B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 72 picks
· 19 steals
· 40 reaches
The war room fell hard for Tim Smith, and it showed at the 189th pick: 164 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
Bowman Jr. at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. Quarterback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid up for Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 58 when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tre Harris slipping to the 64th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A premium they did not need to pay, Kyle Kennard a notch or two before his time. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Maxwell Hairston in Round 3, Pick 6; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A reach on Donovan Jackson in the Round 3 slot; the board had better options right there. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jared Ivey at pick No. 76 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A reach for Ozzy Trapilo in the 78th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A conviction pick on Dylan Fairchild at Round 3, Pick 17 that the board grades a round light. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Carson Schwesinger at pick No. 86 squarely in line with his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jordan Phillips. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Good price on Tez Johnson in the Round 3 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Mason Taylor at the 103rd pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Will Howard. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take David Bailey this early at pick 108. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nick Nash at the 110th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Terrance Ferguson at the 113th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They went early on Shemar Turner in Round 4, Pick 13, and the value did not follow. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Malachi Moore still on the board at pick 118. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Steal is underselling it; Savion Williams at slot 120 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Tai Felton at No. 121 is a fall that decides a draft. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Cam Skattebo was the payoff at pick No. 122. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid a round early for Mello Dotson in the Round 4 slot, more than the board wanted. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Value said wait; David Walker in the Round 4 slot says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Emery Jones Jr. at pick 125 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Charles Grant was still sitting there in the 126th pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Oronde Gadsden II in No. 127 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Kyren Lacy in Round 4, Pick 27, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Elijah Roberts at pick No. 129, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Fadil Diggs well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached a country mile for Raheim Sanders at the 132nd overall pick, and the board is aghast. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
O'Donnell Fortune at Round 4, Pick 32 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Lathan Ransom in No. 134 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Taking Hollin Pierce in the 136th overall pick is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Anthony Belton in the Round 4 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Rylie Mills at par in pick No. 139, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board had Joshua Farmer higher than slot 140, and the interior defensive lineman fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Cobee Bryant at pick 141 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They jumped the gun on Logan Brown, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Chase Lundt in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached into another round for Ty Robinson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No drama and no debate, Pat Bryant went about where he belonged in pick No. 147. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Ricky White III at slot 148 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A wild overpay on Kyle Williams in pick 149, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Vernon Broughton at Round 5, Pick 11, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A real head-scratcher, Connor Colby in the 152nd overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jonah Monheim at No. 153 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Trey Zuhn III at the 154th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Carson Vinson in pick No. 155 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jack Nelson in Round 5, Pick 17 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Miles Frazier at No. 157, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Jay Higgins at the 159th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Shaun Dolac in slot 161, miles early. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
RJ Harvey in the Round 5 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. in pick 163 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a linebacker like Smael Mondon Jr. reach pick No. 164 and blink. They did not. A need, and now a little less of one.
They robbed the room for Darius Alexander here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A big swing on Tosh Baker at Round 5, Pick 28, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A wild overpay on Cam Jackson in slot 168, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 170th pick is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jahvaree Ritzie at the Round 5 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Jonas Sanker at No. 172, and the board did not agree. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Tommi Hill at pick 173 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Jacob Parrish at No. 174 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Antwane Wells Jr. at the 180th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
JJ Pegues in pick 182 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jack Kiser well ahead of where he belonged. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Roc Taylor at the 184th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Mitchell Evans all the way to slot 185, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
They reached a country mile for Kain Medrano at the Round 6 slot, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
Que Robinson in pick No. 188 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Tim Smith this early at pick No. 189. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Billy Bowman Jr. at the Round 6 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.