C
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals lost the trade table, and the C tells the story.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 39 picks
· 11 steals
· 18 reaches
The Tim Smith selection is the head-turner. The Cardinals reached 176 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. Call it a C and check back in two years.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Bowman Jr.. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Leo Chenal leading the way. Job largely done: quarterback settled and 8 of 8 of the wish list covered.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
JT Tuimoloau at the Round 1 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Donovan Ezeiruaku at pick 47 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Deone Walker. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Dylan Fairchild at the 70th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They went early on Donovan Jackson in pick No. 76, and the value did not follow. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Luke Kandra, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Andrew Mukuba in the Round 3 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They took Aeneas Peebles at par in slot 82, which is nothing to complain about. The roster fit checks out.
No edge and no loss on Ozzy Trapilo in pick 85; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Carson Schwesinger in pick No. 86 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
Fair-plus on Denzel Burke, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A minor itch, scratched.
They did well to land Tez Johnson in No. 96, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid sticker price for Will Howard in the 102nd pick, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cobee Bryant this early at Round 4, Pick 13. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jared Wilson in pick No. 117. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Willie Lampkin in Round 4, Pick 17, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Jaylin Noel was still sitting there in the 122nd overall pick, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Tai Felton at No. 123 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at the 124th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in pick 126 with a little surplus value in Terrance Ferguson. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Lathan Ransom slid further than he should have, and slot 127 is lovely value for the safety. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Value said wait; Jabbar Muhammad in the Round 4 slot says they were not listening. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Raheim Sanders. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ty Robinson well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Ahmed Hassanein at pick 140 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Cody Simon, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A straight-up fair deal on Nick Nash at pick No. 148, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Hollin Pierce at Round 5, Pick 11 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good price on Jonah Monheim in the 153rd overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A real head-scratcher, Cam Jackson in the 159th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Tonka Hemingway in slot 160 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 had cheaper options than Chase Lundt at pick No. 161, and it noticed. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on Trey Zuhn III in the 162nd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Carson Vinson in pick 163 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Billy Bowman Jr. at No. 166 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They talked themselves into Jonas Sanker at the Round 5 slot, and the board did not agree. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Oronde Gadsden II in the 169th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
Tim Smith at Round 5, Pick 38 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, RJ Harvey at the 178th pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.