B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by Zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 111 picks
· 44 steals
· 47 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: R.J. Oben, 152 picks early at the 191st overall pick.
On value alone, Henderson makes the weekend a net positive. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Cardinals clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 1 slot with a little surplus value in Abdul Carter. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
In No. 21 they get a premier pass rusher, even if it was a touch early. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 22 they get a disruptive interior force. A real need, handled.
In the 25th overall pick they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 26 they get a cornerstone up front, though they paid up to get him. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 27th pick they get a mismatch in the passing game, reach and all. A clean fit for the roster.
A big swing on Grey Zabel at the 28th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
In pick No. 30 they get a downhill hitter at safety, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
Nothing to complain about; Shavon Revel Jr. went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They paid up for JT Tuimoloau at pick 44 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Malaki Starks at Round 2, Pick 13 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Tyleik Williams in the 47th pick is fair value, right on his grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Armand Membou at No. 55 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Somehow Tate Ratledge was still sitting there in the Round 2 slot, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Tez Johnson at No. 57, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jihaad Campbell in Round 2, Pick 30 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Harold Fannin Jr. at slot 74 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Denzel Burke at the Round 3 slot. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Matthew Golden at the 76th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: Dylan Fairchild still on the board at the 78th pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 79 is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached into another round for Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good price on Omarr Norman-Lott in No. 82, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A need, and now a little less of one.
They took Aeneas Peebles at par in Round 3, Pick 19, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Barrett Carter at pick 86 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It fills a real need, too.
Fair-plus on Danny Stutsman, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Hayden Conner in the Round 3 slot, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Dillon Gabriel in the 92nd overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A conviction pick on Kyren Lacy at slot 99 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach on Savion Williams in the 100th pick; the board had better options right there. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Ajani Cornelius in Round 3, Pick 37, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nice patience on Jake Majors, who had no business lasting to No. 102. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
By-the-book stuff, Cam Skattebo at pick 103 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Smael Mondon Jr. in the Round 4 slot. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid a round early for Chris Paul Jr. in pick No. 105, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
Carson Schwesinger at the 107th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Elic Ayomanor in slot 108. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Xavier Watts in the 109th pick, plain and simple. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They reached a country mile for Howard Cross III at No. 111, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jonah Monheim this early at the 112th pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Value said wait; Willie Lampkin in pick 113 says they were not listening. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They robbed the room for Mason Taylor here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
Steal is underselling it; Jalen Royals at the 117th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jay Higgins at Round 4, Pick 17 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jack Bech in the Round 4 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Dorian Strong. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
The board fumbled Maxwell Hairston all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Connor Colby in the 122nd pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Joshua Gray at pick No. 123 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Clay Webb at slot 124 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A wild overpay on Seth McLaughlin in Round 4, Pick 24, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taking Tai Felton in No. 126 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Circle this one: Andrew Mukuba at pick 127 is a fall that decides a draft. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Thor Griffith at the 130th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, JJ Pegues in the 134th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Billy Bowman Jr. in slot 135 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A quiet steal in the 136th overall pick: Lander Barton for less than the market said. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They will replay Sebastian Castro at the Round 4 slot for years; that is how good the value is. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Cody Simon in Round 5, Pick 1 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reach for Jaeden Roberts in pick No. 139; a little patience would have been rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Jaylin Noel went about where he belonged in pick 140. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a running back like Jordan James reach No. 143 and blink. They did not. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nick Nash well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Shaun Dolac in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
They reached a country mile for Nohl Williams at pick No. 146, and the board is aghast. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A real head-scratcher, Tyler Cooper in Round 5, Pick 14 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Xavier Truss at pick 153 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Rylie Mills all the way to No. 156, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Emery Jones Jr. at slot 157, and it noticed. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Lathan Ransom at the 161st pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Circle this one: Jabbar Muhammad at pick 165 is a fall that decides a draft. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Kevin Winston Jr. at the 167th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Javontez Spraggins in the 171st overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Garrett Dellinger at the Round 5 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Logan Brown in Round 5, Pick 38 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They barely believed it either: Gunnar Helm still on the board at slot 176. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
TreVeyon Henderson at pick No. 177 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Theo Wease Jr. at No. 179 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Nazir Stackhouse at Round 6, Pick 5, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Simeon Barrow Jr. was still sitting there in the 183rd pick, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pat Bryant in No. 184 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick No. 185 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They let Karene Reid come to them and pounced at the 187th overall pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Addison West at pick 188 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Quinn Carroll. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Anthony Belton this early at the Round 6 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R.J. Oben at slot 191 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ty Hamilton. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
DJ Campbell at pick No. 197 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had Carson Vinson higher than the 198th pick, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Tonka Hemingway in Round 6, Pick 24 says they were not listening. It fills a real need, too.
They robbed the room for Jack Kiser here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Ricky White III in pick 202, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jared Wilson in the 203rd overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Mello Dotson at Round 6, Pick 29 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
You do not let a wide receiver like Dont'e Thornton Jr. reach the 206th overall pick and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Cody Lindenberg in slot 208; it is a wash and a sensible one. The roster fit checks out.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson in pick 213 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They talked themselves into Luke Lachey at the Round 6 slot, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They will replay Jacob Parrish at the 215th pick for years; that is how good the value is. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Roc Taylor at pick No. 218 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Oronde Gadsden II in No. 223 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jalen Travis in pick 226, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jahvaree Ritzie in Round 7, Pick 11 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wild overpay on Phillip Webb in No. 230, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Trey Wedig at the 236th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached into another round for Jamaree Caldwell, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaishawn Barham at the 247th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Cooper Mays in slot 249 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A big swing on Marcus Dumervil at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Bryan Felter well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.