When a board-topper like MarShawn Lloyd slides to pick No. 144, you do not overthink it, and the Packers did not. The good and the questionable cancel out to a C.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. The Cole reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
They will answer for taking safety early while tight end went begging. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
So much rides on Byron Murphy II that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Byron Murphy II
· DL
· rank 17
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the defensive front at a price that makes it sweeter.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 49
The board had Edgerrin Cooper higher than pick No. 58, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R2.28
· Pick 60
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 42
Javon Bullard at the 60th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· T.J. Tampa
· CB
· rank 51
T.J. Tampa at Round 3, Pick 25 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Patrick Paul
· OT
· rank 69
You do not let an offensive lineman like Patrick Paul reach slot 89 and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Cole Bishop
· S
· rank 104
A want over a need in the 125th overall pick: Cole Bishop adds a safety while tight end keeps waiting.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Luke McCaffrey
· WR
· rank 149
Luke McCaffrey at pick 126 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R5.8
· Pick 144
· MarShawn Lloyd
· RB
· rank 96
MarShawn Lloyd in No. 144 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R5.33
· Pick 169
· Myles Cole
· DE-EDGE
· rank 196
This one needs a full-page explanation: Myles Cole in No. 169, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Cedric Johnson
· DE-EDGE
· rank 224
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cedric Johnson this early at slot 202. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Jalen Sundell
· OT
· rank 246
A real head-scratcher, Jalen Sundell in the Round 6 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R7.8
· Pick 228
· Edefuan Ulofoshio
· LB
· rank 236
They paid a round early for Edefuan Ulofoshio in the 228th overall pick, more than the board wanted. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Sam Hartman
· QB
· rank 258
A conviction pick on Sam Hartman at pick No. 245 that the board grades a round light. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.