B+
Green Bay Packers
Grand theft in pick No. 243: the Packers steal Washington and grade out a B+.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
Somebody in Round 7, Pick 23 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Packers sat still while Tahj Washington, the No. 187 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Reaching for Holker left real value on the table behind him. The Gray pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at quarterback.
That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
They took Kris Jenkins at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Edgerrin Cooper slid further than he should have, and No. 62 is lovely value for the linebacker. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They paid sticker price for Mike Sainristil in the 72nd overall pick, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, Dominick Puni went about where he belonged in pick No. 85. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy little value on Blake Corum in slot 88, a step better than break-even. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at pick 91 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending Round 4, Pick 15 on Cedric Gray with quarterback unsolved.
A straight-up fair deal on Beaux Limmer at the 119th pick, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Ben Sinnott in Round 4, Pick 20 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Dallin Holker this early at pick No. 126. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Malik Mustapha in slot 161 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They liked Khristian Boyd enough to skip the value, taking him in the 169th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Kamal Hadden was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jaylan Ford in pick 203 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Logan Lee in No. 212 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
Good price on Caedan Wallace in the 219th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 236 with a little surplus value in Trevin Wallace. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Tahj Washington in pick 243 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Daijahn Anthony is a better player than the 245th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jalen Sundell at pick No. 255 is the proof. The roster fit checks out.
Jordan Whittington in the 256th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It fills a real need, too.
They jumped the gun on Trey Taylor, taking him earlier than his grade liked. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.