Morning Buzz: Packers GM Brian Gutekunst laying his foundation

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.

We’ll start with Pete Dougherty’s latest column, which looks at the importance of Brian Gutekunst’s first drafts as he builds his version of the Packers roster.

From Pete:

Think what you will of former GM Ted Thompson’s reign, there’s no denying his early drafts were outstanding. That includes his first, in 2005, when he picked Aaron Rodgers in the first round and Nick Collins in the second. The former changed the course of the franchise, the latter became an All-Pro safety. That’s what you call a fast start for a GM.

It’s on Gutekunst to try to match Thompson’s early drafts, because they likely will set the Packers’ course for the rest of Rodgers’ career and determine whether the new GM’s tenure is long or short.

Sure, there’s always the chance a big trade or free-agent signing could end up being Gutekunst’s defining move. But the NFL is a draft-and-develop league, and Gutekunst has espoused that philosophy, so the draft probably will prove decisive one way or the other. That’s usually the case, because if you don’t draft well early you’re probably out of work quickly.

This will be Gutekunst’s first time running an NFL draft, and no matter how hard he has prepared, he probably can’t fully appreciate what it’s like until he sits in the captain’s chair. But new or not, he needs to quickly rebuild the Packers’ roster and find a badly needed playmaker or two while Rodgers is still in top form.

The NFL released the preseason matchups late Wednesday afternoon:

Our latest mock draft roundup has a distinctly defensive flavor:

Clay Matthews and Davante Adams will take over the annual charity softball game:

Brett Favre is on the Today Show this morning talking about concussions:

Lots of NFL players use marijuana, according to a recently retired one:

I chatted with readers late Wednesday afternoon:

Elsewhere, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix appears to be keeping up with the team’s Twitter account:

Ben Fennell has an idea where you’ll be able to find Josh Jones next season:

Rob Demovsky looks at what the Packers hope is a bigger, stronger Ty Montgomery:

Dave Dameshek is feeling some remorse:

Vince Biegel spoke with Jason Wilde about his frustrating rookie season:

Good stuff here from Justis Mosqueda on the latest ACME Packing Company podcast:

Packers Wire is tracking all the team’s pre-draft visits:

One of the prospects seems to have had a great meeting with the Packers:

Tramon Williams is getting his work in:

Mike Daniels is enjoying the offseason:

The Tailgate Tour rolls on:

Here’s some Throwback Thursday for you: