The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Packers watched Max Melton slide 24 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
The cost of the Jones reach is exactly the players who went right after him. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most.
Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Taliese Fuaga
· OT
· rank 17
In pick No. 25 they get a plug-and-play piece up front at a price that makes it sweeter.
R2.9
· Pick 41
· Kris Jenkins
· DL-EDGE
· rank 47
A straight-up fair deal on Kris Jenkins at the 41st pick, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.27
· Pick 59
· Jonathon Brooks
· RB
· rank 62
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jonathon Brooks. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 82
They did well to land Mike Sainristil in the 88th pick, just ahead of his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Tykee Smith
· S
· rank 97
No edge and no loss on Tykee Smith in Round 3, Pick 28; it is a wash and a sensible one. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R4.23
· Pick 123
· Darius Robinson
· DL-EDGE
· rank 121
Darius Robinson in pick 123 is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Javon Foster
· OT
· rank 128
Javon Foster in pick No. 125 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.35
· Pick 135
· Max Melton
· CB
· rank 111
They robbed the room for Max Melton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Christian Jones
· OT
· rank 197
A reasonable price with a little left over, Christian Jones in the Round 6 slot. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.42
· Pick 217
· Matthew Jones
· OG
· rank 242
This one needs a full-page explanation: Matthew Jones in No. 217, miles early. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R6.44
· Pick 219
· Jawhar Jordan
· RB
· rank 209
A quiet steal in the Round 6 slot: Jawhar Jordan for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.26
· Pick 246
· Joshua Cephus
· WR
· rank 239
Fair-plus on Joshua Cephus, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It fills a real need, too.
R7.28
· Pick 248
· Nathaniel Watson
· LB
· rank 240
Nice patience on Nathaniel Watson, who had no business lasting to the 248th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.