C-
Arizona Cardinals
The phones sank the Cardinals this weekend: C-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 47 picks
· 10 steals
· 30 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Shaun Dolac in the Round 5 slot, a good 170 spots before the room expected him. For now it grades a C-, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
The Noel pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
If Walter Nolen and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
Walter Nolen is a better player than the 31st pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
In pick 32 they get a double-digit-sack hope, even if it was a touch early. The biggest hole, addressed.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Donovan Ezeiruaku well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No edge and no loss on Alfred Collins in Round 2, Pick 24; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Maxwell Hairston at slot 57 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A minor need, but a need all the same.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Charles Grant in pick No. 79, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Carson Schwesinger at the 81st overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Willie Lampkin at slot 85 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jordan Phillips at Round 3, Pick 22 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A need, and now a little less of one.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at the Round 4 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Elijah Roberts in pick No. 115 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Donovan Jackson was still sitting there in pick 116, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Darius Alexander in the 117th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Rylie Mills. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They will replay Tez Johnson at slot 119 for years; that is how good the value is. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 122, where Lathan Ransom graded well above the range. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Jalen Milroe in No. 123 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Fadil Diggs this early at the 124th overall pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, Tonka Hemingway in the 125th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Chase Lundt at the Round 4 slot, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Miles Frazier in pick 127 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Tyler Cooper at Round 4, Pick 27, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A slide stopped in the 129th pick, with Billy Bowman Jr. worth more than the price. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A big swing on Cobee Bryant at the Round 4 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A wild overpay on Carson Vinson in pick 131, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reach on Oronde Gadsden II in slot 132; the board had better options right there. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Jaylin Noel here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for Trey Zuhn III, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jared Wilson at pick No. 136 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than Jonah Monheim at Round 4, Pick 36, and it noticed. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Tosh Baker in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Quinn Carroll well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jalen Travis at slot 140 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Que Robinson at pick No. 141 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Cam Jackson in Round 5, Pick 5 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It fills a real need, too.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Shaun Dolac in the 145th overall pick, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
Nick Nash at the 146th pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Pat Bryant. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Jabbar Muhammad in the 149th overall pick, and that is fine. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Robert Spears-Jennings in the 151st pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Terrance Ferguson at pick No. 152 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A straight-up fair deal on Raheim Sanders at pick 153, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A big swing on Ahmed Hassanein at Round 5, Pick 16, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Bhayshul Tuten at slot 156 when waiting would have done the job. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A conviction pick on RJ Harvey at No. 161 that the board grades a round light. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Taking Cody Simon in the Round 5 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. The roster fit checks out.
Logan Brown at the 163rd overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.