D
Green Bay Packers
The Packers got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 34 picks
· 5 steals
· 13 reaches
You can hear the double-takes from here. The Packers took Jack Westover at the 257th pick, roughly 64 spots before his name belonged.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. That McCaffrey pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 31st overall pick they get a press-man option on the boundary at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Brian Thomas Jr. at the 42nd pick. The roster fit checks out.
Payton Wilson in slot 58 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They paid sticker price for Kingsley Suamataia in pick No. 59, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No edge and no loss on Jaylen Wright in No. 66; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Patrick Paul at Round 3, Pick 20 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
Mike Sainristil slipping to slot 85 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A clean, defensible pick in the 90th overall pick with a little surplus value in Jaden Hicks. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Beaux Limmer in the 91st pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A straight-up fair deal on Zak Zinter at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Cedric Gray in pick 110 is fair value, right on his grade. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They took Spencer Rattler at par in No. 111, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid up for Jarrian Jones at Round 4, Pick 23 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached a country mile for Dallin Holker at pick No. 126, and the board is aghast. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached into another round for Hunter Nourzad, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It fills a real need, too.
The board had cheaper options than Khristian Boyd at the 160th overall pick, and it noticed. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Malik Mustapha at No. 164 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Luke McCaffrey at slot 169 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Joe Milton III this early at Round 6, Pick 6. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Trente Jones at the Round 6 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jase McClellan at pick No. 188 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Keith Randolph Jr. in pick 201 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Jaylan Ford at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
No drama and no debate, Drake Nugent went about where he belonged in pick 205. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A quiet steal in No. 219: Jared Wiley for less than the market said. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Trevin Wallace at slot 226 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Fair-plus on Edefuan Ulofoshio, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Trey Taylor at Round 7, Pick 25 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jordan Whittington. A need, and now a little less of one.
Good price on Jalen Sundell in pick No. 249, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Sam Hartman at the 253rd pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Evan Anderson well ahead of where he belonged. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Carlton Johnson at No. 256 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Jack Westover at pick No. 257, well ahead of any board in the building. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.