflowing in depth. That’s great news for the Packers, who hold pick No. 23 of the first round, No. 54 of the second round and No. 87 of the third round. After having extra premium picks the past three years following the trades of Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay has just those three picks in the first three rounds.

But “they should be able to find three or four starters,” a scout said.

In a perfect world, Gutekunst would be able to manufacture additional picks by trading back in the first round. As with most drafts, the number of teams that would like to move back outnumber the teams that would like to move up.

However, getting back to the depth and unpredictability of the draft, it could be a chaos-filled bottom half of the first round as teams see who they’ve deemed a top-10 prospect slide into trading range. Armed with only eight picks, which would be his fewest since 2019, trading back, whether it’s at No. 23 or No. 54, would give Gutekunst an opportunity to get some more swings of the bat after making a total of 35 selections the last three years.

So, back to the original question. Who will the Packers pick in the first round? Focusing on the positions of need and that list of players, a scout said:

Receiver: “McMillan is obviously the best player but there are some real questions about his work ethic and all that. You better have a veteran in that room to show him how it’s done. I’m sure that’s why Gutey brought him in was to get a better feel for the person.”

He didn’t think those issues would push McMillan all the way to Green Bay’s spot, though, so he’d take Egbuka. “It won’t take him long to be the team’s best receiver.”

Offensive line: “Zabel’s a Gutey kind of pick. I could see that. I’m sure the fans would love it,” he said with a laugh. Zabel could be the team’s right guard or utilityman in 2025 and potentially replace Elgton Jenkins at center if he is deemed too expensive for 2026.

Edge: “I have no idea,” the scout admitted. “If I had to guess, I’d say Williams and Stewart won’t make it (to 23), but Stewart’s such a wild card. I don’t think he’s any good but someone will take him early.”

Williams had decent production at Georgia but lacks Stewart’s eye-popping traits. On Ezeiruaku, who seemingly is too small for Green Bay’s historic parameters, he said, “We’ll find out how much clout (Jeff) Hafley has up there.” Overall, he said, “I’d rather pick someone in the second” round and address another need in the first.

Defensive tackle: “This is an interesting one,” he said. “(T.J.) Slaton was a good player and they were really strong against the run. So, do you take Grant to play run defense? Do you take Nolen because you don’t want to pay (Devonte) Wyatt? Do you take Harmon because Kenny (Clark) is getting older? I think Harmon is the real deal and won’t be there. Give me Nolen.”

Cornerback: “If Johnson falls, I think you’ve got to take him. For what Haf does on defense, his speed I don’t think would a big concern” because of his instincts and anticipation. “Like you said, they aren’t good enough at receiver, but they’re also not good enough at corner.” If Johnson’s gone? His list went Amos, Maxwell Hairston and Shavon Revel. “They better get one early” because he didn’t expect the depth to hold up into the third round.

So, who will the Packers draft?

“Probably the best one of the big guys” on the defensive line, he said, with Nolen the most likely to be available, or Johnson and Williams if one of them falls.

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The #Packers haven't drafted a receiver in the first round since 2002. That was about six months before Emeka Egbuka was born.

My first-round prediction? That streak will end tonight. ⬇️https://t.co/T2pUAzt9PP
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) April 24, 2025