B-
Arizona Cardinals
Nobody dealt better than the Cardinals this weekend: B-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 74 picks
· 23 steals
· 45 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Cardinals started one anyway for Tyler Batty, 160 picks ahead of schedule. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
On value alone, Barton makes the weekend a net positive. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 30 they get a load in the middle, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 32nd overall pick they get a premier pass rusher, even if it was a touch early. The biggest hole, addressed.
Donovan Jackson at No. 49 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Deone Walker at Round 3, Pick 14. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Antwaun Powell-Ryland in the 81st pick, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
By-the-book stuff, Tez Johnson at the Round 3 slot squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Luke Kandra at No. 107 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No drama and no debate, Jeffrey Bassa went about where he belonged in pick 113. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Azareye'h Thomas in slot 117, plain and simple. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Sai'vion Jones. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Jack Bech was still sitting there in the 120th overall pick, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They will replay Andrew Mukuba at Round 4, Pick 21 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor itch, scratched.
Darius Alexander at the Round 4 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
Value said wait; Joshua Farmer in the 125th pick says they were not listening. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Billy Bowman Jr. higher than the Round 4 slot, and the safety fell to them anyway. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A straight-up fair deal on Carson Schwesinger at Round 4, Pick 27, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the 130th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A wild overpay on Tonka Hemingway in the 131st pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Tommi Hill at pick No. 132 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Sebastian Castro at pick 136 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jonah Monheim this early at slot 137. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for JJ Pegues, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
Antwane Wells Jr. at No. 145 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ricky White III at pick No. 146 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Elijah Arroyo in pick 148 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tyler Batty well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A big swing on Kevin Jennings at the 151st overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for Connor Colby at Round 5, Pick 15, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kyle Williams in slot 158 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Ty Robinson in slot 160, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Trey Zuhn III at the Round 5 slot, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Seth McLaughlin at the 162nd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Brashard Smith in pick No. 164 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Steal is underselling it; Danny Stutsman at No. 166 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A real head-scratcher, Miles Frazier in the 168th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Anthony Belton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Xavier Truss well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nick Nash at slot 171 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jake Majors in the 172nd overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Oronde Gadsden II at pick No. 173 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Jacob Parrish at pick 174, and the board is aghast. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They barely believed it either: Smael Mondon Jr. still on the board at Round 6, Pick 4. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Ty Hamilton. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Xzavier Henderson this early at the Round 6 slot. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Shilo Sanders at No. 185 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Joshua Gray at the 187th pick is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Chris Paul Jr. at Round 6, Pick 13 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reach on Theo Wease Jr. in the Round 6 slot; the board had better options right there. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had cheaper options than CJ West at the 190th overall pick, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid up for Trevor Etienne at pick No. 191 when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
You do not let a cornerback like Dorian Strong reach No. 194 and blink. They did not. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Value said wait; Akheem Mesidor in slot 196 says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Marcus Yarns in pick 198, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reach for DJ Campbell in the Round 6 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A conviction pick on Jared Wilson at Round 6, Pick 25 that the board grades a round light. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
PJ Williams at No. 201 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 wild overpay on Tyreak Sapp in the 202nd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Jackson Hawes at pick No. 203, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A real head-scratcher, Roc Taylor in the 210th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Garrett Dellinger in slot 214 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Will Sheppard at pick 215 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Lander Barton at pick 218 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Kobe Hudson in Round 7, Pick 7 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They jumped the gun on Donovan Edwards, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It fills a real need, too.
They talked themselves into Deion Burks at slot 229, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Thor Griffith in pick No. 232 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
They robbed the room for Jack Kiser here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They talked themselves into Dominic Lovett at No. 235, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nohl Williams well ahead of where he belonged. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Taking Terrance Ferguson in slot 237 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Cooper Mays. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They robbed the room for Jake Briningstool here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jamaree Caldwell in the Round 7 slot, miles early. It fills a real need, too.