C-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the C-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 42 picks
· 15 steals
· 21 reaches
The Cardinals put a flag in the ground for Shaun Dolac, 177 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit.
Neal falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.
So much rides on Wyatt Milum that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
No drama and no debate, Wyatt Milum went about where he belonged in slot 36. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jack Sawyer at Round 2, Pick 5 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Donovan Ezeiruaku at the Round 2 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Elic Ayomanor at pick No. 65 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Somehow Jaxson Dart was still sitting there in the 78th pick, and they pounced on premier quarterback value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Deone Walker slipping to the 79th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The roster fit checks out.
Azareye'h Thomas at pick No. 81 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They jumped the gun on Charles Grant, taking him earlier than his grade liked. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Aeneas Peebles in Round 3, Pick 21; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Luke Kandra in the 87th overall pick, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Demetrius Knight Jr. at pick 88 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland in the Round 3 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They read the board right and Carson Schwesinger was the payoff at slot 97. A need, and now a little less of one.
Circle this one: Donovan Jackson at the 106th pick is a fall that decides a draft. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 4 slot with a little surplus value in Cam Skattebo. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Mason Taylor still on the board at the 113th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wild overpay on Chase Lundt in No. 114, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Willie Lampkin at slot 118 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They liked Shemar Turner enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 120. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Cobee Bryant at Round 4, Pick 21 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A quiet steal in pick 123: Lathan Ransom for less than the market said. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A straight-up fair deal on Darius Alexander at the 124th pick, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They will replay Tez Johnson at the 125th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Brashard Smith at pick 126 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A premium they did not need to pay, Rylie Mills a notch or two before his time. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Tyler Cooper in No. 128 says they were not listening. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Connor Colby this early at the 129th pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They talked themselves into Ty Robinson at Round 4, Pick 31, and the board did not agree. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A real head-scratcher, Que Robinson in pick No. 133 is miles ahead of his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Davin Vann well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a wide receiver like Tai Felton reach No. 136 and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bhayshul Tuten in pick No. 137 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Shaun Dolac at the 138th pick, and the board is aghast. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Terrance Ferguson come to them and pounced at slot 139. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Tonka Hemingway. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Devin Neal at the Round 5 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It fills a real need, too.
Nick Nash at pick 143 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Billy Bowman Jr. at the 144th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Pat Bryant in No. 146 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kyle Williams at Round 5, Pick 8 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Ricky White III at the Round 5 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for RJ Harvey, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.