F
Green Bay Packers
A weekend the Packers spent fighting the board, and losing. F.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 49 picks
· 11 steals
· 26 reaches
The Devin Culp selection is the head-turner. The Packers reached 48 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The Jacobs pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 26th pick they get a bendy edge with upside at a price that makes it sweeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 27 they get a wrecking ball inside, outstanding value to boot.
In No. 28 they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 30 they get a building block for the line. A clean fit for the roster.
Junior Colson in Round 2, Pick 21 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Devontez Walker. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They did well to land Jaden Hicks in the 88th pick, just ahead of his grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A conviction pick on Christian Mahogany at the Round 3 slot that the board grades a round light. A need, and now a little less of one.
Mike Sainristil slipping to Round 3, Pick 28 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Braelon Allen in slot 104; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cedric Gray in the 105th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Beaux Limmer at pick No. 110 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They jumped the gun on Ben Sinnott, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They went early on Johnny Wilson in No. 116, and the value did not follow. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Isaac Guerendo at slot 120 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Mohamed Kamara in the Round 4 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 4, Pick 26 with a little surplus value in Javon Foster. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Roger Rosengarten at pick 127 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
Jarrian Jones at the 131st pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid a round early for Tommy Eichenberg in No. 133, more than the board wanted. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A reach on Dallin Holker in pick No. 136; the board had better options right there. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They liked Luke McCaffrey enough to skip the value, taking him in the 138th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Kitan Oladapo in the 140th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
The board had cheaper options than Hunter Nourzad at the 145th pick, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jordan Travis in pick 147 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Christian Jones in pick No. 153 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Malik Mustapha at slot 154 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Joe Milton III well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nice patience on Jacob Cowing, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A premium they did not need to pay, Khristian Boyd a notch or two before his time. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid a round early for Tanor Bortolini in Round 5, Pick 33, more than the board wanted. A need, and now a little less of one.
Kamal Hadden slid further than he should have, and the 181st overall pick is lovely value for the cornerback. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Jordan Jefferson at No. 186 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They took Trente Jones at par in pick No. 188, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jaylan Ford in pick 189 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
The board had Fabien Lovett higher than the 196th pick, and the interior defensive lineman fell to them anyway. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the Round 6 slot, with Cornelius Johnson worth more than the price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Trevin Wallace. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Caedan Wallace in the 210th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. The roster fit checks out.
Edefuan Ulofoshio at pick No. 218 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A wild overpay on Trey Taylor in the 219th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Sam Hartman at the Round 7 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Curtis Jacobs in pick 228, plain and simple. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They let JD Bertrand come to them and pounced at slot 236. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Daijahn Anthony in Round 7, Pick 25 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Jalen Sundell in No. 247, and that is fine. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid up for Ryan Watts at Round 7, Pick 30 when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Omar Brown in pick No. 253, miles early. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Value said wait; Devin Culp in the 255th pick says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.