D-
Green Bay Packers
The Packers bled value on every deal, hence the D-.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 29 picks
· 9 steals
· 8 reaches
The Packers did not so much draft Donovan Jennings as overpay for him, 46 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. The Sweat value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
The veteran additions, Jake Elliott chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
It is a steep hill from here, and the grade knows it.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get an island corner at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Junior Colson. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A quiet steal in pick 58: Edgerrin Cooper for less than the market said. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Good price on Jaden Hicks in the 66th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Kiran Amegadjie at slot 71 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.
Cooper Beebe in No. 88 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at slot 90 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No edge and no loss on Ben Sinnott in No. 104; it is a wash and a sensible one. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A reach for Mohamed Kamara in the 105th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They robbed the room for Cole Bishop here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
By-the-book stuff, Jarrian Jones at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nothing to complain about; Brenden Rice went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Isaac Guerendo at pick No. 138, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Beaux Limmer at the 141st pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kitan Oladapo at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Nice patience on Luke McCaffrey, who had no business lasting to pick No. 162. The roster fit checks out.
A tidy bit of business in the 169th pick, where Mason McCormick graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jordan Travis at No. 171 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Joe Milton III at pick 172, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They read the board right and Braiden McGregor was the payoff at Round 6, Pick 6. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jordan Jefferson in slot 186 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They went early on Cody Schrader in the 202nd overall pick, and the value did not follow. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Jaylan Ford in slot 212, and that is fine. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A premium they did not need to pay, Trey Taylor a notch or two before his time. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They paid up for Dylan McMahon at pick No. 225 when waiting would have done the job. A need, and now a little less of one.
JD Bertrand at the Round 7 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A real head-scratcher, Devin Culp in No. 240 is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Donovan Jennings in Round 7, Pick 25 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, Daijahn Anthony went about where he belonged in the 253rd overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.