Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Zakhari Franklin at pick No. 240 is 61 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Rattler falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. Cornerback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.26
· Pick 26
· Jackson Powers-Johnson
· C
· rank 29
In Round 1, Pick 26 they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.18
· Pick 50
· Payton Wilson
· LB
· rank 43
Fair-plus on Payton Wilson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R2.21
· Pick 53
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 65
A conviction pick on Kiran Amegadjie at pick 53 that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Spencer Rattler
· QB
· rank 68
Spencer Rattler in the 88th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Kris Abrams-Draine
· CB
· rank 78
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Kris Abrams-Draine at the Round 3 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.34
· Pick 97
· Braelon Allen
· RB
· rank 109
A reach for Braelon Allen in the 97th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R5.24
· Pick 160
· Jaheim Bell
· TE
· rank 163
Jaheim Bell in the 160th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. The roster fit checks out.
R5.34
· Pick 170
· Javion Cohen
· OG
· rank 168
They took Javion Cohen at par in pick 170, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R5.35
· Pick 171
· Ty'Ron Hopper
· LB
· rank 177
No edge and no loss on Ty'Ron Hopper in the 171st pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
R6.3
· Pick 178
· Mason McCormick
· OT
· rank 159
Circle this one: Mason McCormick at pick No. 178 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.14
· Pick 189
· Dwight McGlothern
· CB
· rank 175
A tidy bit of business in No. 189, where Dwight McGlothern graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.20
· Pick 240
· Zakhari Franklin
· WR
· rank 301
Value said wait; Zakhari Franklin in the Round 7 slot says they were not listening. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.