Picking the perfect Round 6 draft targets for the Packers after the 2024 NFL Combine
It’s not easy to find productive players in the sixth round, but Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has had a solid track record doing so. He has taken Jon Runyan, Isaiah McDuffie, and Karl Brooks there, for instance. So, it’s fair to expect useful pieces late on day 3. To make this exercise […]
It’s not easy to find productive players in the sixth round, but Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has had a solid track record doing so. He has taken Jon Runyan, Isaiah McDuffie, and Karl Brooks there, for instance. So, it’s fair to expect useful pieces late on day 3.
To make this exercise of analyzing who is the perfect target for each pick, we used The Athletic’s Consensus Big Board to the top 100, and the NFL Mock Draft Database for later picks.
The Packers will most likely have two sixth-rounders. The first one is the original selection, and the team is also expected to receive a compensatory sixth-rounder for losing defensive tackle Jarran Reed in free agency last year.
Pick 204 – CB Jarrian Jones, Florida State (146th)
When we initially made this exercise, Jarrian Jones was 206th on the consensus big board, and that's why he's here. After the Combine, he jumped to 146th — so he's better suited now to be a fifth-round pick at the latest. But still, if he's available in the sixth, Green Bay should run to select him.
The Packers need a slot corner, and Jarrian Jones can absolutely be that piece. He's a solid tackler, has quickness to cover inside, and positional flexibility.
During the NFL Combine, he also showed how athletic he is, putting up elite numbers in terms of explosion and speed, even though he didn't make the agility tests.
Green Bay has had problems finding an inside corner for some time. In 2022, they tried to move Rasul Douglas to the slot, with Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes outside, but Douglas didn’t fit what they needed. When Stokes got hurt, Douglas moved back outside, and the slot position was a combination of Darnell Savage and Keisean Nixon. Nixon was the primary option in 2023 as well.
The returner didn’t play that well in the slot, and now he’s a free agent. So the situation got even more pressing.
Plan B: RB Kendall Milton, Georgia (216th)
Pick 216 (compensatory) – RB Kimani Vidal, Troy (263rd)
While Jones moved up on the consensus board, Vidal moved down from 216th to 263rd. It's a curious trend, since he had a decent Combine.
Vidal would be a solid running back 3, with balance, power, and intelligence to exploit defensive mistakes. According to PFF, he is the highest-graded pass blocker in this class, which is perfect for the role he would have.
At running back, the Packers only have Aaron Jones under contract — plus Ellis Merriweather, who finished the season on the practice squad and signed a futures deal. Emanuel Wilson is an exclusive-rights free agent, so he’s expected to be back as well. However, with AJ Dillon (unrestricted) and Patrick Taylor (restricted) set to hit the market, the Packers might need more options.
In this exercise, we had already drafted Bucky Irving in the third round, but another late-round pick is feasible.
Plan B: S Kenny Logan Jr., Kansas (226th)
Top Packers draft targets per pick ahead of the 2024 free agency
Green Bay is projected to have 11 picks
