B-
Green Bay Packers
The Packers let Simpson fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 8 steals
· 6 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Packers watched Jaylin Simpson slide 34 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
The Wilson pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at wide receiver. If Milton III pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped wide receiver, which is a strange place to end up.
On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but wide receiver.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 25 they get an anchor for the offensive line, outstanding value to boot.
Edgerrin Cooper at slot 50 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick 58 on Payton Wilson with wide receiver unsolved.
Renardo Green at Round 3, Pick 25 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
DeWayne Carter at the Round 4 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Beaux Limmer in the 110th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They jumped the gun on Isaac Guerendo, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Ben Sinnott at par in pick No. 126, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jarrian Jones at the 161st overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Kitan Oladapo in No. 169 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick 171 is the definition of value, full stop. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid up for Tanor Bortolini at slot 172 when waiting would have done the job. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Joe Milton III at the Round 6 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in the 202nd pick, where Trente Jones graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
Cedric Johnson at pick No. 210 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They did well to land Nathaniel Watson in Round 6, Pick 44, just ahead of his grade. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Rasheen Ali in No. 225 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid a round early for Trey Taylor in Round 7, Pick 25, more than the board wanted. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
No drama and no debate, Sam Hartman went about where he belonged in pick No. 253. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
You do not let a cornerback like Daijahn Anthony reach pick 255 and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.