D-
Green Bay Packers
Grand theft in the Round 6 slot: the Packers steal Johnson and grade out a D-.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 29 picks
· 7 steals
· 11 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Packers, and the value they bled adds up to real damage.
They are betting Nourzad proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Johnson at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. A real need, handled.
No drama and no debate, Cooper DeJean went about where he belonged in the 27th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Payton Wilson. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Marshawn Kneeland in the 88th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Mike Sainristil at slot 90 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Brenden Rice at pick 91, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nothing to complain about; Dominick Puni went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It fills a real need, too.
A reach on Zak Zinter in pick No. 94; the board had better options right there. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They took Ray Davis at par in slot 104, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Spencer Rattler in the 105th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Cedric Gray at Round 4, Pick 10 squarely in line with his ranking. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They liked Roger Rosengarten enough to skip the value, taking him in the 125th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Braelon Allen at the Round 4 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Hunter Nourzad at No. 133 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The roster fit checks out.
Johnny Wilson at the 138th pick is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They went early on Dallin Holker in pick No. 140, and the value did not follow. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A premium they did not need to pay, Kitan Oladapo a notch or two before his time. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the 147th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Malik Mustapha at slot 162 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 conviction pick on Brandon Coleman at pick 169 that the board grades a round light. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No edge and no loss on Khristian Boyd in Round 5, Pick 35; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Tommy Eichenberg in the Round 5 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Kamal Hadden at Round 6, Pick 11 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Trente Jones in the Round 6 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Cornelius Johnson at the 215th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A need, and now a little less of one.
Logan Lee at pick No. 219 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid up for Edefuan Ulofoshio at the 226th overall pick when waiting would have done the job. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
The board had cheaper options than Sam Hartman at pick 245, and it noticed. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Trey Taylor in No. 255 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.