B-
Green Bay Packers
The Packers worked the phones like thieves and earned a B-.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 24 picks
· 6 steals
· 9 reaches
You can hear the double-takes from here. The Packers took Jack Westover at the 256th overall pick, roughly 64 spots before his name belonged. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They banked enough surplus on Bishop to cover a lot of smaller sins.
The Packers indulged a want in Gray while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
Edgerrin Cooper at the 50th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They took T.J. Tampa at par in pick No. 53, which is nothing to complain about. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in the 58th pick: Kris Jenkins for less than the market said. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They let DJ James come to them and pounced at No. 66. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jaylen Wright in slot 71 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Renardo Green slipping to pick 88 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Christian Mahogany at slot 90 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose linebacker. Cedric Gray in Round 3, Pick 28 leaves interior defensive lineman for later.
The board had cheaper options than Javon Foster at the Round 4 slot, and it noticed. A need, and now a little less of one.
They talked themselves into Ben Sinnott at the 110th overall pick, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman to take Cole Bishop, a safety that was not the priority.
They paid sticker price for Jarrian Jones in pick 138, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A real head-scratcher, Hunter Nourzad in pick No. 140 is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Joe Milton III at No. 162 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They jumped the gun on Khristian Boyd, taking him earlier than his grade liked. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jordan Travis in the 175th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cornelius Johnson. The roster fit checks out.
Jase McClellan in the Round 6 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Trente Jones in Round 6, Pick 27, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good price on Nathaniel Watson in pick No. 219, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A straight-up fair deal on Jordan Whittington at No. 245, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Daijahn Anthony at the 255th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jack Westover in the Round 7 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Trey Taylor in Round 7, Pick 39 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Stacking talent where they were already deep.