You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Packers did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
Bertrand has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. The Smith pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with quarterback and interior defensive lineman still on the board.
That Murphy pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and quarterback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R2.18
· Pick 50
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 52
Kiran Amegadjie in slot 50 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
R2.22
· Pick 54
· Jonathon Brooks
· RB
· rank 60
No edge and no loss on Jonathon Brooks in pick No. 54; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Jackson Powers-Johnson
· C
· rank 51
Jackson Powers-Johnson in the 57th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R2.28
· Pick 60
· Javon Bullard
· S
· rank 64
A straight-up fair deal on Javon Bullard at No. 60, value and slot in agreement. A minor itch, scratched.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 86
Marist Liufau at Round 3, Pick 25 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 81
Mike Sainristil at the Round 3 slot is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R3.34
· Pick 97
· Tykee Smith
· S
· rank 97
A curious use of pick 97. Quarterback and interior defensive lineman needed the pick; a safety in Tykee Smith did not.
R3.36
· Pick 99
· Gabriel Murphy
· DL-EDGE
· rank 85
A slide stopped in the 99th pick, with Gabriel Murphy worth more than the price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.26
· Pick 126
· Kris Abrams-Draine
· CB
· rank 120
They did well to land Kris Abrams-Draine in the 126th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.29
· Pick 129
· Malik Washington
· WR
· rank 119
They let Malik Washington come to them and pounced at Round 4, Pick 29. A need, and now a little less of one.
R5.24
· Pick 160
· Michael Barrett
· LB
· rank 183
They talked themselves into Michael Barrett at pick No. 160, and the board did not agree. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
R5.32
· Pick 168
· Brennan Jackson
· DE-EDGE
· rank 174
By-the-book stuff, Brennan Jackson at the Round 5 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.34
· Pick 170
· JD Bertrand
· LB
· rank 195
JD Bertrand in No. 170 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R5.35
· Pick 171
· AJ Barner
· TE
· rank 193
They left a pile of value on the table to take AJ Barner this early at the 171st pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.28
· Pick 203
· Rasheen Ali
· RB
· rank 196
Nothing to complain about; Rasheen Ali went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.