B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals found their guy under center in Dart: B+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 40 picks
· 9 steals
· 21 reaches
The Cardinals went off the board in a big way for Shaun Dolac, 189 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another.
The Bond pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Jaxson Dart gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Joe Burrow leading the way.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 14th overall pick they get a premier pass rusher. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 15 they get a blindside protector, though the board says they badly overpaid. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In slot 16 they get an enforcer at safety at fair value. More want than need.
In pick 17 they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 19 they get a lockdown presence outside, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
In the Round 1 slot they get a long-term starter on the line. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 21 they get a disruptor off the edge. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 23rd overall pick they get a seam-stretching tight end at fair value. A real need, handled.
In pick No. 25 they get an anchor for the offensive line, even if it was a touch early. The biggest hole, addressed.
Jalon Walker at slot 26 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
In the Round 1 slot they get the arm they will build around, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick 28 they get a load in the middle, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 29th pick they get juice off the edge, a steep price for the projection. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a double-digit-sack hope, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Walter Nolen slipping to the Round 2 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Good price on Armand Membou in No. 36, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A slide stopped in Round 2, Pick 11, with Nic Scourton worth more than the price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Derrick Harmon was the payoff at pick No. 47. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A tidy bit of business in slot 49, where Jihaad Campbell graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Maxwell Hairston at the 51st pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They reached into another round for Carson Schwesinger, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jah Joyner in the 74th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at the 76th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Willie Lampkin. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in slot 87: Tate Ratledge for less than the market said. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on Jared Wilson in Round 3, Pick 26, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the Round 3 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A need, and now a little less of one.
A big swing on Anthony Belton at pick 94, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ozzy Trapilo slid further than he should have, and the 98th pick is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Cam Skattebo went about where he belonged in pick No. 99. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Nick Nash in the Round 4 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Bhayshul Tuten at No. 106, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Darius Alexander in the 109th overall pick, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reach on Billy Bowman Jr. in pick 112; the board had better options right there. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at slot 114 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Shaun Dolac at the 115th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Isaiah Bond at Round 4, Pick 19 for years; that is how good the value is. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Brashard Smith at pick No. 121 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the running back. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Hayden Conner in the 123rd pick says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Joshua Gray at the 124th overall pick, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.