A few top picks barely got on the field, but others became indispensable pieces of the roster.
The Green Bay Packers’ 2024 draft class had a bit of a bizarre trajectory as a whole in its first NFL season. The Packers made 11 picks last April, with 9 of those players making the 53-man roster. However, the contributions of those 9 players were all over the map, ranging from being in the discussion for Defensive Rookie of the Year to basically being a non-factor all season long.
The player representing the high end of the spectrum is linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, whom the Packers selected 45th overall. Cooper became one of the team’s brightest spots and biggest playmakers on defense by the end of the season, and he looks like a building block for that unit moving forward. On the opposite end you have running back MarShawn Lloyd, whose rookie year was limited to just one game and six carries thanks to hamstring injuries and a burst appendix.
The class also covers the middle of the bell curve as well. Second-round safety/slot Javon Bullard started nearly every game, but he went through some significant growing pains. Fourth-round safety Evan Williams looks like a potential long-term starter, but dealt with injury issues for stretches. Top pick Jordan Morgan rotated in on the offensive line early, but only ended up playing in six games due to injuries of his own. And the other four players barely got on the field at all, though they were at least active and available for most of the season.
The Packers would surely love to get move of an impact from this entire class in 2025 as they go through their first full NFL offseason, but they also will need to hit on some picks in the upcoming draft as well.
‘Freakish’ rookie year hasn’t diminished RB MarShawn Lloyd’s outlook | Packers.com
It was a truly bizarre first year in the NFL for Lloyd, but he sounds optimistic about the future and is looking forward to getting some real snaps in 2025.
Rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper was PFF’s ‘secret superstar’ for Packers in 2024 | Packers Wire
Cooper was no secret for Packers fans, and he may well end up second in the voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Will Packers’ No. 23 pick in draft turn out like these players did? | Packersnews.com
The parallels between 2010 and 2025 keep coming. The last time the Packers picked 23rd was when they selected Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, who started at right tackle in Super Bowl XLV.
Pro Football Focus Suggests Packers Sign This Free Agent | SI.com
I won’t make you click — the name is Khalil Mack.
Should the NFL change its playoff format? Six potential options – ESPN
Is there a problem with the format or are these just solutions in search of a problem? The one thing that makes some sense to me is tweaking the seeding to ensure that teams with sub-.500 records don’t host a playoff game.
Woman says she got a side of marijuana with her chicken fries at Burger King | WIFR
This makes sense, since you’d have to be high to tolerate the awful song in the fast food chain’s commercials.