Call it larceny. Fabien Lovett sat on the board until No. 245, and the Packers did not need to be asked twice.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Chop Robinson
· DE-EDGE
· rank 21
Chop Robinson at pick 41 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 42
Value with a capital V on Javon Bullard in slot 58, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· DJ James
· CB
· rank 53
Circle this one: DJ James at the 88th pick is a fall that decides a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
· LB
· rank 67
They robbed the room for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R4.8
· Pick 108
· Bucky Irving
· RB
· rank 91
The board had Bucky Irving higher than Round 4, Pick 8, and the running back fell to them anyway. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Matt Goncalves
· OT
· rank 114
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Matt Goncalves in the 126th overall pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R4.29
· Pick 129
· Javon Foster
· OT
· rank 119
Javon Foster slid further than he should have, and the Round 4 slot is lovely value for the offensive lineman. It fills a real need, too.
R5.31
· Pick 167
· Kitan Oladapo
· S
· rank 154
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kitan Oladapo at No. 167. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R5.33
· Pick 169
· Trevor Keegan
· OG
· rank 144
Trevor Keegan in the 169th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Dallin Holker
· TE
· rank 150
Dallin Holker in the 202nd overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Nathaniel Watson
· LB
· rank 213
Nathaniel Watson in the Round 6 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Fabien Lovett
· DL
· rank 183
Fabien Lovett at No. 245 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The roster fit checks out.
R7.35
· Pick 255
· Garret Greenfield
· OT
· rank 216
The board fumbled Garret Greenfield all the way to Round 7, Pick 35, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.