The Packers bet big and early on Evan Anderson, 52 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
They banked enough surplus on Wiggins to cover a lot of smaller sins. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Rome Odunze
· WR
· rank 9
In slot 25 they get a matchup problem out wide at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· JC Latham
· OT
· rank 16
Steal is underselling it; JC Latham at the 41st overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Nate Wiggins
· CB
· rank 17
Somehow Nate Wiggins was still sitting there in pick 58, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· T.J. Tampa
· CB
· rank 49
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, T.J. Tampa in Round 3, Pick 25, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.30
· Pick 93
· Ja'Lynn Polk
· WR
· rank 71
They robbed the room for Ja'Lynn Polk here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
R4.27
· Pick 127
· Isaac Guerendo
· RB
· rank 111
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Isaac Guerendo in pick No. 127. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.28
· Pick 164
· Mason McCormick
· OT
· rank 159
They did well to land Mason McCormick in pick 164, just ahead of his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R5.32
· Pick 168
· Christian Jones
· OT
· rank 137
Circle this one: Christian Jones at the Round 5 slot is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.29
· Pick 204
· Tanor Bortolini
· C
· rank 217
A reach on Tanor Bortolini in Round 6, Pick 29; the board had better options right there. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Jaylan Ford
· LB
· rank 196
They barely believed it either: Jaylan Ford still on the board at slot 219. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R7.23
· Pick 243
· Evan Anderson
· DL
· rank 295
A wild overpay on Evan Anderson in the 243rd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.31
· Pick 251
· Edefuan Ulofoshio
· LB
· rank 250
By-the-book stuff, Edefuan Ulofoshio at the 251st overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. Stacking talent where they were already deep.