Packers Get Steals of the Draft

Michael Pratt - Steal of the Draft?

The 2024 NFL Draft has come to its conclusion and most experts agree that the Packers draft process has been a resounding success. The 2023 season revealed that the team found its star QB for years to come in Jordan Love, but also showed that the Green Bay Packers are a team to be reckoned with. This year's draft might be just enough to put the Packers over the top as a serious Super Bowl contender. 

As NFL analyst Andy Herman pointed out, Green Bay selected Mel Kiper's #1 safety, Daniel Jeremiah's #1 RB, the consensus #1 LB, Daniel Brugler's #1 long-snapper and #2 guard. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst certainly seems to have worked his magic this year because such a draft is simply unheard of. Gutekunst, an expert in utilizing every pick to his advantage, dominated the draft in '23, with picks like Lukas Van Ness, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Karl Brooks, and Carington Valentine. 2024 was no different for the Packers GM, who has come a long way from being Aaron Rodgers' primary target on the Pat McAfee show to one of the NFL's most respected executives. This year, Gutekunst pulled off the impossible once again, silencing all critics by selecting the draft's two biggest steals in round 7. 

STEAL #1 - Round 7: Pick 245 - Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane 

Packers new QB Michael Pratt

The Packers have found a hidden gem in Michael Pratt. The Tulane QB has the measurables at 6'3" and 219 pounds, but he's much more than that. Pratt is the most decorated QB in Tulane history and already has an impressive victory over the Chicago Bears' new QB1 Caleb Williams, having bested the overall #1 pick in the 2023 Cotton Bowl. 

Pratt has the moxie and confidence required to be a successful NFL QB. While many fret nervously watching the draft in their living room, Pratt was actually swimming when he received the call from the Green Bay Packers.

The only player to get the call in a pool! 🤣@Mpratt_ is a Green Bay Packer! #NFLWave | @packers pic.twitter.com/1Y5LP9uA3u

— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) April 28, 2024

Pratt is tough. Having overcome major tragedies in his life, including the death of his best friend and high school teammate, Bryce Gowdy. Pratt wears the #7 for Gowdy, but also plays for him. In honor of his fallen friend, Pratt has the #7 tattooed to his arm. Gowdy's death wouldn't be the last tragedy in Pratt's life.

Pratt lost his older brother David, who passed away in his sleep after a bout with the flu. The new Packers QB stepped up to be a father figure for to brother's newborn daughter. Despite the hand he was dealt, Pratt never gave up, using the tragedies to fuel him to be a better person instead. 

Despite these setbacks, Pratt broke the Tulane all-time passing record with an astounding 9,603 passing yards. In 2023, he was first team All-American Athletic Conference and won AAC Offensive Player of the years. 

While there are some questions about Pratt's speed and some of his decision making that certainly hurt his draft stock, it didn't slow him down in college, where he proved to be a leader, a competitor, and an excellent quarterback who did whatever it took to win football games. NFL coaching should bring out the very best in him, a player who already has the confidence to endure and succeed. 

Pratt draws comparisons to another QB, who went under the radar in the 2012 NFL Draft: Kirk Cousins. While the Packers know that Pratt has the ability to serve as Jordan Love's backup, they also know that they have a hidden gem ala Matt Hasselbeck. As they coach Pratt up to be all that he can be as an NFL passer, the team looks to simultaneously maximize his trade value. While Pratt may have fallen to the 7th round of this year's draft, he certainly landed on his feet in an ideal situation with the Packers, a team that has proven an uncanny ability to groom star quarterbacks. 

Steal # 2 - Round 7: Pick 255 - Kalen King, CB, Penn State

New Packers CB Kalen King

There was a time that Kalen King was projected to be a first-round pick. King came into the 2023 season predicted to be the #1 corner off the board, ahead of Terrion Arnold, Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Quinyon Mitchell. 

Unfortunately for King, his draft stock fell after a subpar Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, but talent can't be ignored. King shines on tape, proving that he can be an elite NFL corner. While other teams have judged him based on his Senior Bowl and NFL Combine performances alone, the Green Bay Packers looked at King for his ability to be a game-changing corner. 

King is an elite cover-man, who never gets rattled. Instead, receivers seem to break whenever covered by King, who enjoys physicality. He doesn't only cover, King enjoys hitting and pursues ball carriers with the old-school ferocity of a Nittany Lion. As a teenager in 2022, King received a 90.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, placing him 4th in the nation among cornerbacks. 

Like Michael Pratt, the 21-year-old lands in an ideal situation with the Green Bay Packers. He can learn from the likes of elite corner Jaire Alexander, as well as fellow youngsters Carington Vallentine and Corey Ballentine, before climbing his way up the depth chart for a team who made secondary help a priority in this year's draft. Even with all the talent Green Bay now possesses in the secondary, it wouldn't be surprising to see King opposite Jaire as CB2 before the season's end. That's good news for the Packers and good news for King, who grew up idolizing another Packers legend in Charles Woodson. 

After being drafted, King promised that the Packers would be getting one of the toughest guys in the country. After slipping to the 7th round, King also promised that he would play with a forever chip on his shoulder and if you don't believe that, just listen to what NFL Pro Bowl CB Sauce Gardner has to say about King, "Y'all sleeping on Kalen King."

Y'all sleepin' on Kalen King😶

— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) April 27, 2024

 

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