B-
Green Bay Packers
Smith-Wade should have been long gone. The Packers pounced, and earned a B-.
by jj3325 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 6 reaches
The board owed the Packers one, and it paid up: Chau Smith-Wade, the No. 168 name on the board, sitting there at the 216th overall pick like a gift left on the doorstep. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
Reaching for Wright left real value on the table behind him. They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They will answer for taking safety early while quarterback, wide receiver and other spots went begging.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
A reach for Chop Robinson in pick No. 25; a little patience would have been rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jackson Powers-Johnson at the 41st pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kris Jenkins at pick 57 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tykee Smith in the Round 3 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A minor itch, scratched.
A surprising call. With quarterback, wide receiver and other spots still to address, they spent slot 91 on Jaden Hicks, a safety they were not short of.
Value said wait; Jaylen Wright in No. 126 says they were not listening. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Kris Abrams-Draine at the 168th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a linebacker like Ty'Ron Hopper reach Round 6, Pick 28 and blink. They did not. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Chau Smith-Wade in the Round 6 slot, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Fair-plus on Darius Muasau, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Walter Rouse at the 251st overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.