C-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the C-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 36 picks
· 10 steals
· 22 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on Shaun Dolac; the Cardinals did not wait, grabbing him 174 spots ahead at pick No. 141. A weekend of give and take that grades a C-.
Ransom at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
A reach for JT Tuimoloau in the 35th pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
T.J. Sanders in No. 47 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They jumped the gun on Deone Walker, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Donovan Jackson in the 78th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Tre Harris all the way to slot 79, and they scooped it up. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into Antwaun Powell-Ryland at pick 88, and the board did not agree. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Carson Schwesinger at the 96th overall pick is the proof. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Emery Jones Jr. at No. 106 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Denzel Burke in pick No. 114 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Mello Dotson well ahead of where he belonged. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They barely believed it either: Tez Johnson still on the board at pick 116. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid sticker price for Terrance Ferguson in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A big swing on Raheim Sanders at slot 123, well ahead of any board in the building. The roster fit checks out.
Ty Robinson at the 125th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A need, and now a little less of one.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Howard Cross III this early at No. 126. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A wild overpay on Jackson Slater in the 127th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier quarterback at a bargain, Jalen Milroe in slot 128, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Nick Nash in pick 129 says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Malachi Moore at pick No. 131 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Tyler Cooper, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Fadil Diggs at the 138th overall pick, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They liked Jabbar Muhammad enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 4 slot. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
RJ Harvey in slot 140 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Shaun Dolac. It fills a real need, too.
Cobee Bryant at the 142nd overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A slide stopped in the 143rd pick, with Kyren Lacy worth more than the price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jonah Monheim in Round 5, Pick 8 is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid a round early for Logan Brown in pick 148, more than the board wanted. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
David Walker in pick No. 153 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
You do not let a safety like Lathan Ransom reach pick No. 155 and blink. They did not. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Pat Bryant in Round 5, Pick 21. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No drama and no debate, Earnest Greene III went about where he belonged in the Round 5 slot. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on Chase Lundt in the 162nd pick; the board had better options right there. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ricky White III at slot 164 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, Kyle Williams in the 165th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.