The Green Bay Packers traditionally build through the draft. They might add a player here or there, and they did it this year by signing running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney in free agency, but the bulk of the roster-building process following the team's philosophy is by getting young players and developing them.

Current general manager Brian Gutekunst has also shown willingness (certainly more than Ted Thompson used to do) to attack needs in the draft, sometimes with multiple picks for the same position.

With that in mind, let's discuss what are the Packers' biggest needs going into the draft, why, and how they can operate to solve it.

1) Offensive line

The Packers lost three offensive linemen over the last month. They released David Bakhtiari, while Yosh Nijman and Jon Runyan signed elsewhere in free agency. What used to be a strength is now a huge question mark.

The Packers are fine at tackle, since Zach Tom is an ascending star and Rasheed Walker is a capable starter. However, the depth is highly questionable — the backups are Caleb Jones, Luke Tenuta, and Kadeem Telfort, three developmental pieces. Ideally, the Packers would look for a starting left tackle, opening the way to move Walker back to his swing tackle spot.

The situation in the interior of the offensive line is even worse, though. Right now, left guard Elgton Jenkins is the only positive piece of the group. Center Josh Myers and right guard Sean Rhyan are projected starters, and they haven't lived up to their day 2 draft status. Myers is also in the last year of his rookie deal. Meanwhile, the only backup is Royce Newman, who's been progressively worse throughout his career.

The Packers need to add multiple pieces to the offensive line. Gutekunst has taken three o-linemen in the same class three separate times (2020, 2021, 2022), and don't be surprised if he does that again this year.

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2) Cornerback

The cornerback situation looked great a year ago, but Eric Stokes spent another season injured and Rasul Douglas got traded to the Buffalo Bills. Moreover, Jaire Alexander is entering his seventh season in the league, a time where cornerbacks tend to start regressing. It's a naturally volatile position, so adding young talent in volume there is imperative.

Since taking over as a GM in 2018, Gutekunst has spent two first-round picks on cornerbacks, which might very well happen again depending on how the board falls.

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3) Safety

The Packers have added Xavier McKinney, but there's still a clear need for another starting safety. Maybe they're banking on Anthony Johnson's Jr. development, but that's a stretch.

Green Bay has not taken a safety in the top 100 of the draft since getting Darnell Savage in the first round in 2019, and pulling the trigger right now is realistic.

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4) Linebacker

In a vacuum, not considering positional value and impact, linebacker might be the most glaring need. The projected starters are Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie, which is not the ideal scenario, and the backups are mostly special teamers.

However, the draft class is not good at all at the position, and the value of linebacker play is questionable. Green Bay will probably get one or two developmental players later on, while trying to extract the most out of what they already have — and to limit the negative impact of the plan.

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5) Running back

The Packers signed Josh Jacobs and re-signed AJ Dillon and Emanuel Wilson, so the position is mostly set for 2024. However, Dillon is under contract for just one season, and Wilson hasn't shown enough to preclude the team from thinking ahead.

Jacobs is more of a pounder, so the Packers would certainly benefit from getting a speedster with the ability to run outside the tackles later in the draft. It's not a pressing need anymore, but it's certainly a valid consideration.

What an all defensive draft would look like for the Packers

Green Bay has 11 picks going into the draft