D-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the D-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 48 picks
· 18 steals
· 28 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Cardinals took Shaun Dolac a full 164 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. The math is unkind, and the D- follows.
The Sampson steal is the beam this whole class leans on. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
They reached a country mile for Donovan Ezeiruaku at the Round 2 slot, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ozzy Trapilo at slot 39 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Tyler Warren in the 47th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jihaad Campbell at pick No. 78 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They robbed the room for Alfred Collins here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at No. 86 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, O'Donnell Fortune in pick No. 99 is miles ahead of his ranking. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Kyle McCord in No. 100 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Jaylin Noel in Round 3, Pick 37; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dylan Fairchild at the Round 4 slot. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They talked themselves into Jabbar Muhammad at the 108th pick, and the board did not agree. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ahmed Hassanein well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Andrew Mukuba in the 111th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Tai Felton in pick 112 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Demetrius Knight Jr. was still sitting there in the 113th overall pick, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. It fills a real need, too.
Fadil Diggs at Round 4, Pick 17 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach on Kyren Lacy in the 119th pick; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Luke Kandra was the payoff at pick 124. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 127 is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pat Bryant in pick No. 128 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached into another round for Nick Nash, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Value said wait; KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the Round 4 slot says they were not listening. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jackson Slater at Round 4, Pick 34 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Rylie Mills. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kyle Williams at No. 139 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A wild overpay on Ricky White III in pick No. 140, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They will replay Malachi Moore at the 141st pick for years; that is how good the value is. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Willie Lampkin in slot 142, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a linebacker like Chris Paul Jr. reach the 147th overall pick and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Elijah Arroyo still on the board at the 148th pick. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Miles Frazier this early at pick No. 149. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Trey Zuhn III at No. 150, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Ty Robinson. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Dylan Sampson in pick 153, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Shaun Dolac at the 155th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jacob Parrish in slot 159 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Jonas Sanker at the Round 5 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They talked themselves into Shilo Sanders at the 161st pick, and the board did not agree. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They reached into another round for Cam Jackson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Value said wait; Jalen Travis in the 164th overall pick says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Oronde Gadsden II in pick No. 166 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
A slide stopped in Round 5, Pick 28, with Vernon Broughton worth more than the price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Cody Simon in pick 168 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The roster fit checks out.
A big swing on Carson Vinson at the Round 5 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Lathan Ransom at No. 171 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A real head-scratcher, Jack Kiser in the 172nd overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the Round 5 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.