Let’s get the obvious take out of the way: draft grades are worthless for at least three years (I’d say even as long as five). Trying to figure out if any team, the Packers or otherwise, did well on draft weekend while we’re less than a week removed from draft weekend is pointless.
That said, I think there are still some things we can say about process. There’s a reason certain teams tend to do well in the draft and certain teams tend to do poorly.
Does your team tend to consistently and aggressively trade up? Are they consistently drafting outside established successful player archetypes? Are they trying to make players with obvious flaws work because of certain other interesting attributes (a great 40 time, a particularly strong throwing arm)? Chances are they’ll be striking out more often than not. Look turnover at the GM spot in the near future.
But if your team consistently collects surplus value, nails the traits that have historically worked well at certain positions, and doesn’t chase shiny objects, there’s a good chance they’ll pick winners pretty frequently. The draft is an inexact science at best, though, so there’s no guarantee that sort of process will work. But it’s a lot better than the alternative.
In that kind of context, grades make some kind of sense. You just rarely get that kind of nuance from the quick-take national media, especially when they don’t necessarily have the time or interest in really understanding the context of why teams make the moves that they do.
With that in mind, the best bet might be waiting three years to grade anything, after all.
Dane Brugler ranks Packers 2026 draft class 26th out 32 NFL teams | Packers Wire
The Beastmaster says the low ranking is primarily due to pick volume; he had good things to say about most of the Packers’ picks.
Packers’ Defensive Draft Picks are Rookie of Year Long Shots | Sports Illustrated
Packers use draft, free agency to bulk up defensive line for new scheme | Packers News
The Packers’ defensive line looks to be in a much better place than it was at the start of last season.
Why the Packers traded up for a kicker and what it means for Brandon McManus | The Athletic ($)
It should mean McManus is about to be on the outside looking in, but he’s led a pretty charmed life so far.
Can the Rams’ Ty Simpson, Matthew Stafford approach work? | ESPN
People will point to Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love as evidence that this approach can work, but I think both Love and Rodgers were significantly better prospects than Simpson.