F
Green Bay Packers
The Packers overdrafted Hutchings and paid the price. Grade: F.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 48 picks
· 10 steals
· 17 reaches
Nobody else had Jaylon Hutchings anywhere near pick No. 243. The Packers did, by 110 spots, and that gap is the whole story. The board sounded every alarm, and the F is the fallout.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring. Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
There is no spinning it; the board won this weekend going away.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 26 they get a sticky cover corner, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 28 they get a ballhawk on the outside at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Amarius Mims at the Round 2 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nothing to complain about; Edgerrin Cooper went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Junior Colson at the 54th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Christian Haynes. It fills a real need, too.
Fair-plus on Jaden Hicks, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Devontez Walker at Round 3, Pick 26 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They jumped the gun on DeWayne Carter, taking him earlier than his grade liked. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Braelon Allen at No. 105 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ben Sinnott at pick No. 110 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Mohamed Kamara at the Round 4 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No edge and no loss on Isaac Guerendo in the 126th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Roger Rosengarten went about where he belonged in slot 128. The roster fit checks out.
Jarrian Jones slipping to the 144th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Dallin Holker at pick No. 145 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They took Kitan Oladapo at par in slot 146, which is nothing to complain about. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
The board had cheaper options than Hunter Nourzad at the 147th pick, and it noticed. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Malik Mustapha at No. 150, and the board is aghast. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A big swing on Brandon Coleman at Round 5, Pick 18, well ahead of any board in the building. A need, and now a little less of one.
A quiet steal in the Round 5 slot: Mason McCormick for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tanor Bortolini well ahead of where he belonged. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. slid further than he should have, and pick No. 161 is lovely value for the wide receiver. A need, and now a little less of one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jordan Travis a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached into another round for Joe Milton III, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A straight-up fair deal on Braiden McGregor at the 168th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Dwight McGlothern at pick 169 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
AJ Barner in the Round 5 slot is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Fabien Lovett at No. 171 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A tidy little value on Kamal Hadden in the 172nd pick, a step better than break-even. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tip Reiman in No. 175 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Jordan Jefferson in the 181st pick, and that is fine. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No edge and no loss on Cornelius Johnson in the 189th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Trente Jones in slot 200 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They went early on Nathaniel Watson in Round 6, Pick 27, and the value did not follow. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste at pick 203 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jaylan Ford in pick No. 207 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Value with a capital V on Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in the Round 6 slot, a genuine coup. It fills a real need, too.
Drake Nugent at Round 6, Pick 44 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reach for Trevin Wallace in the 220th pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Trey Taylor this early at the Round 7 slot. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Jordan Magee in No. 226 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A wild overpay on Sam Hartman in pick No. 239, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, Jaylon Hutchings in slot 243 is miles ahead of his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
Edefuan Ulofoshio is a better player than pick 245 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They paid sticker price for Kimani Vidal in the 246th overall pick, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Omar Brown in slot 253 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A slide stopped in pick No. 255, with Jalen Sundell worth more than the price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.