B
Green Bay Packers
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Packers and Jones: B.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 2 steals
· 7 reaches
Somebody in slot 169 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Packers sat still while Elijah Jones, the No. 115 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
Reaching for Nourzad left real value on the table behind him. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped wide receiver, which is a strange place to end up. The Gray pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with wide receiver, tight end and other spots still on the board.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Javon Bullard in No. 41; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jonathon Brooks in the 53rd overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No drama and no debate, Payton Wilson went about where he belonged in slot 58. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They jumped the gun on Christian Mahogany, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The roster fit checks out.
A curious use of pick 105. Wide receiver, tight end and other spots needed the pick; a linebacker in Cedric Gray did not.
Javon Foster at the 110th pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jarrian Jones at the Round 4 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Hunter Nourzad at Round 4, Pick 26, and the board did not agree. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Elijah Jones in No. 169 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Grayson Murphy at pick 170 squarely in line with his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Khristian Boyd. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Joe Milton III in slot 202 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on Jalen Sundell at the Round 6 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for C.J. Hanson at pick No. 245, and the board is aghast. A need, and now a little less of one.
Steal is underselling it; Daijahn Anthony at the 255th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Tyrice Knight in Round 7, Pick 36, and that is fine. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Tyler Owens in Round 7, Pick 39 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.