There's no shortage of optimism amongst the Green Bay Packers fan base, and rightfully so after what we saw from the team last season. The Packers have one of the top rosters in the NFL, and it's a young group with huge upside. General manager Brian Gutekunst was armed with 11 picks going into the 2024 NFL Draft and five selections in the top 100.
The Packers came into draft weekend in an enviable position, but did they make all the right decisions? Are they going to have regrets for some of the players they passed on, even as early as this season potentially?
Let's take a look at a handful of decisions Gutekunst and the rest of the Packers brain trust might come to regret after the weekend of NFL Draft festivities.
1. Not being aggressive for Cooper DeJean in Round 2
This one was a major head-scratcher to me. I was almost certain that Cooper DeJean's stellar pre-draft pro day workout would prevent the Green Bay Packers from being able to get him with the 25th overall pick because his stock would be too high.
After DeJean inexplicably fell out of the first round altogether, the conversation shifted from "there's no way they're getting him at 25" to "there's no way they're getting him at 41." And then DeJean just kept on falling...and falling.
The Philadelphia Eagles got aggressive, trading multiple second-round selections to move up to the 40th overall pick -- just one spot ahead of Green Bay -- to get DeJean. After taking Arizona's Jordan Morgan in the first round, it's hard to think of a more ideal scenario than the Packers landing DeJean with that 41st pick. Edgerrin Cooper will be a good player, but you can't help but feel like the Packers missed out on this one.
2. Not doubling up with Payton Wilson at linebacker in Round 3
The stars were aligned for the Green Bay Packers to have one of the best double-up situations in the entire 2024 NFL Draft. Just like Cooper DeJean inexplicably fell to the second round, former North Carolina State star Payton Wilson inexplicably lasted to the late portion of the third round.
In terms of his production and athletic traits, Wilson was a potential first-round player in this class. The issue is, the off-ball linebacker position is being devalued right now, Wilson is going to be an older rookie (just turned 24 on April 21), and he has an extensive injury history.
Alright, passing on him in the second round is no big deal.
But then the Packers had the chance to take him in the third round after selecting Jordan Morgan, Edgerrin Cooper, and Javon Bullard with their top three picks. With the 88th overall pick, Green Bay made the intriguing selection of MarShawn Lloyd -- not a bad pick, and not altogether surprising, but an interesting direction that early.
With the 91st overall pick, surely they would take Wilson since he'd continued to fall, right? Wrong. The Packers opted for Missouri linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper, a former Florida transfer who was a tackle for loss machine in college. Not that the Packers care about the consensus, but Hopper was projected to go somewhere on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, a fifth-round projection for some, while Wilson was predicted to go in the second-to-third-round range.
It felt like the Packers may have missed on a better value there at picks 88 and 91 overall.
3. Not taking a cornerback until Round 7
This was arguably the most interesting choice the Green Bay Packers made throughout the course of the 2024 NFL Draft.
With 11 picks, it was all but a done deal that Green Bay would be going after the cornerback position. Many mock draft scenarios had them taking a cornerback as early as the first round, even some trade-up scenarios to acquire players like Terrion Arnold or Quinyon Mitchell.
The Packers were even jumped by one spot in the first round by their division rival Detroit Lions, who sniped Terrion Arnold off the board at 24 overall. Clearly, it wasn't just the masses of fans and analysts who felt like the Packers were going to go after corners.
They could have jumped up a couple of spots for Terrion Arnold, and they didn't do it. They could have taken Nate Wiggins, and they didn't do it. They could have gone up a couple of spots for Cooper DeJean, and they didn't do it. You can fill in the blank for literally any prominent name at cornerback in the entire 2024 NFL Draft -- the Packers passed on them all.
Given the fact seeing Eric Stokes on the field is about as noteworthy as this year's solar eclipse, there was every reason for the Packers to add a prominent player at corner. But they've committed to the guys they have on the roster and they're trusting Jeff Hafley to get the best out of them.