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GREEN BAY https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/hats , Wis. (AP) — Having signed four potential starters in free agency, the Green Bay Packers enter this week’s draft looking to add the missing ingredients to a team that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons.“With some of the things that we’ve done, I think where our team sits today, I’m not super concerned about, ‘Hey, we absolutely have to do this or absolutely have to do that,'” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at a news conference Monday.“We can sit back, see where the draft board is strong, try to get there and then take the best players available. … I think it’s a really good draft overall and I think we have a chance to help our team.”The Packers hold the 12th selection in Thursday’s first round. They haven’t had such an early pick since drafting defensive tackle B.J. Raji at No. 9 in 2009. Gutekunst’s maneuvering in the first round of last year’s draft bagged the 30th selection of the first round for this year. Including those picks, Green Bay has six selections in the first four rounds.Leading to the draft, Gutekunst added outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith Green Bay Packers Hoodie , safety Adrian Amos and offensive lineman Billy Turner. Those signings bolstered three of the Packers’ biggest areas of need. In turn, that eases the pressure on Gutekunst.“I do like our flexibility to be able to move around and not feel like we’re pigeon-holed to have to take a certain position or a certain player,” he said.One position where there is not an immediate need is quarterback, with 35-year-old Aaron Rodgers returning for his 15th season. Still, Gutekunst used one of his predraft visits on Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, who is considered a likely first-round pick. Gutekunst said there’s a measure of “subterfuge” in his use of the 30 predraft invitations. Then again, Brett Favre was 35 when then-general manager Ted Thompson drafted Rodgers in the first round in 2005.“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,” Gutekunst said. “And it’s really, really important to us because, if you don’t have one Vince Biegel Color Rush Jersey , it’s really tough to win in this league. For us, it’s about trying to decide which are the guys that could potentially be starters in this league.”This will be Gutekunst’s second year running the draft but his first with new coach Matt LaFleur. While LaFleur is installing a new offense — that process will continue at the three-day minicamp that starts Tuesday — Gutekunst said has had “minimal” impact on the kind of players he’s been scouting.“You do this for as long as a lot of us have in that room, this is what you work all year for. It’s really exciting to have the ability to try to help your football team and add to that mix”In addition to the first round, the Packers have the 12th selection in each round. Plus, they have an additional picks in the fourth round (last year’s trade of safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to Washington) and the sixth round (last year’s trade of quarterback Brett Hundley to Seattle).For Gutekunst and his staff, it’s almost show time. In the draft room, the board is locked behind curtains to prevent overanalysis. He allowed his scouts to spend Easter weekend with family.“You do get to this point where it’s a little dangerous to react too much,” he said. “And I wouldn’t imagine there would be a whole lot of tweaks between now and Thursday.” It had been nearly six years since Green Bay last scored on such a special teams play." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesAcme Packing Company homepageHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityFollow Acme Packing Company online:Follow Acme Packing Company on TwitterFollow Acme Packing Company on FacebookFollow Acme Packing Company on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchAcme Packing Company main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTWith the Green Bay Packers in the midst of their lengthy summer break before training camp, Acme Packing Company has begun to count down the team’s top 10 players of the previous season. In 2018, the Packers stumbled to an ugly 6-9-1 record, losing their longtime head coach in December with multiple games remaining and experiencing issues in every phase of the game. Accordingly Dexter Williams Jersey , compiling the list of the year’s top plays offered more challenges than usual.However, 11 contributors at APC submitted votes for the Packers’ top 10 players, and we will break down these moments over the ensuing two weeks. As in past years, contributors selected plays based on their impact on a game or the season, impressive individual effort, or simply the hilarity factor.In the latest edition of APC’s countdown, we have the 7th best play of the year, a rare positive special teams highlight from an otherwise forgettable season by the unit.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="T7x2S9">The GameAfter a sensational come-from-behind victory over Chicago in week one, the Packers remained home at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field to face the reigning NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota entered the game 1-0 after a season-opening win over the San Francisco 49ers and looked to keep their early success going against a top divisional rival. For a week two contest, the matchup was shaping up to be a pivotal early-season tilt.The SituationEarly in the first quarter, the game was scoreless as the Packers’ promising first drive stalled and possession changed hands to the Vikings. Minnesota started from its own eight-yard line and earned a first down on the drive to move the ball north of the 20-yard marker. But a third down sack of Kirk Cousins from Reggie Gilbert and Jaire Alexander gave the Green Bay defense a much-needed early stop.After the six-yard loss http://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Jace-Sternberger-Jersey , the Vikings faced a tough 4th-and-16 predicament from their own 15-yard line with 7:33 on the game clock.The PlayWith Minnesota punter Matt Wile back deep to punt, Green Bay’s Geronimo Allison surged through the middle of the line and blocked the kick. The ball fluttered straight up in the air and into the hands of Josh Jackson at the goal line. The Packers’ rookie came down with the ball in the end zone for the touchdown despite swipes from Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson to strip the ball. It was the first touchdown of Jackson’s young career as the Packers gained the early lead.For Green Bay, it was the first blocked punt return for a touchdown since 2012, a deflection by Davon House against Jacksonville that saw Dezman Moses reach the end zone.The ImpactThe blocked punt helped the Packers draw first blood and take a 7-0 advantage in the first quarter. While one of Green Bay’s best special teams plays of the year, this moment tended to get covered up in the aftermath of a disappointing 29-29 tie. In fact, the performances from kickers on both sides of the field were among the most remembered plays of the game as each missed game-winning attempts at the end of regulation and overtime.Still, a blocked punt remains one of the more exciting plays in football for the rarity that it takes place. Although the Packers allowed a long return on the ensuing kickoff that led to a Vikings touchdown, the first score of the game was a highlight moment of Green Bay’s entire season.Voting11 APC contributors pitched in with votes for this year’s countdown, and this play popped up on six ballots, ranking as high as third. The play just squeaked past Aaron Jones’ scamper against Miami that appeared 8th on the final tally.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="354QAG">Editor’s note: this article inaccurately described the Vikings’ first game of the 2018 season as a loss to New Orleans. It has been changed to reflect the error.