B+
Green Bay Packers
Grand theft in slot 256: the Packers steal Hadden and grade out a B+.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 8 steals
· 7 reaches
Somebody in pick No. 256 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Packers sat still while Kamal Hadden, the No. 167 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.
The cost of the Weaver reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
Taking Olumuyiwa Fashanu in slot 41 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Payton Wilson in the 58th pick, and that is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Jaylen Wright at par in pick 72, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A conviction pick on Jaden Hicks at the 77th overall pick that the board grades a round light. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Beaux Limmer at No. 88 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Khyree Jackson at Round 3, Pick 28 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Cam Hart higher than pick No. 111, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A quiet steal in the Round 4 slot: Christian Mahogany for less than the market said. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay Brenden Rice at the 126th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Dallin Holker in pick No. 135 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No drama and no debate, Hunter Nourzad went about where he belonged in the 154th pick. It fills a real need, too.
Jordan Travis at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Joe Milton III well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They let Fabien Lovett come to them and pounced at slot 196. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Nathaniel Watson in pick 202; the board had better options right there. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They barely believed it either: Trente Jones still on the board at Round 6, Pick 44. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Trey Taylor in No. 245 is miles ahead of his ranking. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Somehow Frank Gore Jr. was still sitting there in the 255th overall pick, and they pounced on premier running back value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Kamal Hadden at Round 7, Pick 36 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on J.J. Weaver at the 257th pick, well ahead of any board in the building. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.