Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Packers spent pick 125 on Jaylen Wright, a name the board had a full 29 spots lower.
That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They banked enough surplus on Speights to cover a lot of smaller sins.
Edge rusher was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job. Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Jared Verse
· DE-EDGE
· rank 16
In pick 25 they get a premier pass rusher at a price that makes it sweeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Kamren Kinchens
· S
· rank 37
Kamren Kinchens at Round 2, Pick 9 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 59
Edgerrin Cooper in No. 57 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 83
A tidy little value on Mike Sainristil in the 88th pick, a step better than break-even. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Tyler Davis
· DT
· rank 95
No edge and no loss on Tyler Davis in pick No. 91; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Jaylen Wright
· RB
· rank 154
Jaylen Wright at the Round 4 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Braelon Allen
· RB
· rank 151
Braelon Allen in the Round 4 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Christian Jones
· OT
· rank 190
Christian Jones slid further than he should have, and Round 6, Pick 28 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Omar Speights
· LB
· rank 201
The board had Omar Speights higher than pick 217, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Sheridan Jones
· CB
· rank 212
Sheridan Jones in slot 219 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R7.26
· Pick 246
· Demani Richardson
· S
· rank 238
They read the board right and Demani Richardson was the payoff at the 246th overall pick. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.