Green Bay Packers First-Round Draft Grades

Some pundits loved the Green Bay Packers' first-round haul of Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt. Others? Not so much.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Draft grades are as useless as an umbrella during a hurricane. But you like them – you wouldn’t have clicked on the link otherwise, right? So, here’s what the NFL punditry had to say about the Green Bay Packers using their first-round picks on linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt.

Notably, the Packers emerged from Thursday’s festivities without addressing their highest-profile need. The Packers traded All-Pro Davante Adams but didn’t take a receiver in the first round.

“I think there’s some really good receivers left in this draft and we’ll kind of see how it plays out,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Thursday night. “We have nine picks left, so we’ve got a lot of ammunition. Whether we stick and pick or move around, we’ll kind of see how that goes. But I don't feel we have to do that. I like our football team. I think I’ve spoken on that before. We’d like to add players at every position and the receiver position is no different. But I don’t feel like I have to. So, we’ll kind of see how it unfolds tomorrow and on Saturday.”

The grades are all over the map, ranging from A to D-plus, which shows how fickle and imprecise grading a draft is before the player has even put on his new helmet.

Kevin Hanson, Sports Illustrated

Hanson gave the Packers a C for Walker and a B for Wyatt. Of Wyatt, Hanson wrote: “Instead of forcing a wide receiver here, the Packers get a disruptive interior defensive lineman. Georgia had lots of “freaks” on defense and Wyatt was the team’s “biggest freak,” according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s 2021 preseason list. He showed off his elite quickness and athleticism by running a 4.77 40-yard dash at 304 pounds at the combine. Wyatt is a well-rounded prospect who is stout against the run and more developed as a pass rusher than teammate Jordan Davis. He is my 22nd-ranked prospect.”

Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report

Sobleski gave the Packers a D for Walker and a C-plus for Wyatt. As part of his lengthy summations on each player, Sobleski said of Walker: “The run on wide receivers earlier in the draft likely affected the Green Bay Packers’ approach with the 22nd overall selection. Or, the Packers see the depth of the position class and know a quality receiving threat can be found later. … Walker played in a similar system at Georgia, which will help with his insertion into the Packers lineup. However, the Packers had their choice of linebackers. Walker is physically talented with significant growth potential. But he was far from the best linebacker in this class. He wasn’t even the best linebacker on the Bulldogs defense.”

Rob Rang, Fox Sports

Rang gave the Packers a B-minus for Walker and an A for Wyatt. On Wyatt, Rang wrote: It is interesting that Wyatt ended up in Green Bay — or perhaps frightening for opponents — as when watching him at Georgia and the Senior Bowl, I had flashbacks to Jarran Reed, who signed with the Packers in free agency, and longtime Green Bay standout Kenny Clark. Stout at the point of attack and a developing pass rusher with quick hands and some slipperiness to him, Wyatt gives the Packers a terrific rotation inside.”

Danny Kelly, The Ringer

Kelly gave the Packers a B for Walker and a B-plus for Wyatt. As part of the summation on Wyatt, Kelly wrote, “Adding Wyatt … gives the Packers a chance to field one of the deepest and most talented defensive fronts in the league. I would have preferred the Packers address their paper-thin receiver corps, but this front office simply takes too much pleasure in antagonizing its back-to-back MVP-winning QB.”

Sheil Kapadia, The Athletic

Kapadia gave the Packers a B for Walker and a C-minus for Wyatt. Of Wyatt, Kapadia had three concerns. “One, he had just five sacks in 49 career games. Two, he was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors in February 2020 after an altercation with a woman at her apartment. The chargers were ultimately dropped. And three, he’s already 24 years old. When the Packers traded away Davante Adams, they seemed like a lock to draft a wide receiver in the first round. But that didn’t happen.”

USA Today

The writers gave the Packers a C for Walker and a D-plus for Wyatt. “Wow. They actually did it. The Packers had two first-round picks, [never] traded up, and didn’t take a receiver. Hmm, okay. We all make choices. And in lieu of a receiver, Wyatt is an interesting choice. I don’t hate what he brings to the table — a high motor, a high level of activity, a great two-gap run defender — it’s just that I don’t think there’s going to be any more. Wyatt doesn’t do anything special and isn’t particularly gifted as an athlete in any manner. He’s a rotational defensive lineman, which is fine? While a good player, you can find these guys anywhere in the draft. I don’t get it. “

The 33rd Team

The 33rd Team, started by former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum, analyzed the picks but didn’t grade. Of Wyatt, the author wrote, “Wyatt is an explosive athlete who had the most production among the elite Georgia defensive linemen in this draft class. While his advanced age (24 years old) gives him a lower ceiling than some of his peers in this class, his floor is high and he has the best bend of any defensive lineman in the class in our eyes. He was the top defensive lineman in the class on our board and was ranked No. 29 overall.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Reuter gave the Packers an A. As part of his analysis, Reuter wrote, “My grade reflects the value of the players selected, who will both be outstanding additions to the defense. If the team had traded up into the top 12 to pick one of the top receivers, it would have cost a significant price -- as evidenced by the Lions' swap with the Vikings on Thursday night. So, it was smart of Green Bay to hang tight and get the best value possible. If they don't land one of the top receivers in the draft on Day 2, though, it's going to be tough for Packers fans to swallow.”

Eric Edholm, Yahoo

Edholm gave the Packers a B-minus for Walker and a C-plus for Wyatt. On Walker, Edholm wrote: “Packers fans will be angered by a linebacker here, but Walker is a giant, stalking, athletically blessed future green-dot player whose instincts remain underdeveloped. In time, he could be a monster, and the Packers have had a long-term vision with almost all their first-round picks under GM Brian Gutekunst.”

Ryan Gosling, Pro Football Network

Gosling gave the Packers a C for Walker and a C-plus for Wyatt. Of Walker, he wrote, “It was a long shot ahead of the draft, but the Green Bay Packers made it a reality by selecting Quay Walker as the top linebacker off the board. Walker is a dynamic athlete, tipping the scales at nearly 6’4” and 241 pounds and hitting just above 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. His style of play is that of a versatile athlete, as he can drop in space and stuff run fits all the same.”

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Iyer gave the Packers a D for Walker and an A for Wyatt. Let’s go for negativity and check out his summation of Walker: “This is another questionable first-rounder for the Packers, who were a bit handcuffed by the major wide receiver run in the top 18 picks. They did need some inside linebacker pop next to De’Vondre Campbell, but they reached big-time for Walker when more dynamic college teammate Nakobe Dean and better overall prospect Devin Lloyd were still available. They also could have “won” by pivoting to the strength at edge rusher, led by Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson. Walker can turn out to be a pretty good player, but he could have been had deep into Day 2. Brian Gutekunst nearly matches the Jordan Love pick with this one.”

Pro Football Focus

Anthony Treash did PFF’s analysis on Green Bay’s picks. The Walker pick was judged as “poor.” “This was a reach in the eyes of PFF, who had Walker as the 45th-ranked player overall on the Big Board and LB4. The Georgia off-ball linebacker isn’t a downhill player in the run game, and he was still more of a reactor than a playmaker. On the bright side, he does have an elite physical profile. Walker is so good at wrapping defenders up with his near 80-inch wingspan. Throughout his collegiate career, Walker missed just seven tackles on 138 attempts.”

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

Prisco didn’t grade the picks but did come up with a list of winners and losers. A loser? Aaron Rodgers. “For the 20th year in a row, the Green Bay Packers did not draft a wide receiver in the first round. This was especially shocking since Green Bay held two first-round picks! To the Packers' credit, six wide receivers were drafted with the first 18 picks, so the front office probably would have had to reach on a guy they didn't have a first-round grade on.” Prisco went on to note Rodgers’ comments on The Pat McAfee Show.

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