The board owed the Packers one, and it paid up: Kingsley Suamataia, the No. 53 name on the board, sitting there at slot 91 like a gift left on the doorstep. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
The Bishop pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with quarterback, wide receiver and other spots still on the board. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. They will need Haynesworth to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.27
· Pick 27
· Jared Verse
· DE-EDGE
· rank 16
In the Round 1 slot they get a quarterback's worst nightmare, and a steal at that. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 31
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Quinyon Mitchell in Round 2, Pick 9. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Chris Braswell
· LB-EDGE
· rank 57
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Chris Braswell. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 66
Taking Javon Bullard in No. 88 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A minor itch, scratched.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Kingsley Suamataia
· OT
· rank 53
Somehow Kingsley Suamataia was still sitting there in pick 91, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. The roster fit checks out.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· DJ James
· CB
· rank 113
A quiet steal in the 125th overall pick: DJ James for less than the market said. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Tommy Eichenberg
· LB
· rank 127
No edge and no loss on Tommy Eichenberg in the 126th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R4.33
· Pick 133
· Ray Davis
· RB
· rank 109
Ray Davis at pick No. 133 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Cole Bishop
· S
· rank 129
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick No. 135 on Cole Bishop with quarterback, wide receiver and other spots unsolved.
R5.4
· Pick 140
· Sincere Haynesworth
· C
· rank 157
They jumped the gun on Sincere Haynesworth, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Gabe Hall
· DL
· rank 207
They took Gabe Hall at par in the 203rd pick, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.29
· Pick 204
· Roger Rosengarten
· OT
· rank 175
You do not let an offensive lineman like Roger Rosengarten reach Round 6, Pick 29 and blink. They did not. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Michael Barrett
· LB
· rank 184
They robbed the room for Michael Barrett here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Kimani Vidal
· RB
· rank 191
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Kimani Vidal in No. 219, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R7.26
· Pick 246
· Maurice Smith
· C
· rank 245
A straight-up fair deal on Maurice Smith at the 246th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. It fills a real need, too.