Somebody in the 223rd overall pick was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Packers sat still while Tre Harris, the No. 44 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
They will need Williams to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
The veteran additions, Tyler Linderbaum chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.23
· Pick 23
· Will Campbell
· OT
· rank 6
In the 23rd overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front at a price that makes it sweeter.
R2.23
· Pick 55
· Travis Hunter
· CB
· rank 3
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Travis Hunter in pick 55, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R3.23
· Pick 87
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 64
The board fumbled Danny Stutsman all the way to No. 87, and they scooped it up. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R4.23
· Pick 119
· Gentry Williams
· CB
· rank 131
They paid up for Gentry Williams at the Round 4 slot when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.23
· Pick 151
· Deontae Lawson
· LB
· rank 84
Circle this one: Deontae Lawson at pick No. 151 is a fall that decides a draft. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
R6.23
· Pick 183
· Ashton Gillotte
· DL-EDGE
· rank 46
Ashton Gillotte at Round 6, Pick 23 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.23
· Pick 215
· Shemar Turner
· DL-EDGE
· rank 95
They barely believed it either: Shemar Turner still on the board at the 215th pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.24
· Pick 216
· Alfred Collins
· DL
· rank 166
Somehow Alfred Collins was still sitting there in slot 216, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R7.26
· Pick 218
· Jordan Hancock
· CB
· rank 130
Taking Jordan Hancock in Round 7, Pick 26 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R7.29
· Pick 221
· Rylie Mills
· DL
· rank 104
Rylie Mills in slot 221 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
R7.30
· Pick 222
· Wyatt Milum
· OT
· rank 122
Wyatt Milum at the Round 7 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R7.31
· Pick 223
· Tre Harris
· WR
· rank 44
They will replay Tre Harris at the 223rd pick for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R7.32
· Pick 224
· Chantz Williams
· DL-EDGE
· rank 308
Chantz Williams in pick 224 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.