D-
Green Bay Packers
The Packers got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D-.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 28 picks
· 5 steals
· 12 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Packers did exactly that with Mason Fairchild in Round 7, Pick 39. Too much went sideways, and the D- is the honest tally.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Anthony falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
The veteran additions, Riley Dixon chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 25th pick they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Brian Thomas Jr. slid further than he should have, and slot 41 is lovely value for the wide receiver. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Junior Colson in the 58th overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Kingsley Suamataia at pick No. 66 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Fair-plus on Christian Haynes, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson went about where he belonged in No. 88. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Khyree Jackson in the 90th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, Ray Davis in slot 91 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They went early on Cedric Gray in pick 104, and the value did not follow. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
By-the-book stuff, Beaux Limmer at No. 126 squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
Jarrian Jones at the 138th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kitan Oladapo is a better player than pick No. 162 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Hunter Nourzad in Round 5, Pick 27 lands just on the right side of the ledger. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Malik Mustapha at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They reached a country mile for Joe Milton III at No. 171, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had cheaper options than Tip Reiman at slot 172, and it noticed. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reach on Trente Jones in the Round 6 slot; the board had better options right there. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaylan Ford at pick 189 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Kendall Milton. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cornelius Johnson at the 203rd pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Tahj Washington slipping to the 204th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It fills a real need, too.
Keith Randolph Jr. at pick No. 207 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They liked Trevin Wallace enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 6 slot. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They paid a round early for Edefuan Ulofoshio in Round 7, Pick 6, more than the board wanted. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Trey Taylor in the 245th overall pick, miles early. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Daijahn Anthony in No. 255, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Evan Anderson. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Mason Fairchild at slot 257 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.