Getty Quarterback Jordan Love of Utah State throws a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Green Bay Packers don’t have an immediate need for a new quarterback this offseason, but that hasn’t stopped general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff from doing their due diligence on some of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL draft.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers are one of several teams who have made contact with former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love virtually during their pre-draft process, joining a group that also includes the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.
Love is considered one of the best quarterbacks in a talented 2020 draft class and is projected to be taken off the board at some point during the first round, most likely in the back half of the selections after others such as LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
The Packers aren’t hurting to find a new quarterback with Aaron Rodgers signed through the 2023 season, but the 36-year-old passer isn’t getting any younger. While Rodgers recently said he feels like he could continue beyond that point right, Gutekunst will expectedly have to start putting a plan into motion to ensure the future of the franchise as Ted Thompson did years ago when he drafted Rodgers to groom as Brett Favre’s successor.
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Is Packers Targeting Jordan Love Feasible?
The Packers are on a fact-finding mission, pure and simple, when it comes to Love. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the team had already been planning to hold pre-draft meetings with Love as well as several other top-tier quarterback prospects, including Tagovailoa, Washington’s Jacob Eason and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts.
Gutekunst said during last month’s NFL Scouting Combine he has continued on Thompson’s tradition of scouting all of the top quarterback prospects in each year’s draft class. The Packers recognize the clock is ticking on their current starter’s career and want to be prepared in the event that another Rodgers falls down the board and into their hands — as was the case when Rodgers slid from a possible No. 1 overall selection down to Thompson’s crew at No. 24 in 2005.
Though, to be honest, Love will most likely be off the board before the Packers pick at No. 30. Of the teams who have reportedly reached out to him, the Colts are the only ones without at least one earlier selection than the Packers with the Raiders (Nos. 12 and 19) and Dolphins (Nos. 5, 18 and 26) each holding multiple better picks.
Gutekunst swapped first-round picks in each of his first two drafts for the Packers and could be tempted to make it three in a row if the right opportunity presents itself in 2020, but a move up or down from No. 30 would seem more likely aimed at addressing more pressing roster needs.
Love hasn’t been the only potential first-round talent in Gutekunst’s sights. According to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle, the Packers were among at least 13 teams involved in a pre-draft video conference with offensive tackle Josh Jones. The Packers have also reportedly expressed interest in multiple wide receivers who could be available in either the first or second rounds.
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