Green Bay needs more draft capital after trading for Micah Parsons and Darian Kinnard, so that would be a positive outcome.
NThe Green Bay Packers will have all the draft capital they can get after trading two first-round picks for Micah Parsons and a 2027 sixth-round pick for Darian Kinnard. Well, at least the NFC North rivals Minnesota Vikings may help them.
Eric Wilson may qualify as a compensatory free agent for the Packers
Right after free agency, the Packers were not projected to receive any compensatory draft picks. Even though the team lost defensive tackle TJ Slaton and cornerback Eric Stokes in free agency, the signings of guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs canceled those picks.
The Jets teardown is complete and they are now LOADED with draft capitalThe Jets teardown is complete and they are now LOADED with draft capital
However, a new situation is emerging and could help the Packers. Unexpectedly, former Packers linebacker Eric Wilson has become a defensive starter for the Vikings, and number of snaps is part of the compensatory pick formula.
Wilson signed a one-year $2.6 million contract with Minnesota in March after three years in Green Bay. He wasn’t projected to generate a comp pick as a special teamer, but so far he has played 82.77% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps this season.
That combination of salary and snaps changes the calculus. Right now, Over The Cap projects the Packers to receive a seventh-round draft pick, the antepenultimate pick of the draft — the Chicago Bears would have the right to select Mr. Irrelevant.
That being said, those are all projections. While Over The Cap’s Nick Korte does an amazing job projecting those picks, the NFL only officially announces them weeks before the draft in April. And Wilson’s snaps through the rest of the season will matter.
He started his career with the Vikings between 2017 and 2020. Then, he spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints. Back in 2022, the Packers signed Wilson off the Saints’ practice squad, and he became an impactful special teamer and depth linebacker. This year, though, he decided to return to Minnesota after his deal expired.
After all, losing a veteran could be helpful for the Packers — and even though a seventh-round pick might not mean much, general manager Brian Gutekunst has drafted some useful players there, like cornerback Carrington Valentine and left tackle Rasheed Walker.
