B-
Green Bay Packers
The Packers let Nwankpa fall and pounced. Final grade: B-.
by emc2feld ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it larceny. Xavier Nwankpa sat on the board until the Round 4 slot, and the Packers did not need to be asked twice. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
A whole weekend of picks and cornerback is somehow still a want. If Grimes pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Good work on the whole, with cornerback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a disruptive interior force, outstanding value to boot.
A reach on Tate Ratledge in pick 51; the board had better options right there. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jay Higgins. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Xavier Nwankpa at pick No. 115 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Jasheen Davis at No. 147, value and slot in agreement. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Tony Grimes in the 179th overall pick, more than the board wanted. It fits a board better than it fits this team.
Jordan Burch at Round 7, Pick 19 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.