GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team needed a true nose tackle to anchor the defensive line in the new 3-4 alignment.

In the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday night, Gutekunst took a proactive approach by trading up seven spots in the third round to select Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan.

McClellan is a good player, let there be no doubt about that. After two seasons as a reserve at Florida, he transferred to Missouri for his final two seasons. He had 2.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for losses among 39 tackles in 2024, then had a tremendous final season with six sacks and eight tackles for losses among 48 tackles in 2025.

The question, which obviously will be unanswerable for at least a couple years, is whether Gutekunst picked the right player.

Iowa State’s Domonique Orange – the aptly named “Big Citrus” – is a 6-foot-2 3/8, 322-pound run stopper.…