The Green Bay Packers did an excellent job of addressing needs throughout the draft. General manager Brian Gutekunst said he followed his mantra of taking the best player available, but it certainly feels like he had specific positions in mind.
Of the 11 draft picks, eight were between offensive linemen, linebackers, and safeties — the three most pressing needs before the draft.
"I think there was some temptation to do that (draft for need) along the way," Gutekunst admitted on Friday. "But I think we were really able to stay with the BPA, best player available. The board held up exceptionally well."
Right now, the Packers don't have an obvious need. For the most part, every position has enough talent to at least go through training camp, when the front office will have the opportunity to evaluate the performance of rookies and potentially ascending players.
But there are still some considerations, especially in the long term, and those are the needs on the roster after the draft.
Defensive tackle
Kenny Clark is going into the last year of his deal, and that's the main reason why interior of the defensive line is an issue. For the most part, depth is fine after the Packers drafted Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks last year.
However, the team immediately added James Ester and Rodney Matthews as undrafted free agents, an indication that the Packers understand there might be open spots to look for over the next few months.
Wide receiver
This is a questionable situation, because in terms of depth it's basically impossible to be better. The Packers have Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Bo Melton who are at least capable and productive starters. There isn't a clear wide receiver one, but the Packers seem to be comfortable with that setup.
Nonetheless, wide receiver is always a need in the current era of the NFL, because the market is crazy. AJ Brown signed an extension of $32 million per year with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Amon-Ra St. Brown got $30 million in yearly average with the Detroit Lions being a slot receiver.
Watson and Doubs have only two years left on their rookie deals, so eventually they will have to make hard decisions.
This is not a situation where the Packers can simply add a veteran, and it's probably more of a consideration for what they will look for in 2025.
Cornerback
The Packers seem fine with their cornerback group. After the draft, Brian Gutekunst praised Carrington Valentine, and Matt LaFleur said he's optimistic about Eric Stokes' health status.
If they both are fully healthy, the situation is in fact much better — even though Jaire Alexander is entering his seventh NFL season, a dangerous area for a cornerback's career trajectory.
Again, it’s more of a big picture concern. The team brought back Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, and Robert Rochell, and also drafted Kalen King in the seventh round. Therefore, in terms of depth the roster is fine.
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