This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Mason Taylor, the No. 97 name on the board, stolen at the 170th overall pick. A weekend to file away and forget, and an F to match.
Shedeur Sanders is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
A whole weekend of picks and cornerback is somehow still a want. Frazier has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
About as rough as a weekend gets on paper, with cornerback still staring back at them.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.1
· Pick 1
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 4
In pick No. 1 they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
R1.17
· Pick 17
· Ashton Jeanty
· RB
· rank 2
In pick 17 they get a bell-cow for the offense at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
R1.28
· Pick 28
· Luther Burden III
· WR
· rank 19
In the 28th pick they get a difference-maker at receiver, outstanding value to boot. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Jalon Walker
· LB
· rank 22
Jalon Walker at the 44th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Alfred Collins
· DT
· rank 61
Alfred Collins slid further than he should have, and pick No. 76 is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.16
· Pick 117
· Quinshon Judkins
· RB
· rank 73
Quinshon Judkins at the Round 4 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The roster fit checks out.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 85
You do not let a linebacker like Danny Stutsman reach No. 148 and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 110
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in pick 168, and they pounced on premier running back value. It fills a real need, too.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Mason Taylor
· TE
· rank 97
They barely believed it either: Mason Taylor still on the board at Round 5, Pick 33. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Billy Bowman Jr.
· S
· rank 109
They will replay Billy Bowman Jr. at slot 173 for years; that is how good the value is. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R6.11
· Pick 186
· Miles Frazier
· OG
· rank 203
A reach for Miles Frazier in pick No. 186; a little patience would have been rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Jared Wilson
· C
· rank 205
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jared Wilson in Round 6, Pick 34. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R7.32
· Pick 248
· Clay Webb
· OG
· rank 213
Taking Clay Webb in slot 248 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.