The board owed the Packers one, and it paid up: Marist Liufau, the No. 166 name on the board, sitting there at pick 202 like a gift left on the doorstep. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. The Hicks pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots still on the board.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· JC Latham
· OT
· rank 15
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get a long-term starter on the line, outstanding value to boot.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 19
Quinyon Mitchell at pick 41 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Cooper DeJean
· CB
· rank 26
Cooper DeJean at No. 58 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Renardo Green
· S
· rank 78
Renardo Green in the Round 3 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Jaden Hicks
· S
· rank 85
Of all the spots to shop, they chose safety. Jaden Hicks in pick No. 91 leaves edge rusher, quarterback and other spots for later.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Ray Davis
· RB
· rank 109
Ray Davis at the 126th pick is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.33
· Pick 169
· Mason McCormick
· OT
· rank 146
Mason McCormick at the 169th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 166
They robbed the room for Marist Liufau here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A minor itch, scratched.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· JD Bertrand
· LB
· rank 220
No edge and no loss on JD Bertrand in No. 219; it is a wash and a sensible one. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Frank Gore Jr.
· RB
· rank 226
Frank Gore Jr. in Round 7, Pick 25 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R7.35
· Pick 255
· Edefuan Ulofoshio
· LB
· rank 236
Circle this one: Edefuan Ulofoshio at pick No. 255 is a fall that decides a draft. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.