B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals turned the phones into found money: B+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 73 picks
· 19 steals
· 41 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Cardinals took Akheem Mesidor a full 134 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Castro. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.
The veteran additions, Trevor Lawrence chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 17 they get a run-stuffing presence up front at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
In slot 22 they get the heartbeat of the defense at fair value. A real need, handled.
In pick 24 they get a cornerstone up front, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They went early on Tyler Booker in the 25th overall pick, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
In Round 1, Pick 26 they get juice off the edge, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 27th pick they get a problem off the edge, though the board says they badly overpaid. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 28 they get a bendy edge with upside. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 29 they get a disruptor off the edge, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They jumped the gun on Tyler Warren, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The roster fit checks out.
Tate Ratledge at the 33rd overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tre Harris at slot 35 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Josaiah Stewart in the 36th pick, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Josh Conerly Jr. in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tyleik Williams at No. 41 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Deone Walker well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Donovan Ezeiruaku in Round 2, Pick 11, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Trey Amos at pick 44 when waiting would have done the job. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Emeka Egbuka at No. 47 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Aireontae Ersery in the 49th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jihaad Campbell at the 51st overall pick is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.
The board fumbled Nick Emmanwori all the way to the Round 2 slot, and they scooped it up. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A running back of that caliber at slot 53 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Isaiah Bond in the 56th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Donovan Jackson in the Round 2 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Omarr Norman-Lott at pick 67 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Aeneas Peebles in pick No. 68; a little patience would have been rewarded. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Antwaun Powell-Ryland this early at No. 70. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They read the board right and Marcus Mbow was the payoff at the 73rd pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Luke Kandra at Round 3, Pick 14, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let a tight end like Colston Loveland reach slot 79 and blink. They did not. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Tez Johnson in the 87th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A conviction pick on Ajani Cornelius at No. 88 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Jake Majors at par in slot 90, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A real head-scratcher, Jaxson Dart in pick No. 94 is miles ahead of his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Ahmed Hassanein at Round 3, Pick 33 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jack Nelson at the Round 3 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jaeden Roberts at pick 102 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Cam Skattebo went about where he belonged in the 105th pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Kaleb Johnson at the 107th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Good price on Savion Williams in the 113th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Kyren Lacy at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Maxwell Hairston in pick 118 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Hayden Conner at No. 121 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Malachi Moore in slot 124 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
By-the-book stuff, Carson Schwesinger at pick No. 125 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for JJ Pegues, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
They liked Logan Brown enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 135. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Azareye'h Thomas in the Round 5 slot, plain and simple. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A reach on Howard Cross III in slot 140; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nick Nash at the 141st overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Connor Colby in pick 146, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Seth McLaughlin at Round 5, Pick 14, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached a country mile for Jonah Monheim at the 157th pick, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value said wait; Miles Frazier in No. 163 says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid a round early for Nazir Stackhouse in No. 167, more than the board wanted. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Anthony Belton in slot 174 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 cheaper options than Theo Wease Jr. at the 176th overall pick, and it noticed. 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 Jake Briningstool. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Circle this one: Sebastian Castro at pick No. 180 is a fall that decides a draft. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Ty Hamilton in pick 188 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Akheem Mesidor well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Willie Lampkin at the Round 6 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value said wait; Thor Griffith in the Round 6 slot says they were not listening. A need, and now a little less of one.
Roc Taylor at No. 194 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.
Davison Igbinosun in the 198th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A wild overpay on Barryn Sorrell in pick 203, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
DJ Campbell at the 208th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jared Wilson in slot 214. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jamaree Caldwell in pick No. 215 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Micah Morris. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tyler Batty in pick 239, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They will replay Jack Kiser at Round 7, Pick 27 for years; that is how good the value is. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R.J. Oben in the 256th 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.