Way-too-early Green Bay Packers 2024 NFL Draft preview

The 2024 NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit. Here is the first-round order, per Tankathon. 

The Green Bay Packers surpassed expectations in 2023 and can make another leap with a strong offseason. The draft has been the franchise's bread and butter recently, and with 11 picks this April, including five in the top 100, they could do some serious damage. 

2023 record: 9-8 | First-round pick: No. 25 | Team needs: S, CB, OL

Potential first-round picks: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa; Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon; Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington 

With a boatload of draft picks to play with and general manager Brian Gutekunst's wheeling and dealing nature, moving out of the No. 25 slot isn't out of the question. However, regardless of what the Packers do, they will likely look to improve the secondary, with holes at cornerback and safety. 

For some time, the most popular player mocked to the Packers has been DeJean, and for good reason. As Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com put it, the versatile DeJean "just feels like a Packers player," and the former Iowa standout can conveniently play cornerback and safety. A Swiss-army knife coming from a pro-style defense in college, the consensus All-American brings speed and top-notch coverage skills that would be hard for Green Bay to pass up. 

The Packers could also opt for an upgrade along the interior of the offensive line with uncertainty at several positions, including center and guard. 

The 6-foot-3, 328-pound Powers-Johnson fits the bill, having anchored the Oregon line at center in 2023 while also playing roughly 500 combined snaps at right tackle and guard over three collegiate seasons. Last year, he finished as the highest-graded center (83.4) and sixth-best among offensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus and would immediately offer depth and stability down the line. 

Another option to start at center, guard or even tackle is the 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu. Athletic and tough, Fautanu started at left tackle for Washington and could be quarterback Jordan Love's future blind-side protector, especially with David Bakhtiari's future still up and in the air. An All-American, Fautanu allowed only two sacks over 766 snaps for the Huskies in 2023.