A-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 36 picks
· 14 steals
· 16 reaches
The Cardinals torched the value chart for Shaun Dolac, taking him 147 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted. Little to argue with here, and the A- says so.
Landing Johnson that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The veteran additions, Dalton Kincaid chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Bottom line, with Landon Jackson leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 16th overall pick they get a bendy edge with upside, though they paid up to get him. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a disruptor off the edge, though the board says they badly overpaid. The biggest hole, addressed.
Taking Tyler Warren in the Round 2 slot is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They went early on Josaiah Stewart in pick No. 44, and the value did not follow. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Alfred Collins in slot 47 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They reached a country mile for Ozzy Trapilo at No. 49, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Trey Amos in No. 51, and that is fine. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Circle this one: Malaki Starks at slot 52 is a fall that decides a draft. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Deone Walker at the Round 2 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Jihaad Campbell at the 76th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wide receiver of that caliber at Round 3, Pick 13 is the definition of value, full stop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Dylan Fairchild at pick No. 78 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Will Howard in pick 79 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A quiet steal in the 88th overall pick: Elijah Arroyo for less than the market said. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nice patience on Tez Johnson, who had no business lasting to the 105th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had Savion Williams higher than the Round 4 slot, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Luke Kandra at Round 4, Pick 7 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Chase Lundt at slot 109 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: David Walker in pick No. 110, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Kaleb Johnson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaylin Noel at pick 114 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A conviction pick on O'Donnell Fortune at the 116th overall pick that the board grades a round light. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
The board fumbled Carson Schwesinger all the way to No. 121, and they scooped it up. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jack Nelson. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in pick 126, and they pounced on premier running back value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
By-the-book stuff, Rylie Mills at the 138th pick squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
They talked themselves into Willie Lampkin at the Round 5 slot, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Tosh Baker at pick No. 141 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Oronde Gadsden II at slot 142 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They will replay Malachi Moore at the 143rd overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Shaun Dolac in the 145th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
Kyren Lacy slipping to pick No. 146 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Pat Bryant went about where he belonged in slot 147. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jahvaree Ritzie. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Cody Simon in Round 5, Pick 15. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A reach for RJ Harvey in pick 153; a little patience would have been rewarded. A need, and now a little less of one.