Somebody in Round 2, Pick 25 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Packers sat still while Troy Franklin, the No. 31 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
The Smith pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots still on the board. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Every board in the league had Jones lower, and that gap is the story.
They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.26
· Pick 26
· Kool-Aid McKinstry
· CB
· rank 14
In pick 26 they get an island corner at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Jordan Morgan
· OT
· rank 26
The board had Jordan Morgan higher than Round 2, Pick 9, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Troy Franklin
· WR
· rank 31
Taking Troy Franklin in No. 57 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 65
They robbed the room for Javon Bullard here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Blake Corum
· RB
· rank 77
A quiet steal in slot 89: Blake Corum for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.29
· Pick 92
· Tykee Smith
· S
· rank 95
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Tykee Smith adds a safety and leaves edge rusher, quarterback and other spots untouched.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Matt Goncalves
· OT
· rank 103
They barely believed it either: Matt Goncalves still on the board at the 125th overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.13
· Pick 188
· Chau Smith-Wade
· CB
· rank 163
They will replay Chau Smith-Wade at the 188th pick for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Miyan Williams
· RB
· rank 190
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Miyan Williams at pick No. 203 is the proof. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Matthew Jones
· OG
· rank 233
Matthew Jones at the 217th pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Darius Muasau
· LB
· rank 195
Darius Muasau in the Round 6 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R7.26
· Pick 246
· Blake Watson
· RB
· rank 234
A slide stopped in slot 246, with Blake Watson worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
