National offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia of BYU (55) during the 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl. - Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The 2023-24 NFL football season is officially over and it’s time to focus our attention on free agency and the NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers were 3-6 at the midway point of the season and they looked anything like a playoff team. But they went 6-2 in the second half of the season to finish just behind the Lions in the NFC North
And to put icing on the cake, the Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 at AT&T Stadium in the NFC Wild Card Game. Following that, the Packers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Super Bowl runners up, the San Francisco 49ers.
Jordan Love to the Rescue
Offensively, quarterback Jordan Love and a new corps of young receivers lit up the sky around Lambeau. After he returned from a hamstring injury, Aaron Jones went back to being his usual two-dimensional threat. And the Packers defensive front wreaked havoc on NFL quarterbacks and running backs all season long.
Green Bay will to look to build on that momentum from this past season and their draft haul will be a big part of that buildup. Fortunately for the team, they are in possession of 11 draft picks in the 2024 Draft, including two second round picks and two third round picks.
Green Bay Packers 2024 NFL Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 25 Overall
Pick Acquired from Jets for Aaron Rodgers
Round 2: No. 41 Overall (From Jets)
Round 2: No. 58 Overall
Round 3: No. 88 Overall
-Pick Acquired from Bills for Rasul Douglas
Round 3: No. 91 Overall (From Bills)
Round 4: No. 126 Overall
Compensatory Picks*
Round 5: No. 166 Overall (Compensatory-Allen Lazard)*
Round 6: No. 203 Overall
Round 6: No. 215 Overall (Compensatory-Jarran Reed)*
Round 7: No. 242 Overall
Round 7: No. 250 Overall (Compensatory-Dean Lowry)*
*Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that lost more free agents than it acquired the previous year. The picks are awarded based on a formula that considers salary, playing time, and postseason honors. Teams cannot acquire more than four compensatory picks per year.
Green Bay Packers 2024 NFL Draft Needs
Despite their success last season, the Packers need a lot of help on defense. They could potentially lose all of their top safeties in free agency. Only second year player Anthony Johnson is under contract for next season. The Packers will not resign linebacker De’Vondre Campbell due to cap purposes. And the Packers are switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base defensive formation under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, so additional personnel will be needed to fill the ranks.
There is a good chance that free agent running back AJ Dillion will be leaving the team. That coupled with an aging Jones and this position suddenly is in need of an upgrade. It’s likely that left tackle David Bakhtiari will be a cap casualty and the Packers lack depth at their interior offensive line positions. Additions will be made to this unit to help protect Love.
Finally, Green Bay’s cornerback situation last year was a mess. Rasul Douglas was traded to Buffalo. Injuries kept Eric Stokes out of the lineup too often. And Jaire Alexander had his worst season as a pro. Look for the Packers to upgrade this position both through free agency and through the draft.
Mock Draft
Round 2 Pick No. 33 Overall: Kingsley Suamataia-OT, BYU (From Trade with Panthers)
Round 2 Pick No. 41 Overall: T.J Tampa-CB, Iowa State
Round 2 Pick No. 58 Overall: Cedric Gray-LB, North Carolina
Round 2 Pick No. 65 Overall: Calen Bullock-S, USC (From Trade with Panthers)
Round 3 Pick No. 88 Overall: Braelon Allen-RB, Wisconsin
Packers Add Depth
Round 4 Pick No. 104 Overall: Austin Booker-Edge, Kansas (From Trade with Cardinals)
Round 4 Pick No. 126 Overall: Layden Robinson-OG, Texas A&M
Round 4 Pick No. 136 Overall: Malik Mustapha-S, Wake Forest (From Trade with Cardinals)
Round 5 Pick No. 167 Overall: Curtis Jacobs-LB, Penn State
Round 6 Pick No. 215 Overall: Austin Reed-QB, Western Kentucky
Round 7 Pick No. 242 Overall: Evan Anderson-DT, FAU
Mock Draft Analysis
Under this draft scenario, the Packers would have addressed all of their most pressing needs and also added depth at several positions. They acquired their deep safety, Calen Bullock from USC and added a strong role player in Mustapha. With Cedric Gray, they drafted a great sideline to sideline linebacker.
They found Dillon’s replacement in-state with Wisconsin’s Allen. And they brought on board their future blindside tackle with the addition of BYU’s Suamataia. Finally, their cornerback room is a lot stronger with the addition of T.J. Tampa. He is a big corner with excellent speed.
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