This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Wyatt Milum, the No. 36 name on the board, stolen at pick 257.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 7 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.
Pick-by-Pick
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Shemar Stewart
· DE-EDGE
· rank 15
Steal is underselling it; Shemar Stewart at Round 2, Pick 12 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Ashton Jeanty
· RB
· rank 2
Ashton Jeanty in No. 67 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Walter Nolen
· DT
· rank 19
Walter Nolen at the 76th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R4.1
· Pick 102
· Dylan Fairchild
· OG
· rank 92
A tidy bit of business in the 102nd overall pick, where Dylan Fairchild graded well above the range. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.2
· Pick 103
· Elic Ayomanor
· WR
· rank 58
Elic Ayomanor in pick 103 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R4.18
· Pick 119
· Jihaad Campbell
· LB
· rank 41
Jihaad Campbell at slot 119 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.25
· Pick 126
· Cam Ward
· QB
· rank 6
Somehow Cam Ward was still sitting there in pick No. 126, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R5.11
· Pick 150
· Armand Membou
· OT
· rank 33
They barely believed it either: Armand Membou still on the board at the Round 5 slot. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.26
· Pick 165
· Jahdae Barron
· CB
· rank 13
Jahdae Barron at No. 165 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R6.12
· Pick 190
· T.J. Sanders
· DT
· rank 44
Circle this one: T.J. Sanders at Round 6, Pick 12 is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R6.33
· Pick 211
· Xavier Restrepo
· WR
· rank 66
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Xavier Restrepo in pick 211, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R7.31
· Pick 249
· Kalel Mullings
· RB
· rank 113
Kalel Mullings in the 249th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R7.39
· Pick 257
· Wyatt Milum
· OT
· rank 36
They will replay Wyatt Milum at the 257th pick for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.