B-
Arizona Cardinals
Larceny in slot 104 lands the Cardinals a B-, Lew and all.
by Komicozzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Cardinals did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. They banked enough surplus on Lew to cover a lot of smaller sins.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
Cashius Howell in pick No. 17 is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A conviction pick on Caleb Banks at pick 34 that the board grades a round light. A need, and now a little less of one.
Blake Miller in No. 50 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Michael Taaffe in the 65th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Daylen Everette slipping to Round 3, Pick 29 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 104th pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Chris McClellan at slot 143 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Caleb Douglas in pick No. 181 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Febechi Nwaiwu at pick 183 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Jimmy Rolder in Round 7, Pick 1, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.