The Green Bay Packers added draft capital right before the trade deadline last season, sending cornerback Rasul Douglas and a fifth-round to the Buffalo Bills for a third round. Now, it was time to collect the results of the long-term view. And with the 88th overall pick, in the third round, the team took what NFL Network’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks is the best running back of the class, MarShawn Lloyd, from USC.
The value is fine, as Lloyd is exactly the 88th player on the consensus big board.
#Packers select USC RB MarShawn Lloyd, with the 88th overall pick in the #NFLDraft
— A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) April 27, 2024
Lloyd undoubtedly has the skill to carve out an NFL role, but his lack of strength will keep him off multiple teams' draft boards. He likely won't be used as a true blocker in the backfield or on special teams, which means the team drafting him will solely be looking to develop him as a true RB. Some teams won't have that type of patience with him unless he is still available late on day three.
MarShawn Lloyd was drafted in round 3 pick 88 in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 8.62 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 264 out of 1903 RB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/KPpbVUIKGf pic.twitter.com/EgCmTnXD98
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2024
Floor Comp: Not able to land on a 53-man roster
While Lloyd is certainly talented enough, the lack of options for roles he can logically fill at the next level will make his training camp experience even harder than the typical rookie's. Unless he is taken inside the first three rounds, a roster spot won't be given to him just so he can develop. And his lack of special teams or blocking upside could hurt him more than people realize.
Ceiling Comp: A more consistent D'Andre Swift
When I watch Lloyd change directions and make defenders miss, I see a lot of Philadelphia Eagles RB DeAndrew Swift. I think Lloyd has the upside to be more consistent than Swift, and hopefully he can avoid the injury bug that Swift has seen in the early part of his career.
Running back is such a volatile and unpredictable position that it makes sense to keep adding. In addition to signing Josh Jacobs in free agency, Green Bay brought back AJ Dillon and Emanuel Wilson, so it was not a huge draft need.
Nonetheless, Jacobs is stylistically more similar to Dillon than exactly an Aaron Jones' replacement. That stresses how important it was to find a faster, quicker runner to exploit outside the tackles opportunities. Additionally, Dillon and Wilson are short-term options at this point, so it's a valid choice to add a player under a cheap four-year contract to pair with Jacobs for the future.
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