Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Sam Hartman at slot 243 is 39 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. More right than wrong, and a B- to match.
The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Jenkins pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Terrion Arnold
· CB
· rank 19
In pick 25 they get a lockdown presence outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· T'Vondre Sweat
· DT
· rank 48
They paid sticker price for T'Vondre Sweat in Round 2, Pick 9, and that is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Kris Jenkins
· DL-EDGE
· rank 47
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Kris Jenkins at the 58th overall pick is the proof. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Christian Mahogany
· OG
· rank 97
Christian Mahogany at the Round 3 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Javon Foster
· OT
· rank 119
Javon Foster at pick No. 91 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R4.27
· Pick 127
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 147
They talked themselves into Marist Liufau at No. 127, and the board did not agree. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R5.32
· Pick 168
· Isaac Guerendo
· RB
· rank 177
They jumped the gun on Isaac Guerendo, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.29
· Pick 204
· Jaylan Ford
· LB
· rank 195
Jaylan Ford at the 204th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R6.41
· Pick 216
· Javontae Jean-Baptiste
· DE-EDGE
· rank 227
The board had cheaper options than Javontae Jean-Baptiste at No. 216, and it noticed. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.23
· Pick 243
· Sam Hartman
· QB
· rank 282
Sam Hartman in pick No. 243 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.31
· Pick 251
· Ryan Flournoy
· WR
· rank 284
This one needs a full-page explanation: Ryan Flournoy in Round 7, Pick 31, miles early. A need, and now a little less of one.