B-
Green Bay Packers
Grand theft in the 219th pick: the Packers steal Bywater and grade out a B-.
by JB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Ben Bywater had no business being available in pick No. 219, and the Packers did the only sane thing and turned in the card.
The cost of the Gilbert reach is exactly the players who went right after him. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a ballhawk on the outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Fair-plus on Leonard Taylor III, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
Patrick Paul in the 51st pick is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Brenden Rice in pick No. 83; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
They went early on Braelon Allen in the 92nd overall pick, and the value did not follow. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Cam Hart at Round 4, Pick 19 squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Kamal Hadden at pick 135 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Gabe Hall in slot 197 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, Bryce Foster went about where he belonged in the Round 6 slot. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Ben Bywater at pick 219 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Arik Gilbert at the 240th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.