B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by elroy2k ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 9 steals
· 5 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Cardinals started one anyway for Carson Beck, 88 picks ahead of schedule. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They have staked the next five years on Carson Beck, which is the only story that really matters here. Hill Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 32nd overall pick they get the arm they will build around, a steep price for the projection. The biggest hole, addressed.
They liked Max Iheanachor enough to skip the value, taking him in the 34th pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Lee Hunter in No. 49 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Anthony Hill Jr. in pick 64 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Good price on Keionte Scott in slot 65, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Nothing to complain about; Chase Bisontis went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Michael Taaffe in No. 87 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Mike Washington Jr. in the 90th overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Kyle Louis slid further than he should have, and Round 3, Pick 28 is lovely value for the linebacker. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Skyler Bell at pick 94 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Sam Hecht is a better player than the 97th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A quiet steal in pick No. 104: Brenen Thompson for less than the market said. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Gracen Halton in the Round 4 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A big swing on Trey Moore at slot 130, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, CJ Daniels went about where he belonged in No. 143. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A slide stopped in the 152nd pick, with Jakobe Thomas worth more than the price. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the Round 6 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Nice patience on Matt Gulbin, who had no business lasting to the 199th overall pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They did well to land Riley Nowakowski in pick No. 221, just ahead of his grade. The roster fit checks out.
Value with a capital V on Keyshaun Elliott in pick 232, a genuine coup. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board had cheaper options than Josh Moten at Round 7, Pick 35, and it noticed. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.