B
Green Bay Packers
Larceny in slot 126 lands the Packers a B, James and all.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 7 steals
· 5 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how DJ James got past him. The Packers do not have to explain a thing at pick 126. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
Every board in the league had Leary lower, and that gap is the story. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
A premium they did not need to pay, Junior Colson a notch or two before his time. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jaylen Wright at pick 84 is the proof. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaden Hicks at pick No. 88 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Beaux Limmer well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Roger Rosengarten, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They robbed the room for Khyree Jackson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A cornerback of that caliber at Round 4, Pick 26 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dallin Holker in No. 169 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The roster fit checks out.
Ty'Ron Hopper at Round 6, Pick 30 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Somehow Trente Jones was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. It fills a real need, too.
Steal is underselling it; Fabien Lovett at slot 245 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Trey Taylor in pick 249 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Devin Leary in the 255th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.