Call it larceny. Adonai Mitchell sat on the board until the 88th pick, and the Packers did not need to be asked twice.
Reaching for James left real value on the table behind him. Spending an early pick on DT-EDGE with quarterback and interior defensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Cooper DeJean
· CB
· rank 13
In pick No. 25 they get a press-man option on the boundary at a price that makes it sweeter. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Terrion Arnold
· CB
· rank 21
Circle this one: Terrion Arnold at the 41st pick is a fall that decides a draft. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Tyler Nubin
· S
· rank 30
Tyler Nubin in Round 2, Pick 25 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Adonai Mitchell
· WR
· rank 32
Taking Adonai Mitchell in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Bralen Trice
· DE-EDGE
· rank 38
Bralen Trice at the 91st overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Maason Smith
· DT-EDGE
· rank 86
A surprising call. With quarterback and interior defensive lineman still to address, they spent pick 126 on Maason Smith, a DT-EDGE they were not short of.
R5.32
· Pick 168
· Edefuan Ulofoshio
· LB
· rank 160
A tidy bit of business in slot 168, where Edefuan Ulofoshio graded well above the range. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Roger Rosengarten
· OT
· rank 179
Roger Rosengarten in No. 203 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R6.41
· Pick 216
· Trey Knox
· TE
· rank 188
Trey Knox in slot 216 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.
R7.23
· Pick 243
· Jawhar Jordan
· RB
· rank 219
Jawhar Jordan at the 243rd overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.31
· Pick 251
· Jeremy James
· OT
· rank 276
A real head-scratcher, Jeremy James in the Round 7 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.