C-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the C-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 66 picks
· 17 steals
· 36 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Cardinals spent No. 144 on Shaun Dolac, a name the board had a full 141 spots lower. Fine in stretches, shaky in others: a C-.
Smith falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
If Donovan Ezeiruaku and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
They reached a country mile for Donovan Ezeiruaku at the 45th pick, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Walter Nolen at Round 2, Pick 15 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Deone Walker went about where he belonged in the Round 2 slot. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
By-the-book stuff, Carson Schwesinger at the 78th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Hollin Pierce at slot 80, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at No. 82 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Joshua Farmer at pick No. 86 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The roster fit checks out.
Tate Ratledge is a better player than the 87th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nothing to complain about; Maxwell Hairston went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
Elijah Arroyo slid further than he should have, and Round 4, Pick 7 is lovely value for the tight end. A need, and now a little less of one.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with Tez Johnson worth more than the price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Emery Jones Jr. this early at pick 112. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let Jack Bech come to them and pounced at No. 113. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Luke Kandra at slot 115 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Malachi Moore at the 117th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
O'Donnell Fortune in the Round 4 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A wild overpay on Kevin Jennings in pick No. 123, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at the 125th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jeffrey Bassa at slot 126 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Willie Lampkin well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Cody Simon at No. 128 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A real head-scratcher, Jonah Monheim in Round 4, Pick 30 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let a safety like Billy Bowman Jr. reach No. 135 and blink. They did not. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
No edge and no loss on Jaylin Noel in the 136th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Kyle Williams at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Nick Nash. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Shaun Dolac in pick 144 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jay Higgins in slot 145 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Addison West in pick No. 151, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
JJ Pegues at Round 5, Pick 15 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A conviction pick on Dorian Strong at pick 158 that the board grades a round light. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A quiet steal in the 159th overall pick: Pat Bryant for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Jacob Parrish in Round 5, Pick 23 says they were not listening. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A big swing on Ricky White III at the 162nd pick, well ahead of any board in the building. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached into another round for Tonka Hemingway, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Seth McLaughlin. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Quinshon Judkins at the Round 5 slot for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Ty Hamilton in slot 168 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
Kevin Winston Jr. in the 169th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Lathan Ransom at No. 170 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They paid sticker price for Connor Colby in slot 171, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They reached into another round for Miles Frazier, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the 173rd pick is the definition of value, full stop. A need, and now a little less of one.
Value said wait; Nazir Stackhouse in pick No. 174 says they were not listening. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A wild overpay on PJ Williams in pick 175, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Danny Stutsman in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jonas Sanker at slot 186 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They reached a country mile for Tim Smith at pick 188, and the board is aghast. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jamaree Caldwell in the Round 6 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
DJ Campbell at the 194th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jalen Travis at Round 6, Pick 20 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Shilo Sanders well ahead of where he belonged. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Xzavier Henderson at the 199th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Maxen Hook in No. 200, miles early. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They took Hayden Conner at par in No. 202, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Theo Wease Jr. in the 206th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Elijhah Badger in the Round 6 slot 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.
Somehow Brashard Smith was still sitting there in Round 7, Pick 9, and they pounced on premier running back value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jackson Hawes in pick 227 is fair value, right on his grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A big swing on Jimmy Horn Jr. at slot 228, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A real head-scratcher, Jay Toia in the 234th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Xavier Truss this early at pick No. 236. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Garrett Dellinger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Cooper Mays at slot 241, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jack Kiser in the Round 7 slot, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Akheem Mesidor at No. 250 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.