The fallout of the NFL Draft is almost as intriguing as the draft itself. The Green Bay Packers have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball with tons of youth, but tons of talent. After adding 11 rookie draft picks to the roster, which incumbent Packers players are feeling the heat a little bit?
There are some players who may be feeling the heat in terms of their starting job, their roster spot, or perhaps the picks the Packers didn't make have turned up the heat on certain players a little bit.
Which players are on the hot seat for the Packers after the 2024 NFL Draft?
1. Eric Stokes, CB
There's absolutely no question that former first-round pick Eric Stokes is on the hot seat for the Green Bay Packers in 2024. Stokes has appeared in just 12 games over the last two seasons, and although he had a strong rookie year in 2021, the Packers decided to decline his fifth-year option for 2025.
Now, after the Packers passed on cornerbacks until the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Stokes is slated to become a free agent next offseason. It's a great opportunity for him to go out and prove himself, but the Packers are really not left with the greatest of options at the outside cornerback position.
Especially because Jaire Alexander has also missed time in recent years (played just seven games last year, four games in 2021), the decision to pass on corners until the seventh round was odd by Packers GM Brian Gutekunst.
The pressure is on Stokes to not only perform, but stay on the field.
2. AJ Dillon, RB
It always felt like the Green Bay Packers bringing back AJ Dillon was a "break in case of emergency" kind of thing more than anything else. The Packers used a very rare contract exception to bring Dillon back into the fold, and hey -- if you're GM Brian Gutekunst, why would you not exhaust any and all options to bring back someone you drafted in the second round if at all possible?
From Green Bay's standpoint, it made sense to bring Dillon back at the right price, but he's going to be under a lot more pressure now that the team has added third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd to the mix. Green Bay selected Lloyd with the 88th overall pick, and given that investment, you certainly get the impression that they're going to want him to play substantial snaps behind Josh Jacobs as quickly as possible. The Packers also like Emanuel Wilson, who could compete with Dillon for the RB3 job.
3. Royce Newman, OL
The Royce Newman experience could soon be coming to an end. The Packers showed during last season that they don't really trust Newman out there anymore, and his play may no longer even warrant a roster spot in Green Bay.
The Packers spent three draft picks on offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft -- first-round pick Jordan Morgan, fifth-round pick Jacob Monk, and sixth-round pick Travis Glover -- and clearly have reloaded at both tackle and on the interior offensive line.
Entering a contract year, Newman is going to have to outplay a bunch of hungry young players in training camp even just to keep his roster spot.
4. Christian Watson, WR
Despite having 11 picks to work with, the Green Bay Packers didn't use a single selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on the wide receiver position. We've gotten so used to seeing Brian Gutekunst throw darts at that position, so it came as a bit of a shock to see an entire draft go by without one.
Especially in a class this deep at the position...
But now that the Packers have passed on receivers, the pressure is squarely on Christian Watson to prove in his third NFL season that he's more than capable as a primary option in the passing game. He's struggled to stay healthy through his first two NFL seasons, and the consistency hasn't been there, but it makes his production all the more intriguing. He has more receiving touchdowns (12) than any other player to come into the league since 2022. With Green Bay passing on receivers, Watson needs to prove he can be the WR1 this offense has been lacking on a consistent basis.
5. Javon Bullard, S
Alright, we're putting the rookie on the hot seat. Javon Bullard isn't going to be in danger of being cut or anything (obviously), but the Packers tripled up at the safety position in the 2024 NFL Draft. They took Bullard in the second round before adding Evan Williams and Kitan Oladapo in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively.
You expect Bullard with his draft status to come in and start next to Xavier McKinney immediately, but he's going to have to earn that spot. Maybe the Packers won't approach that competition with as open of a mind as I may be anticipating, but if one of Williams or Oladapo plays really well from the start, Bullard might not be a no-brainer in the starting lineup.
He's going to have to fend off some of his 2024 classmates.