GREEN BAY – For the third straight draft as general manager, Brian Gutekunst made a trade in the first round, and this time he drafted a quarterback.
The Packers traded their fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall) to Miami to move up four spots, from No. 30 to No. 26, to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love on Thursday night.
Love (6-4, 224) is a potential QB of the future who is known for a strong arm and a lot of ability with his feet. He's a native of Bakersfield, Calif., who took over as Utah State's starting QB in 2017, when he started six games. He had one year of college eligibility remaining but decided to enter the draft.
Love had a dynamite 2018 season for the Aggies, throwing for 32 touchdowns against just six interceptions to go with a 64% completion rate and 3,567 yards. He earned second-team All-Mountain West Conference honors and was named the conference's player of the week five times.
This past season, Love's numbers dipped a bit (62%, 3,402 yards, 20 TD, 17 INT), the glaring number being the increase in interceptions for a Utah State team that struggled. Love was honorable mention all-conference.
He finished his college career with the most 300-yard passing games in school history (12) and second-most 400-yard passing games (three). His 21-11 record as a starting QB gave him the second-most wins in school history. He ranks second all-time at Utah State in career passing yards, completions and attempts, tied for second all-time in touchdown passes, and is third in completion percentage.
Gutekunst said prior to the draft he wouldn't hesitate to take a quarterback, and he held true to that, even trading up to get one.
Click here for more on Love.
