Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Green Bay Packers rebuild did not take long, thanks to a couple of strong draft classes. Many believe that with another strong class, this team could be a sleeper Super Bowl contender. However, there were a few positions where they were looking thin. As they always do, the Packers went away from the consensus in their picks. Did they improve their team enough to take down the Lions in the division?
Green Bay Packers 2024 NFL Draft Class
Draft picks
- Arizona OT Jordan Morgan (No. 25 overall)
- Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper (No. 45)
- Georgia DB Javon Bullard (No. 58)
- USC RB MarShawn Lloyd (No. 88)
- Missouri LB Ty’Ron Hopper (No. 91)
- Oregon DB Evan Williams (No. 111)
- Duke C Jacob Monk (No. 163)
- Oregon State DB Kitan Oladapo (No. 169)
- Georgia State OT Travis Glover (No. 202)
- Tulane QB Michael Pratt (No. 245)
- Penn State DB Kalen King (No. 255)
The Green Bay Packers had two clear plans for the draft: get depth at the safety position and the offensive line position. Seven out of the eleven picks were either defensive backs or offensive linemen. GM Brian Gutekunst is playing the numbers game. He doesn’t need all of them to hit, he just needs one.
Best Pick Of The Class: DB Javon Bullard
The second round has been where the Green Bay Packers excel historically. Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Christian Watson, Luke Musgrave, and Jayden Reed were all second-round picks. Bullard might be the first defensive player to join this list of players. During his time at Georgia, he showed his versatility and ability to play the nickel spot.
New DC Jeff Hafley has been adamant this unit will be aggressive in 2024. It would seem the safeties might be creeping down in the box more often than not, and Bullard fits the scheme perfectly.
Most Questionable Pick In The Draft: LB Ty’Ron Hopper
Every other pick the Green Bay Packers made seems like a good value. This one felt like a reach. Hopper is a solid player and fills an area of need for the Packers. Going into the draft, it was Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie. With the additions of Hopper and Edgerrin Cooper, the unit looks more solid.
With that said, Hopper projects to be more of a special teams player. While these are vital to any team, spending a top-100 pick on a special teams player doesn’t seem like a smart idea. Rich Bisaccia is the special teams coordinator/assistant head coach, and this seems to be his influence showing.
Most Interesting Pick: RB MarShawn Lloyd
This one was a toss up between Lloyd and DB Kalen King. However, what Lloyd does on the Green Bay Packers will be fascinating to me. AJ Dillon by no means has the RB2 spot locked up and Lloyd definitely has some great tape. He also has some very bad tape. The USC running back is a roller coaster of emotions for teams. It is either something amazing or something so head-scratching it could end up with him on the bench.
This is yet another solid draft for the Green Bay Packers. They didn’t make any extremely exciting picks. Gutekunst stuck to his board and drafted well. Many of these players will start week 1, and the trend of getting younger will continue.
Green Bay Packers Draft Grade: B
