B-
Arizona Cardinals
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Cardinals a B-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 36 picks
· 19 steals
· 9 reaches
The Cardinals treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending the 175th overall pick on Shaun Dolac a full 126 spots early.
That Nolen pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 25th pick they get a double-digit-sack hope. Exactly the need they had to hit.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tate Ratledge in the 47th overall pick, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They let Aireontae Ersery come to them and pounced at No. 55. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They will replay Walter Nolen at the Round 3 slot for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Deone Walker at pick No. 81 is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jaxson Dart in slot 82 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Emeka Egbuka at pick No. 83 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Carson Schwesinger in No. 89 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Jermari Harris in slot 101; it is a wash and a sensible one. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Tez Johnson at Round 4, Pick 13 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Andrew Mukuba in pick 115 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A premium they did not need to pay, Shemar Turner a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Charles Grant was still sitting there in the 118th overall pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Cam Skattebo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had Luke Kandra higher than the 135th overall pick, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good price on Darius Alexander in pick 137, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Ty Robinson at the 138th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Oronde Gadsden II at Round 4, Pick 38 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Ahmed Hassanein this early at No. 153. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Vernon Broughton at pick No. 167 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The roster fit checks out.
Chase Lundt in the Round 5 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taking Pat Bryant in slot 173 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Shaun Dolac, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A need, and now a little less of one.
O'Donnell Fortune in No. 179 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Bhayshul Tuten at pick No. 187 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Willie Lampkin slid further than he should have, and Round 6, Pick 11 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Kyle Williams in pick 198, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: RJ Harvey at the Round 6 slot is a fall that decides a draft. It fills a real need, too.
The board had cheaper options than Cam Jackson at the 208th pick, and it noticed. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
By-the-book stuff, Carson Vinson at slot 212 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Quinn Carroll at the 220th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Dont'e Thornton Jr. still on the board at slot 226. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Ricky White III in No. 227, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Steal is underselling it; Hayden Conner at Round 7, Pick 10 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached a country mile for Jalen Travis at pick 230, and the board is aghast. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value said wait; Garrett Dellinger in the Round 7 slot says they were not listening. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.