D+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the D+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 44 picks
· 18 steals
· 19 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Cardinals spent the Round 5 slot on Shaun Dolac, a name most had 174 spots down the list.
However the rest shakes out, Walker at that price is a win they earned. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
Good price on Mike Green in slot 30, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They did well to land Wyatt Milum in the 42nd pick, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Landon Jackson still on the board at No. 49. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Donovan Ezeiruaku at the Round 2 slot, and the board did not agree. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Circle this one: Grey Zabel at the 63rd overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Tyler Booker at pick No. 78 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Azareye'h Thomas at the 81st overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
The board fumbled Jalon Walker all the way to slot 85, and they scooped it up. The roster fit checks out.
A wild overpay on Will Howard in the Round 3 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Aeneas Peebles in pick No. 114 is close to grand larceny; an interior defensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Tai Felton in Round 4, Pick 20, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Nick Nash at No. 122, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Willie Lampkin in the 124th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Bhayshul Tuten well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They liked Oronde Gadsden II enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 4 slot. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Lathan Ransom in pick No. 131 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
By-the-book stuff, Darius Alexander at Round 4, Pick 32 squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Savion Williams at slot 136 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nice patience on Shemar Turner, who had no business lasting to pick 138. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tory Horton in the 139th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They read the board right and Jack Nelson was the payoff at No. 140. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, Shaun Dolac in the 141st overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jay Higgins in the Round 5 slot. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Rylie Mills at pick No. 148 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No edge and no loss on Jonah Monheim in the 151st overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Fair-plus on Jackson Slater, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
David Bailey at the 154th pick is money in the bank, a edge rusher taken below his worth. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Chase Lundt at slot 157 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Jack Kiser, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A need, and now a little less of one.
They jumped the gun on Tyler Cooper, taking him earlier than his grade liked. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Value said wait; Connor Colby in slot 164 says they were not listening. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick No. 167 is the definition of value, full stop. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Kyren Lacy at pick 177 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Trey Zuhn III in the 178th overall pick, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid up for Antwane Wells Jr. at Round 6, Pick 5 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kyle Williams at No. 185 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Que Robinson this early at the 189th pick. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Sai'vion Jones at the Round 6 slot for years; that is how good the value is. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tonka Hemingway in pick 193 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Tim Smith at slot 198, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jalen Travis at Round 6, Pick 23 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Garrett Dellinger at pick No. 203 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Ricky White III in No. 204, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a cornerback like Jabbar Muhammad reach the 205th pick and blink. They did not. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.