Some picks age like wine; KJ Jefferson at the 186th pick will need to, sitting 102 spots clear of his grade. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D is the result.
Mondon Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
Cam Ward gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. They will answer for taking safety early while cornerback and tight end went begging.
For all the activity, cornerback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and cornerback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.4
· Pick 4
· Cam Ward
· QB
· rank 8
No drama and no debate, Cam Ward went about where he belonged in the 4th pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R1.12
· Pick 12
· Abdul Carter
· DE-EDGE
· rank 7
Abdul Carter at the Round 1 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A minor itch, scratched.
R2.1
· Pick 33
· Marcus Mbow
· OT
· rank 58
Marcus Mbow at pick 33 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R2.6
· Pick 38
· Donovan Jackson
· OT
· rank 84
A real head-scratcher, Donovan Jackson in pick No. 38 is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 16
They barely believed it either: Nick Emmanwori still on the board at the 44th overall pick. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Jayden Higgins
· WR
· rank 75
Value said wait; Jayden Higgins in slot 57 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Xavier Watts
· S
· rank 48
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Xavier Watts adds a safety and leaves cornerback and tight end untouched.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Deone Walker
· DT
· rank 69
A reasonable price with a little left over, Deone Walker in the 76th overall pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.30
· Pick 94
· Tez Johnson
· WR
· rank 93
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tez Johnson. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.1
· Pick 102
· TreVeyon Henderson
· RB
· rank 60
The board fumbled TreVeyon Henderson all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
R4.3
· Pick 104
· Jihaad Campbell
· LB
· rank 38
You do not let a linebacker like Jihaad Campbell reach pick No. 104 and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R4.8
· Pick 109
· Savion Williams
· WR
· rank 108
Savion Williams at No. 109 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R4.11
· Pick 112
· Emery Jones Jr.
· OT
· rank 170
Emery Jones Jr. at the 112th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 85
Danny Stutsman in pick 148 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 110
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in No. 168, and they pounced on premier running back value. A need, and now a little less of one.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Shemar Turner
· DL
· rank 163
A clean, defensible pick in slot 170 with a little surplus value in Shemar Turner. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Smael Mondon Jr.
· LB
· rank 99
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Smael Mondon Jr. in pick 173, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.11
· Pick 186
· KJ Jefferson
· QB
· rank 288
KJ Jefferson in the Round 6 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Raheim Sanders
· RB
· rank 143
They will replay Raheim Sanders at the 209th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
R7.32
· Pick 248
· Paris Shand
· DE
· rank 293
A big swing on Paris Shand at pick No. 248, well ahead of any board in the building. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
