GREEN BAY — Brian Gutekunst had made the same joyous call so many times before — 75 times, to be exact.

But this one was different.

And not simply because of what a feel-good story Barryn Sorrell is, either.

You see, one of the perks of being the Green Bay Packers general manager is that you have the honor of telling guys that their NFL dream has just come true.

So in that way, Gutekunst’s call to the Texas defensive end during the fourth round on Saturday’s NFL Draft was just like all the rest.

Except this time, his latest draft pick could barely hear him. And little did Gutekunst know why.

“There was a ton of noise going on,” he recounted with a smile Saturday evening.

When Gutekunst handed the phone off to director of football logistics Matt Klein to coordinate Sorrell’s travel itinerary for next weekend’s rookie minicamp, he overheard Sorrell say that he had to fly home first.

“No one thought to ask him, ‘Well, where are flying from?’ We just figured he was somewhere else,” Gutekunst continued. “So it was a complete shock when we saw him on TV walking down the runway.”

That’s right, what Gutekunst assumed had been a long-distance call only traveled the length of a few football fields — because Sorrell and his family had come to Green Bay for the draft to see the spectacle up close, not knowing that the host team would wind up picking him.

He’d arrived in Titletown on Wednesday, watched the first round on TV at a local hotel Thursday, and spent all of Friday in the green room waiting in vain to be picked. He even considered not bothering to come back for Day 3.

But he did.

“I don’t know how many times I’m going to say this,” he said, grinning, “but it couldn’t have turned out better.”

Inside the Packers’ draft room, meanwhile, the confusion continued as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell approached the podium to announce the selection and said, “This is a special pick, and not just because it’s the Packers. This young man is here today, so we want to introduce him, so give him a good round of applause …”

Wait … what?

“To be honest with you,” head coach Matt LaFleur admitted afterward, “I thought (the commissioner) was going to announce somebody to announce the pick for him.”

Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson thought the same thing —until Goodell began, “With the 124th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft …” and Sorrell emerged on stage.

“It kind of encapsulates what happens in the draft room sometimes, where you exist in this bubble throughout the whole draft process,” Hendrickson confessed. “We did not know he was here. That wasn’t the reason we picked him.

“Some things are just meant to be.”

Indeed, they are.

As the only prospect in attendance on Saturday, Sorrell got to take the long, emotional, nationally-televised walk from the Resch Expo center green room — where he and his family had had the place to themselves — and onto the stage, where Goodell shared a lengthy, emotional embrace.

Then, he basked in the assembled Packers fans’ adulation, just like his Longhorns teammate, wide receiver Matthew Golden, had experienced when he was the Packers’ first-round pick on Thursday night.

“Man, just an unreal feeling. I really don’t have any words to describe it. It’s definitely going to be one of the best memories I’ve had in my life,” said Sorrell, who then made his way through the crowd, interacting with fans and leading a “Go Pack Go!” chant before making his way to the stadium and doing his first Lambeau Leap into the stands.

“I could feel the fans’ energy. And I’m just ready to reciprocate that on game day. I’m ready to come here and make that type of impact.”

Said Gutekunst: “What a cool moment that was, just to watch that. It’s not shocking at all for those of us who scouted him (because) he is as genuine and as good of a person (as there is). One of the reasons we drafted him was for a lot of the stuff you guys got to see.

“When you put the time in like he has, particularly, and overcome some of the things he’s overcome, you understand why that emotion’s coming out. Which was cool to see.”

Once inside the building, though, another emotion overtook Sorrell: Gratitude. As he introduced his family to reporters — including his parents, Barry Sr. and Saylaina, and older brother, Avery — he broke down in tears.

“I’m just happy that I get to share this opportunity with them because they deserve it,” Sorrell said, pausing multiple times to gather himself. “I’m just thankful to have them as my parents and I’m thankful that they’re here. They sacrificed a lot for me to be here.”

Sorrell is more than just a heartwarming story, though. A three-year starter at Texas, he is expected to bolster a Packers pass rush that struggled to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks during an otherwise impressive first season in defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s system.

At Texas, Sorrell registered 132 tackles (including 25.5 for loss), 15.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hurries — including a career-high six sacks, 12 QB hurries and 11 TFLs as a senior last year.

“I think my best is still in front of me,” Sorrell said.

After the pick, LaFleur texted Golden to let him know he’d be seeing a familiar face in Green Bay. LaFleur said Golden was “ecstatic” that LaFleur’s text had interrupted his workout with such great news.

“He’s a big-time culture guy,” LaFleur said of Sorrell. “We had a couple guys from Texas come through here (before the draft), and we always ask these guys, ‘Who are the best practice players?’ Or, ‘If you’re going to a team, who are you bringing with you?’

“They consistently, unanimously always pointed to him. I think that speaks volumes to not only the type of player he is, but the type of teammate, type of person, type of competitor he is. And you can never have enough of those guys.”

In the end, of course, what matters most is that Sorrell delivers on his vast NFL potential. But given what fuels him, it seems unwise to bet against him.

“I play for something that’s bigger than just football and more to me — and that really just starts with my family,” Sorrell said. “I lost my oldest brother (Barry Jr.) when I was 16, and at that time, I had to make a decision in my life. And I made the decision to give football everything that I’ve got. That’s what’s gotten me here.

“I’m always going to have that passion and that hunger. And that’s honestly what makes me the player that I am.”

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