Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Packers were there to profit. Nathan Thomas, the No. 176 name on the board, should have been long gone before the 217th overall pick. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. They will need Nugent to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.28
· Pick 28
· Kris Jenkins
· DL-EDGE
· rank 45
In pick 28 they get juice off the edge, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Kamari Lassiter
· CB
· rank 27
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kamari Lassiter at slot 41. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 31
They robbed the room for Quinyon Mitchell here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Michael Hall Jr.
· DT
· rank 89
No edge and no loss on Michael Hall Jr. in No. 88; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Kingsley Suamataia
· OT
· rank 53
Kingsley Suamataia in the 91st overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.36
· Pick 99
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 86
A quiet steal in Round 3, Pick 36: Marist Liufau for less than the market said. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Beau Brade
· S
· rank 110
A tidy bit of business in the Round 4 slot, where Beau Brade graded well above the range. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R4.28
· Pick 128
· Drake Nugent
· C
· rank 148
Drake Nugent at pick No. 128 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Ray Davis
· RB
· rank 109
Somehow Ray Davis was still sitting there in pick No. 135, and they pounced on premier running back value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Michael Barrett
· LB
· rank 184
They barely believed it either: Michael Barrett still on the board at No. 202. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Josh Proctor
· S
· rank 187
They read the board right and Josh Proctor was the payoff at pick 203. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Nathan Thomas
· OT
· rank 176
Nathan Thomas at Round 6, Pick 42 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Kimani Vidal
· RB
· rank 191
Kimani Vidal in the Round 6 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R7.26
· Pick 246
· Mark Perry
· S
· rank 244
A straight-up fair deal on Mark Perry at slot 246, value and slot in agreement. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.