A-
Arizona Cardinals
Grand theft in the 190th overall pick: the Cardinals steal Judkins and grade out a A-.
by Z ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 50 picks
· 23 steals
· 18 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Quinshon Judkins had no business being available in the 190th pick, and the Cardinals did the only sane thing and turned in the card. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
The cost of the Cook reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
The veteran additions, Jayden Daniels chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not. Quarterback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A clean fit for the roster.
Wyatt Milum in Round 1, Pick 14 is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
In the Round 1 slot they get juice off the edge at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 23rd overall pick they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker at fair value. A real need, handled.
In the 29th pick they get a lockdown presence outside, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
Tate Ratledge at pick No. 33 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
T.J. Sanders at slot 34 is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach for Tyler Warren in No. 35; a little patience would have been rewarded. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: JT Tuimoloau in slot 38, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tez Johnson at the 47th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Donovan Ezeiruaku in pick 55 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had Dylan Fairchild higher than Round 2, Pick 32, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Value with a capital V on Xavier Restrepo in the Round 3 slot, a genuine coup. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had cheaper options than Danny Stutsman at No. 67, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Tyleik Williams at pick No. 78 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A real head-scratcher, Cam Skattebo in the 79th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Carson Schwesinger at the Round 3 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It fills a real need, too.
They barely believed it either: Barrett Carter still on the board at pick No. 101. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Malaki Starks in Round 4, Pick 2 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jayden Higgins reach the 104th overall pick and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Elic Ayomanor slid further than he should have, and No. 107 is lovely value for the wide receiver. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They robbed the room for Jake Majors here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Sebastian Castro in pick 118, plain and simple. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They talked themselves into DeMonte Capehart at the 126th pick, and the board did not agree. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Nothing to complain about; Ozzy Trapilo went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Lathan Ransom was still sitting there in the 134th pick, and they pounced on premier safety value. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A wild overpay on Shemar Turner in slot 140, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The roster fit checks out.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 146 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Jaeden Roberts at the 151st overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Connor Colby in No. 153 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Value said wait; Brady Cook in pick No. 157 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Smael Mondon Jr. in Round 5, Pick 26 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Circle this one: Hayden Conner at slot 165 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They liked Nazir Stackhouse enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 167. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jonah Monheim this early at Round 5, Pick 35. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They took Addison West at par in the 173rd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A premium they did not need to pay, Trey Zuhn III a notch or two before his time. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. is a better player than the 177th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Quinshon Judkins in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Billy Bowman Jr. all the way to pick No. 198, and they scooped it up. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Miles Frazier at Round 6, Pick 28 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Steal is underselling it; Lander Barton at the Round 6 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay CJ West at No. 215 for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Seth McLaughlin in the 219th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid a round early for Deion Burks in slot 236, more than the board wanted. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cody Lindenberg at the 239th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
De'Corian Clark at pick 246 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Clay Webb at pick No. 247 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Thor Griffith at the 248th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The roster fit checks out.
Trey Wedig in pick 256 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.