If confidence were a draft strategy, the Packers would have aced it. Sam Hartman at pick No. 243 is 39 spots clear of where he belonged. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
A whole weekend of picks and wide receiver is somehow still a want. The Edwards value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 7 of 8 of the wish list covered.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Chop Robinson
· DE-EDGE
· rank 22
In slot 25 they get a disruptor off the edge. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 43
By-the-book stuff, Edgerrin Cooper at No. 41 squarely in line with his ranking. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Kamren Kinchens
· S
· rank 57
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Kamren Kinchens. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Khyree Jackson
· CB
· rank 81
A reasonable price with a little left over, Khyree Jackson in the 88th overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Leonard Taylor III
· DL
· rank 98
No edge and no loss on Leonard Taylor III in Round 3, Pick 28; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R4.27
· Pick 127
· Theo Johnson
· TE
· rank 135
Theo Johnson at the 127th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
R5.32
· Pick 168
· Hunter Nourzad
· C
· rank 188
Value said wait; Hunter Nourzad in pick 168 says they were not listening. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.29
· Pick 204
· Elijah Jones
· CB
· rank 193
Elijah Jones is a better player than No. 204 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R6.41
· Pick 216
· Daijun Edwards
· RB
· rank 204
They read the board right and Daijun Edwards was the payoff at the Round 6 slot. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.23
· Pick 243
· Sam Hartman
· QB
· rank 282
Sam Hartman at slot 243 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R7.31
· Pick 251
· LaDarius Henderson
· OT
· rank 244
LaDarius Henderson at Round 7, Pick 31 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.