Packers GM Gutekunst looks for difference-makers

NFL Draft kicks off this week

April 22, 2019 9:47 PM

Kevin Lewis,

Posted: April 22, 2019 9:47 PM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:28 PM

by Kevin Lewis

Mark Tauscher started 132 of 134 games played in Green Bay.
Donald Driver is the Packers all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.
Gutekunst is running his second draft as Packers GM.

Green Bay — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has been part of the Green Bay front office for two decades. This week, he’s charged with handling his second draft since being promoted to GM in 2018.

Gutekunst says there’s always pressure to pick impact makers, but that’s just part of the deal.

“History certainly here’s shown the fact that there’s always chances to get difference-makers throughout the draft,” Gutekunst said Monday. “I think back to early, early in my career when we drafted guys like Donald Driver and [Mark] Tauscher in the seventh round. Those guys were absolute difference-makers for our football team in the seventh round. I think it’s our job every time we pick to see who that is.”

Driver, taken 213th (Alcorn St.) in 1999, played 14 seasons with the Packers. He’s Green Bay’s all-time leader in receptions (743) and receiving yards (10,137). Driver was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2017.

Tauscher, a former Wisconsin offensive lineman, was taken 224th overall in 2000. He played 11 seasons with the Packers, starting 132 of 134 games played. Tauscher was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2018.

The 2019 NFL Draft takes place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN.

The first round is Thursday at 7 P.M. (ESPN on ABC). Rounds two and three are Friday (6 P.M.), and four through seven are Saturday (11 A.M.).