B-
Arizona Cardinals
A solid, sensible weekend for the Cardinals: B-.
by Sungapo2 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 5 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Donovan Smith in the 80th pick, a good 138 spots before the room expected him.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Walker. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 18 they get a long-term starter on the line, though the board says they badly overpaid. The biggest hole, addressed.
They robbed the room for Isaiah Bond here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Donovan Smith in pick 80 says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Deone Walker at the Round 4 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Simeon Barrow Jr. in pick No. 154, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.