F
Green Bay Packers
The Packers reached for Jefferson and never recovered. Grade: F.
by Ave ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 34 picks
· 9 steals
· 3 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Packers did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
The Jefferson pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Baker. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
Graham Barton slipping to the 37th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Tyler Nubin in Round 2, Pick 9, and that is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
Darius Robinson in No. 53 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Edgerrin Cooper in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Christian Haynes. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They read the board right and DJ James was the payoff at pick 66. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A slide stopped in the 69th pick, with Payton Wilson worth more than the price. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They took Max Melton at par in pick No. 71, which is nothing to complain about. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board had Calen Bullock higher than No. 91, and the safety fell to them anyway. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Fair-plus on Trey Benson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They did well to land Dominick Puni in slot 94, just ahead of his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
Khyree Jackson in pick No. 96 is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Christian Mahogany at the Round 3 slot, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
Gabriel Murphy at the 100th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Zak Zinter went about where he belonged in Round 4, Pick 1. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Braelon Allen in pick 103; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
By-the-book stuff, Leonard Taylor III at slot 104 squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Javon Baker in the 113th pick, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
McKinnley Jackson at the 124th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
James Williams at No. 125 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Isaac Guerendo in pick 126 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Sataoa Laumea in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ben Sinnott at pick No. 131 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Roger Rosengarten in Round 4, Pick 32 is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No drama and no debate, Isaiah Adams went about where he belonged in pick No. 134. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They went early on Tommy Eichenberg in the 137th pick, and the value did not follow. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Johnny Wilson is a better player than No. 138 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
Michael Pratt at pick 139 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Trevor Keegan in the 140th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Value said wait; Jordan Jefferson in Round 5, Pick 19 says they were not listening. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Kitan Oladapo graded well above the range. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They talked themselves into Fabien Lovett at slot 164, and the board did not agree. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Marist Liufau in the 171st pick. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They took Layden Robinson at par in Round 5, Pick 36, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.