Boards are made to be trusted, and the Packers shredded theirs for Matthew Jones. He came off 71 spots early, and the room will hear about it. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
That Tampa pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
The trade work was a quiet net positive. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· Rome Odunze
· WR
· rank 13
In pick No. 20 they get a No. 1 receiver at fair value.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· JC Latham
· OT
· rank 16
JC Latham at pick 40 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R2.19
· Pick 51
· Xavier Worthy
· WR
· rank 31
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Xavier Worthy in the 51st overall pick, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R3.19
· Pick 83
· Jordan Morgan
· OT
· rank 49
A offensive lineman of that caliber at No. 83 is the definition of value, full stop. It fills a real need, too.
R3.20
· Pick 84
· T.J. Tampa
· CB
· rank 43
T.J. Tampa at slot 84 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Denzel Burke
· CB
· rank 61
You do not let a cornerback like Denzel Burke reach the 88th pick and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.19
· Pick 119
· Cedric Gray
· LB
· rank 125
No drama and no debate, Cedric Gray went about where he belonged in Round 4, Pick 19. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Malik Mustapha
· S
· rank 145
A reach on Malik Mustapha in pick No. 135; the board had better options right there. A minor itch, scratched.
R6.22
· Pick 197
· Cody Schrader
· RB
· rank 177
The board fumbled Cody Schrader all the way to the 197th overall pick, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Justin Eboigbe
· DL-EDGE
· rank 272
They talked themselves into Justin Eboigbe at the 217th pick, and the board did not agree. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Omar Speights
· LB
· rank 228
A conviction pick on Omar Speights at pick 219 that the board grades a round light. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
R6.45
· Pick 220
· Matthew Jones
· OG
· rank 291
A big swing on Matthew Jones at slot 220, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.20
· Pick 240
· Maurice Smith
· C
· rank 297
Maurice Smith in the Round 7 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.