10 PROSPECTS THE PACKERS WILL REGRET PASSING ON IN THE 2024 NFL DRAFT

The 2024 NFL Draft was a pretty resounding success for the Green Bay Packers, but you always have to take a glance at what could have been shortly after the draft's conclusion. Thankfully, nobody really cares anymore after these guys all get out there on the field. Nobody's ever looking back on the NFL Draft and complaining about players the Packers could have taken instead of the guys they actually drafted.

Right?

All kidding aside, before the revisionist history and "hindsight is always 20/20" takes start pouring in just a few months from now, what players did the Packers potentially make a mistake by passing on in this draft?

Given the fact that Green Bay came into this draft with 11 selections overall, the number of players they missed out on is actually pretty high. We won't know for sure until they get out on the field and play, but here are some names GM Brian Gutekunst might be kicking himself over missing.

1. Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa

The most frequently picked player to the Green Bay Packers in mock draft scenarios had to be Iowa's Cooper DeJean. DeJean is athletic (which we know the Packers love), he's versatile (which we know the Packers love), and Green Bay literally just took a player from Iowa in the first round last year (Lukas Van Ness), so they've undoubtedly done advanced scouting on DeJean well before now.

You can tell the Packers missed out on DeJean and were poised to select him based on the fact that when the Eagles jumped them at pick #40 overall, Green Bay immediately traded a few spots back to select Edgerrin Cooper. The question is -- why did the Packers not just trade up a couple of spots to secure DeJean for themselves before the Eagles could make it happen?

2. Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

I will argue that the Packers got jumped not once but twice for two of the top defensive backs in this entire class. Green Bay was jumped by the Detroit Lions with the 24th overall pick where they selected Alabama's Terrion Arnold, perhaps the best overall cornerback in this class.

Given the lack of availability we've seen the last two years from Eric Stokes (12 games since 2022, only three last year), the cornerback position was something everyone expected to be addressed. It wasn't. Not until the seventh round, anyway.

The Packers missed out on Arnold and could have jumped a couple of spots -- maybe even just the one spot -- to get him.

3. Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

The Packers passed on a chance to snag Kool-Aid McKinstry not once but twice in this draft. Kool-Aid wasn't a no-brainer first-round player in this class, but Green Bay could have taken him at pick #25 overall and they opted against it. They could have taken him again at pick #41 overall but passed on him yet again, instead trading that pick to the New Orleans Saints so they could take McKinstry themselves.

Clearly, McKinstry was not a priority player on the board for the Packers, but only time will tell if not taking him was the right decision.

4. Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota

There's no question that Tyler Nubin doesn't meet the athletic minimums the Green Bay Packers have in place, but you still can't help but wonder if they just missed out on a really good ball player because of that.

The Packers love to bet on traits, and there's nothing wrong with that, but how do you justify passing on a guy who has three straight years of elite ball production at the college level, including 12 interceptions over the last three seasons and three forced fumbles?

The New York Giants -- the team that lost Xavier McKinney to the Packers this offseason -- ended up taking Nubin just two picks after the Packers took Edgerrin Cooper. We'll see whether his ability to play the safety position or his athletic traits mattered more over the course of his career.

5. Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State

I'm still scratching my head over this one. You can't fault the Packers because they did use two top-100 selections on the linebacker position (Edgerrin Cooper, Ty'Ron Hopper) but Wilson might be a better overall player than both of them.

There was some potential first-round talk regarding Wilson if it weren't for his age (24 this season) and injury history, which are certainly part of the equation. But Wilson was compared by former Panthers star Luke Kuechly as a "faster version" of himself.

Are the Packers going to be kicking themselves for not taking this guy? They had five chances to get him, and left him on the board. The Pittsburgh Steelers took him 98th overall. Maybe the Packers should have taken the plunge at pick #91.

6. Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College

Maybe the Packers didn't expect Jones to come off the board as early as he did, but when he was picked 90th overall by Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals, I'd be willing to bet there was some upset groaning going on in the Packers' war room.

Elijah Jones was a perfect fit for the Packers in this draft class because he's been playing in Jeff Hafley's defense for the last four years at Boston College. He's got good size, he's athletic, and he makes plays on the ball. He knows all the terminology and verbiage, and perhaps most importantly -- he knows all of the positions within the scheme (outside, nickel, dime).

It's a shame the Packers didn't find a way to get this guy to Green Bay.

7. Cole Bishop, S, Utah

We know how much the Green Bay Packers have loved Georgia Bulldogs under general manager Brian Gutekunst, so maybe we shouldn't have been as surprised by the Javon Bullard pick as we were.

And by we, I of course mean me. Maybe you weren't surprised at all.

Bullard has solid, not other-worldly athletic traits at the safety position. He's on the smaller side, however, which is why I felt the Packers would prioritize someone like Cole Bishop to pair with Xavier McKinney on the back end. Bishop went just two picks after Bullard to the Buffalo Bills and has better metrics in just about every category.

But the Packers love them 'Dawgs.

8. Jarrian Jones, CB, Florida State

The Green Bay Packers clearly had interest in Florida State's Jarrian Jones, bringing him into town for a top-30 visit. Those visits can be a sign of serious interest or a sign of having serious question marks about a player, and perhaps for the Packers and Jones, it was the latter.

Still, you can't help but look back at this draft class as a whole and feel like the Packers whiffed on adding literally anyone at cornerback. Maybe they thought guys would be available on Day 3, but there was definitely a run on defensive backs over the course of Day 2 and the Packers were left out, save for Javon Bullard.

Did they make the right call?

9. Devontez Walker, WR, North Carolina

You don't want to split too many hairs over the direction a team went on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. It's hard to fault the Packers for just going after whoever was the best on their board at positions of need, but one of the deepest groups of players in this draft was at wide receiver.

With 11 picks, the Packers would surely come away with one guy, right?

Wrong. The Packers passed on receivers altogether, including Devontez Walker in the fourth round. Walker has big-time downfield ability and could have been a nice value there on the early portion of Day 3, but the Packers passed and went with Evan Williams for more safety depth.

10. TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa State

Another player who was frequently connected to the Packers in mock draft situations leading up to this draft was Iowa State cornerback TJ Tampa.

He's got size, athleticism, and toughness at the position, and for whatever reason, he was free-falling into Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. It was the Baltimore Ravens who ended his free-fall with the 30th pick of the fourth round.

This is a guy who could have been justified at pick #41 overall based on his talent level and positional value. There are always interesting things that come out after the draft about some teams failing guys medically, but nothing like that has been reported with TJ Tampa. The Packers left him and his one touchdown allowed on over 900 snaps on the board.

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This article was originally published on lombardiave.com as 10 prospects the Packers will regret passing on in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2024-05-05T10:13:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd