Packers G.M. Brian Gutekunst
New Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will have some additional draft picks when the April Draft rolls around.
The Packers were awarded four compensatory picks for the 2018 Draft on Friday: one in the fourth round (No. 133 overall), two fifth-round picks (172 & 174) and a sixth-round pick (No. 207).
The Packers’ will now have 12 draft picks, their most since 2006.
The four compensatory picks were awarded to the Packers as a result of losing players in free agency the previous year. The Packers lost tight end Jared Cook, safety Micah Hyde, guard T.J. Lang, running back Eddie Lacy, center J.C. Tretter and pass rushers Julius Peppers and Datone Jones. The only free agent gained under the NFL’s formula for awarding draft picks was guard Jahri Evans.
A total of 32 compensatory draft picks were awarded to 15 teams.
The Packers were one of four teams that received four picks, joining Dallas, Cincinnati and Oakland.
Unlike in the past, compensatory draft picks can now be used in trades. That rule went into effect prior to the 2017 draft.
The Packers have seven of their own picks, four compensatory selections and a seventh-round pick that came from Buffalo in a 2016 trade for linebacker Lerentee McCray.