D-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 29 picks
· 10 steals
· 9 reaches
Nobody had Shaun Dolac this high, and it is not close. The Cardinals reached 113 spots to get him at the 179th overall pick. The process wobbled, and the D- is where it lands.
Paul Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
Adding E.J. Jenkins by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 24th overall pick they get a double-digit-sack hope. The biggest hole, addressed.
They took Aireontae Ersery at par in slot 47, which is nothing to complain about. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A tidy little value on T.J. Sanders in the Round 2 slot, a step better than break-even. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No edge and no loss on Deone Walker in No. 64; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Jalon Walker at Round 3, Pick 14 for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Tate Ratledge in the 81st pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Denzel Burke in the 89th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Elijah Arroyo at the Round 3 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tez Johnson at pick No. 98 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They robbed the room for Andrew Mukuba here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A minor itch, scratched.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Will Howard in No. 118, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They barely believed it either: Demetrius Knight Jr. still on the board at the 122nd overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
By-the-book stuff, Kyren Lacy at slot 127 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Willie Lampkin at pick 129 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Carson Schwesinger in Round 4, Pick 34 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board had cheaper options than Nick Nash at the 140th overall pick, and it noticed. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A quiet steal in pick No. 151: Rylie Mills for less than the market said. The roster fit checks out.
Ty Robinson in slot 153 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Kyle Williams this early at pick 161. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Oronde Gadsden II at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Chris Paul Jr. in the 167th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Cam Skattebo at No. 170 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Robert Spears-Jennings in pick 171 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Tyler Cooper at the 172nd overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 174 with a little surplus value in RJ Harvey. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaylen Reed in slot 175 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A real head-scratcher, Tosh Baker in the Round 6 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jahvaree Ritzie. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Shaun Dolac at Round 6, Pick 4 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.