The real work happened on the phones. The Packers fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. They will answer for taking DT-EDGE early while quarterback, wide receiver and other spots went begging.
Every board in the league had Bortolini lower, and that gap is the story.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
R2.2
· Pick 34
· Quinyon Mitchell
· CB
· rank 31
Quinyon Mitchell at the Round 2 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Bralen Trice
· DE-EDGE
· rank 37
Bralen Trice at No. 36 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.5
· Pick 37
· Tyler Guyton
· OT
· rank 40
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tyler Guyton. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R2.18
· Pick 50
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 58
They went early on Edgerrin Cooper in pick 50, and the value did not follow. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R2.28
· Pick 60
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 66
Javon Bullard at Round 2, Pick 28 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R3.1
· Pick 65
· Trey Benson
· RB
· rank 72
No drama and no debate, Trey Benson went about where he belonged in the 65th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Maason Smith
· DT-EDGE
· rank 87
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending slot 88 on Maason Smith with quarterback, wide receiver and other spots unsolved.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Cade Stover
· TE-EDGE
· rank 94
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went TE-EDGE with Cade Stover while clear needs at quarterback, wide receiver and other spots sat open.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Dylan Laube
· RB
· rank 146
They paid a round early for Dylan Laube in the Round 4 slot, more than the board wanted. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Tanor Bortolini
· C
· rank 216
Tanor Bortolini in the 203rd overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.