The board owed the Packers one, and it paid up: Julian Pearl, the No. 204 name on the board, sitting there at the Round 7 slot like a gift left on the doorstep. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. They will answer for taking linebacker early while quarterback, tight end and other spots went begging.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 19
In slot 25 they get an island corner. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.3
· Pick 35
· Cooper DeJean
· CB
· rank 27
Nice patience on Cooper DeJean, who had no business lasting to pick 35. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Junior Colson
· LB
· rank 52
They did well to land Junior Colson in the 58th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Austin Booker
· DE-EDGE
· rank 78
Austin Booker slipping to pick No. 88 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Zach Frazier
· C
· rank 62
Somehow Zach Frazier was still sitting there in No. 91, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. The roster fit checks out.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Cedric Gray
· LB
· rank 113
They bypassed pressing needs at quarterback, tight end and other spots to take Cedric Gray, a linebacker that was not the priority.
R5.33
· Pick 169
· Kitan Oladapo
· S
· rank 154
Kitan Oladapo at the 169th pick is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Layden Robinson
· OG
· rank 176
Layden Robinson at the Round 6 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Daijun Edwards
· RB
· rank 190
Daijun Edwards at slot 219 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Ryan Flournoy
· WR
· rank 205
Ryan Flournoy in the 245th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R7.35
· Pick 255
· Julian Pearl
· OT
· rank 204
Circle this one: Julian Pearl at pick 255 is a fall that decides a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.