C
Arizona Cardinals
A weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. The Cardinals get a C.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 68 picks
· 18 steals
· 40 reaches
The war room fell hard for R.J. Oben, and it showed at pick 217: 128 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. The final tally is a middling C.
On value alone, Bassa makes the weekend a net positive. They gave back a little on the phones for the right to move. They left with quarterback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Dawuane Smoot leading the way.
Hit on Jalon Walker and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
Jalon Walker in Round 2, Pick 16 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Donovan Ezeiruaku. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A real head-scratcher, Donovan Jackson in the 56th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Tez Johnson in slot 60 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Somehow Tyler Warren was still sitting there in the Round 2 slot, and they pounced on premier tight end value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They read the board right and Deone Walker was the payoff at No. 78. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Aeneas Peebles in slot 86. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ahmed Hassanein well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Value with a capital V on Jermari Harris in the Round 4 slot, a genuine coup. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The board fumbled Andrew Mukuba all the way to No. 107, and they scooped it up. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
By-the-book stuff, Savion Williams at Round 4, Pick 9 squarely in line with his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
DeMonte Capehart at pick 113 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Que Robinson at pick No. 118 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take JJ Pegues this early at the 123rd overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Elic Ayomanor in slot 124 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Kyren Lacy in the Round 4 slot. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Carson Schwesinger at the 127th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid up for Hayden Conner at pick No. 128 when waiting would have done the job. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Jaeden Roberts at Round 4, Pick 29, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Kevin Jennings at pick 131, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at No. 133 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wild overpay on Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the Round 5 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
CJ West in pick 142 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Daylen Everette at slot 143 for years; that is how good the value is. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Rylie Mills at the 147th pick is the proof. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tyreak Sapp at the 148th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They barely believed it either: Jason Marshall Jr. still on the board at pick No. 151. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A big swing on Barryn Sorrell at Round 5, Pick 22, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Shemar Turner at No. 160, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kobe Hudson at the 163rd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Theo Wease Jr. in No. 165, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ty Hamilton in pick No. 168 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tonka Hemingway well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They did well to land Connor Colby in slot 170, just ahead of his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Seth McLaughlin in the 172nd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Miles Frazier, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. 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 Jonah Monheim. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ja'Corey Brooks at the 177th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Devin Neal in the 178th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.
They robbed the room for Jake Majors here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A conviction pick on Samuel Brown at the Round 6 slot that the board grades a round light. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jay Higgins at Round 6, Pick 11 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jahvaree Ritzie in No. 188 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Willie Lampkin in pick No. 189, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nick Nash at pick 193 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Lathan Ransom in pick 195 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A real head-scratcher, Anthony Belton in the 199th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Cody Simon at Round 6, Pick 25 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
Thor Griffith at slot 202 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jared Wilson. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
DJ Campbell in pick No. 205 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on Jaylen Reed in the Round 6 slot; the board had better options right there. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
No edge and no loss on Clay Webb in the 212th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Jamaree Caldwell at No. 216, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A big swing on R.J. Oben at pick No. 217, well ahead of any board in the building. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tim Smith in the 218th pick 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.
Value said wait; Garrett Dellinger in the 220th overall pick says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jalen Travis this early at slot 221. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson at the Round 7 slot, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Donovan Edwards at par in Round 7, Pick 9, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Xavier Truss in pick 227, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good price on Logan Parr in the 231st pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Stone Handy at the 233rd overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Paris Shand well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached a country mile for De'Corian Clark at slot 241, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A linebacker of that caliber at Round 7, Pick 27 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
The board had cheaper options than Aydan White at the Round 7 slot, and it noticed. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.