The war room fell hard for Gunner Stockton, and it showed at the 160th pick: 337 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. A mixed bag that lands at C.
Taylor falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The dealing nudged the ledger their way without much fuss. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
Bottom line, the swing picks will decide whether this ages well.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.30
· Pick 30
· Malaki Starks
· S
· rank 20
In pick No. 30 they get a centerfielder for the defense at a price that makes it sweeter.
R2.30
· Pick 62
· Carson Beck
· QB
· rank 98
They left a pile of value on the table to take Carson Beck this early at Round 2, Pick 30. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R3.30
· Pick 94
· Stone Handy
· LB-EDGE
· rank 315
Stone Handy in pick 94 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.1
· Pick 102
· Daylen Everette
· CB
· rank 123
They talked themselves into Daylen Everette at the 102nd pick, and the board did not agree. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.31
· Pick 132
· Ricky White III
· WR
· rank 198
Ricky White III at the Round 4 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R5.15
· Pick 153
· Trevor Etienne
· RB
· rank 205
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Trevor Etienne. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R5.21
· Pick 159
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 189
This one needs a full-page explanation: Cam Skattebo in slot 159, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.22
· Pick 160
· Gunner Stockton
· QB
· rank 497
They reached into another round for Gunner Stockton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R5.27
· Pick 165
· Mason Taylor
· TE
· rank 101
Mason Taylor in No. 165 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.27
· Pick 202
· Jared Wilson
· C
· rank 215
A reach on Jared Wilson in Round 6, Pick 27; the board had better options right there. A need, and now a little less of one.
R7.4
· Pick 218
· Clay Webb
· OG
· rank 222
A straight-up fair deal on Clay Webb at the Round 7 slot, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
R7.42
· Pick 256
· Julien Simon
· LB
· rank 443
They reached a country mile for Julien Simon at the 256th pick, and the board is aghast. A minor itch, scratched.