Wednesday Cheese Curds: Now the real work begins

Q: What is the significance of the NFL Draft for the Green Bay Packers?

The NFL Draft serves as the starting point for the Packers' preparations for the upcoming season, marking the transition from acquiring talent to developing that talent into a competitive team.

Q: Who is J. Michael Sturdivant and why is he important for the Packers?

J. Michael Sturdivant is a top undrafted free agent for the Packers, and experts believe he has the potential to make a significant impact on the team.

Q: What challenges do the Packers face after the NFL Draft?

After the NFL Draft, the Packers face the challenge of developing their new players into a cohesive unit, which is often more complex and unpredictable than simply acquiring talent.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Dani Dennis-Sutton #33 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after his second quarter sack against the Clemson Tigers during the 2025 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images For fans, the NFL Draft is the finish line. For the Packers, it’s more like the starting gun. All of the weeks and weeks (and months and months) of work the Packers’ personnel department did to put together their draft board and then execute their vision did little more than reward them with more work to do. They’ve acquired the lump of clay that they must shape into the 2026 Green Bay Packers. Now they must begin to shape it. Fortunately for the personnel guys, they get to hand off that process to the coaching staff. They get to take the baton and run now. And that might be the harder process, or at least harder to define. On draft weekend you either get your guys or you don’t, but you come out of the weekend with your picks. Shaping those players into a cohesive championship contender is much more difficult. The setbacks are much harder to anticipate, control, and account for. Development isn’t always linear. But either way, the process has started. The draft was just the beginning. The 2026 Packers are under construction. The season will be here before you know it. Okay, that last sentence is a bit of copium. But it’s April and nothing interesting is going to happen until July. What can I do? **What draft experts said about Packers top UDFA J. Michael Sturdivant | Packers Wire** I don’t know if it’s a great year for UDFAs in Green Bay, but if someone’s going to make noise, Sturdivant is a good bet. **Revisiting most impactful draft-day trade for 32 NFL teams | ESPN** Draft day trades can reap big dividends or be very dangerous. **Packers GM Brian Gutekunst was smart to hold onto his ’27 draft picks | Packers News** The Packers look like they’ll have 11 picks on the way in 2027. Draft weekend next year is going to be busy! **South Carolina Coach Knows Why Brandon Cisse Will Be Hit With Packers | Sports Illustrated** Everybody who works with Brandon Cisse seems to really like what he’s about. **Packers’ post-draft depth chart: Pressing questions at QB, RB and kicker | The Athletic ($)** There are always going to be questions, but if your biggest issues coming out of draft weekend are backup QB, running back depth, and kicker, I’d say you’re doing pretty well for yourself. **2,082 participate in Wisconsin clean-up project, break world record | UPI** Good work, Cheeseheads!