The 2024 NFL Draft is the most important one in years for the Packers.
Most teams endure a rough rebuilding period following the departure of a franchise quarterback, but the Packers and their fans bathe in luck once again, as the team has essentially skipped this part of the process.
There’s little doubt that Jordan Love is the new face of the franchise, and the Packers have helped him to quickly succeed by surrounding him with a plethora of young offensive talent.
The Packers have swung and hit on many picks over the last couple drafts, but none may end up being as important to the foreseeable future of this team than the 2024 NFL Draft.
A Packers team that went 9-8 and won a playoff game with the youngest roster in the NFL enter the 2024 draft with 11 picks, including five in the top 100. A slew of selections wielded by a red-hot Packers’ front office means whatever few holes remain in the roster should be filled in this draft.
If Green Bay hits on even just a few players in this draft at their key positions of need, we’re suddenly looking at potentially the best looking roster in the NFC. A Super Bowl window could go from being cracked open in 2023 to the glass being kicked out of the frame in 2024 and beyond.
What positions do the Packers need to prioritize landing a hit on in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Offensive Line
This is the top position the Packers must shore up to really push their offense to an elite level. Guard, specifically, is the most glaring need on the Packers’ entire offense.
Sean Rhyan, a former third-round pick in 2022, has shown very little thus far in his career and as of now is the projected starter at right guard in 2024.
Center Josh Myers looked like a promising young player at the start of his career but has steadily declined over the last couple seasons. His worst performance yet came last year, and there isn’t much reason to think he’ll bounce back to form from years ago.
Former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker was one of the bigger surprises from 2023, playing quite well in his first extended time as a starter at tackle, especially in the second half of the season. Walker will get a chance to prove it wasn’t a fluke, as he’ll likely be a starting tackle for the Packers this season.
Zach Tom and Elgton Jenkins are the proven, All-Pro caliber players on the Packers’ line, yet both have struggled with injuries and can’t be counted on to start a full 17 games.
As we get closer to the draft, it’s seeming more and more likely that the Packers will look at offensive line with their first-round pick. Like they’ve done with receiver and cornerback in recent drafts, expect the Packers to several offensive lineman in the draft to improve the odds of at least one of them hitting.
Safety
The Packers came away with the best safety on the market a month ago in free agency when they signed Xavier McKinney to a four-year deal. It was a huge step in overhauling a position Green Bay has struggled to get right for nearly a decade. The 2024 NFL Draft could change that.
They’re far from done, however, as the safety room consists of McKinney and a few guys who will not and should not start for this team.
The safety spot next to McKinney is the single most glaring, wide-open hole on the entire roster.
Darnell Savage left for Jacksonville, Rudy Ford is still on the market, and Jonathan Owens went to Chicago. McKinney’s partner at safety is unquestionably not on the roster yet and will certainly be one of the Packers’ top picks this year.
McKinney is still only 24 years old. If the Packers hit on whoever they pair with him, the team could sport one of the better young safety duos in the NFL.
Linebacker
The new scheme that Jeff Hafley is bringing to Green Bay should (hopefully) make it so we see a lot less of Preston Smith in coverage. This leaves Quay Walker as the only reasonable option at off-ball linebacker that the Packers have.
They key word being “reasonable.” Quay Walker has shown flashes among injury-riddled, inconsistent stretches of play. He can’t be the only guy the Packers enter next season with that can fly around and support the mid level of the defense.
As it stands now, we’re set up to see a lot of Isaiah McDuffie… how about, no? McDuffie has been fairly productive when he’s seen playing time and is a useful player on special teams. He’s just not a player that should be getting a big helping of snaps week-to-week.
Cornerback
You can make the argument cornerback is just as big, if not a bigger need than linebacker.
The only thing that in my mind makes cornerback just a tad stronger of a position group is Carrington Valentine. The seventh-round rookie played exceptionally well considering his draft position. However, the Packers would need to see a huge second-year jump from Valentine to justify not addressing cornerback.
I just don’t see Keisean Nixon as a viable starting corner, even in the slot. Keep him as one of the NFL’s best return men where he belongs – and only that. The fact he is projected as the team’s starting slot corner right now is indicative of the weakness and severe lack of depth at the position.
Eric Stokes. A first-round pick in 2021, Stokes was excellent in his rookie season. Then injuries hit and his play severely declined in the nine games he started in 2022.
Last year, Stokes started two games in which he was a non-factor, playing just over half the snaps in those contests and yet still tying his career high in touchdowns allowed (3).
There is too much uncertainty surrounding this group for the Packers not to take a corner in the 2024 NFL Draft.
——————
Liam O’Donnell is a devoted Packers fan and an aspiring sportswriter from Milwaukee. He writes for PackersTalk.com and you can follow him on twitter at @liamodonnell___.
——————
