The Packers could be considering selecting Aaron Rodgers' eventual replacement early in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Green Bay met with Missouri quarterback Drew Lock last week and some around the league believe the team “likes” him, according to Bleacher Report.
I'm not sure Drew Lock will be available for them...but a lot of really plugged in and smart people believe the #Packers like him.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 22, 2019
Rodgers, 35, has been the team’s starter since 2008 and he registered a 25/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 16 games last season. Green Bay, however, finished with a 6-9-1 record and missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about the team’s future plans at quarterback during a press conference Monday.
“I think the whole succession plan thing is a little bit overhyped,” Gutekunst told reporters, via the Wisconsin State Journal . “We value that position extremely highly. And every year we spend a lot of time on the quarterbacks and trying to figure out what kinds of players those guys are going to be in the NFL. It’s really, really important to us. Because if you don’t have one, it’s really tough to win in this league.”
Gutekunst said the team evaluates and discusses the quarterbacks in every draft class.
“If you have the opportunities to take (a potential starter) sometime in the draft and that’s the best thing for your team, I don’t think you can hesitate with that,” Gutekunst said. “We’re lucky to have the best player in the NFL (Rodgers) playing that position right now. But at the same time, your needs can change just like that.
“I think it was just doing due diligence. There’s always questions specifically with those guys that are maybe a little more thorough and in-depth that you’ve got to get to the bottom of. So, we were trying to do that.”
Lock completed 62.9 percent of his passes and threw for 28 touchdowns, along with eight interceptions, for the Tigers in 2018.
The Packers fired longtime coach Mike McCarthy in early December. They hired former Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to replace him this offseason.
Green Bay holds two first-round picks — No. 12 and No. 30 — as well as the 44th overall selection.