The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Titans watched Jake Slaughter slide 47 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
They will answer for taking cornerback early while edge rusher went begging. Offensive lineman is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.31
· Pick 31
· Kenyon Sadiq
· TE
· rank 19
In the 31st overall pick they get a matchup weapon at tight end, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.3
· Pick 35
· Chris Brazzell II
· WR
· rank 29
A clean, defensible pick in slot 35 with a little surplus value in Chris Brazzell II. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R2.31
· Pick 63
· Lee Hunter
· DT
· rank 48
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Lee Hunter in Round 2, Pick 31. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· D'Angelo Ponds
· CB
· rank 47
They robbed the room for D'Angelo Ponds here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A minor itch, scratched.
R3.31
· Pick 95
· A.J. Haulcy
· S
· rank 49
Steal is underselling it; A.J. Haulcy at the Round 3 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R4.1
· Pick 101
· Jake Slaughter
· C
· rank 54
Circle this one: Jake Slaughter at the 101st pick is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Malik Muhammad
· CB
· rank 95
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Malik Muhammad adds a cornerback and leaves edge rusher untouched.
R4.31
· Pick 131
· Joe Royer
· TE
· rank 120
Joe Royer is a better player than pick No. 131 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.2
· Pick 142
· J.C. Davis
· OT
· rank 134
A slide stopped in the 142nd overall pick, with J.C. Davis worth more than the price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.4
· Pick 144
· CJ Daniels
· WR
· rank 138
Nothing to complain about; CJ Daniels went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R5.31
· Pick 171
· Ar'maj Reed-Adams
· OG
· rank 165
Ar'maj Reed-Adams in slot 171 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.3
· Pick 184
· Drew Allar
· QB
· rank 152
The board fumbled Drew Allar all the way to pick No. 184, and they scooped it up. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R6.10
· Pick 191
· Kaleb Elarms-Orr
· LB
· rank 174
Nice patience on Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who had no business lasting to the 191st pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.13
· Pick 194
· Seth McGowan
· RB
· rank 176
Seth McGowan in the Round 6 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R6.17
· Pick 198
· Keagen Trost
· OT
· rank 180
They will replay Keagen Trost at pick 198 for years; that is how good the value is. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.