Packers Awarded Three Compensatory Picks for 2024 NFL Draft
GREEN BAY, Wis – While NFL free agency starts in earnest on Monday, the lifeblood of the Green Bay Packers remains the NFL Draft. On Friday, the Packers, as expected, were awarded three free-agent compensatory draft picks.
They received picks 168, 219, and 255 – one pick in each of the last three rounds for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
The fifth-round pick was a result of Allen Lazard signing a four-year, $44 million deal in New York to play with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.
Usually, a contract of that size would net a higher selection than a fifth-round pick, since the main driver of compensatory picks is annual salary. However, playing time is a big part of the puzzle, too. Lazard was a healthy inactive for one game and played in less than 50 percent of the snaps in two others.
A key player in Green Bay, Lazard's absence may have been missed early in the season as the Packers' offense was trying to find its way, but his production was mostly replaced by Dontayvion Wicks, who was a fifth-round pick a season ago.
Defensive tackle Jarran Reed had some nice moments during his only season in Green Bay before returning to Seattle following the 2022 season. His two-year, $9 million deal helped the Packers earn a sixth-round pick.
Reed's departure gave way to more snaps for Devonte Wyatt, and rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks had key roles, too.
Wyatt had some nice moments and was second on the defensive line with 48 pressures behind only Kenny Clark’s 60. Brooks, in particular, was a pleasant surprise from last year's draft class, when Gutekunst drafted him in the sixth round.
Defensive tackle Dean Lowry's departure to Minnesota resulted in the Packers getting a seventh-round pick.
Lowry had a knack for making big plays, but was largely invisible during his final season in Green Bay, which led the Packers to continue their youth movement across the team.
Green Bay's most impactful seventh-round pick from a season ago was Carrington Valentine, who started most of the season after the team traded Rasul Douglas to Buffalo for a third-round pick before the NFL's trade deadline.
They used their seventh-round compensatory pick on Charlotte wide receiver Grant Dubose.
Ultimately, the news of three more picks gives Gutekunst three more swings at acquiring impact players, or more ammo to move around if he chooses to go that route.
That also gives him the total of 11 picks he told Green Bay media he was expecting to have at the NFL Combine.
The next step is figuring out how Gutekunst will use those picks.
"That also gives us a little bit of flexibility, whether it’s moving around within the draft or if there’s players out there, veteran players, that are available, that could be a possibility as well,” Gutekunst said during his media availability.
Since compensatory picks began being awarded in 1994, the Packers have received 52. Only Baltimore (56) and Dallas (54) have more.
Josh Sitton, Davon House, Mike Daniels, Aaron Jones and Zach Tom were some of Green Bay’s best compensatory picks.
