B
Green Bay Packers
Larceny in pick No. 217 lands the Packers a B, Smith and all.
by Gerald-grayhotmailcom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Ainias Smith had no business being available in the Round 6 slot, and the Packers did the only sane thing and turned in the card. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. The Stutsman pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with quarterback, tight end and other spots still on the board. Reaching for Powell-Ryland left real value on the table behind him.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. A real need, handled.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jeremiah Trotter Jr.. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
By-the-book stuff, Cooper Beebe at the 44th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nothing to complain about; Blake Corum went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A straight-up fair deal on Amarius Mims at slot 82, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They jumped the gun on James Williams, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went linebacker with Danny Stutsman while clear needs at quarterback, tight end and other spots sat open.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at pick No. 135 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Donovan Edwards in Round 5, Pick 13 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Moose Muhammad III at pick 187 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ainias Smith at slot 217 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Dwight McGlothern at the Round 6 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steal is underselling it; Jacob Cowing at pick No. 230 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It patches a soft spot without any drama.