B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals won the night they stopped Neal from sliding. Grade: B+.
by Zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 64 picks
· 16 steals
· 39 reaches
The Cardinals spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Devin Neal, the No. 82 name on the board, in the 247th overall pick. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
They will need Oben to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Myles Garrett leading the way.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
Abdul Carter at No. 4 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 17 they get a problem off the edge, reach and all. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In slot 24 they get a load in the middle. A real need, handled.
In pick 25 they get a cornerstone up front, and a steal at that. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 31st overall pick they get the heartbeat of the defense, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick No. 32 they get a press-man option on the boundary, even if it was a touch early. Need was not the driver here.
Malaki Starks at the 34th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
No edge and no loss on Tyler Booker in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Nic Scourton in the 36th overall pick, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Tyler Warren at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Shemar Stewart in Round 2, Pick 6; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A premium they did not need to pay, Tyleik Williams a notch or two before his time. The roster fit checks out.
A big swing on Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 44, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Xavier Restrepo in slot 49 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jihaad Campbell in pick No. 58 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Aeneas Peebles in pick 67 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Dylan Fairchild in Round 3, Pick 5 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nick Emmanwori at slot 72 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They paid up for Charles Grant at No. 73 when waiting would have done the job. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, Antwaun Powell-Ryland in pick 74 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They jumped the gun on Tez Johnson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Luke Kandra at the 77th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Trey Amos at the Round 3 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Cam Skattebo at pick No. 79 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Savion Williams at the Round 3 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Carson Schwesinger. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Ajani Cornelius at pick No. 97 squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a running back like Omarion Hampton reach No. 101 and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They will replay Jalen Royals at pick 103 for years; that is how good the value is. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Kyren Lacy at the 107th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Alfred Collins was still sitting there in slot 113, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. It fills a real need, too.
Barrett Carter in Round 4, Pick 17 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ty Robinson well ahead of where he belonged. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached into another round for JJ Pegues, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jaeden Roberts this early at slot 128. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tyreak Sapp in No. 131, miles early. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Rylie Mills at pick 132 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Connor Colby in Round 5, Pick 1 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jonah Monheim in the 139th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Simeon Barrow Jr. in pick No. 140 says they were not listening. The roster fit checks out.
They reached a country mile for Nazir Stackhouse at slot 142, and the board is aghast. It fills a real need, too.
Nick Nash at No. 146 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on CJ West in the 147th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Will Howard at Round 5, Pick 14 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Trey Zuhn III at the 157th overall pick, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No drama and no debate, Joshua Gray went about where he belonged in pick 163. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Donovan Smith at the Round 5 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Seth McLaughlin at pick No. 166 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board had cheaper options than Addison West at pick No. 167, and it noticed. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They went early on Theo Wease Jr. in pick 176, and the value did not follow. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Miles Frazier. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Xavier Truss at Round 6, Pick 15 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Roc Taylor in the 193rd overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for R.J. Oben, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Thor Griffith at the 202nd pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Smael Mondon Jr. all the way to No. 203, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Taking Chris Paul Jr. in pick No. 214 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Value said wait; Garrett Dellinger in pick 215 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jack Kiser in No. 228 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
J.J. Weaver in the 236th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They talked themselves into Tim Smith at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Omari Thomas well ahead of where he belonged. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Devin Neal at slot 247 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Dominic Lovett in Round 7, Pick 40, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.