B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals turned the phones into found money: B+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 66 picks
· 12 steals
· 37 reaches
Boards are made to be trusted, and the Cardinals shredded theirs for Tyler Batty. He came off 151 spots early, and the room will hear about it. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.
That Stutsman pick is the receipt they will wave around later. The phones were where this weekend was really won. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a double-digit-sack hope, though the board says they badly overpaid. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 25 they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A clean fit for the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Tyler Booker at Round 2, Pick 4 squarely in line with his ranking. 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 Jaxson Dart. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tyler Warren in the 39th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jalon Walker at No. 42 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Deone Walker this early at slot 47. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Donovan Ezeiruaku at pick No. 51 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Zy Alexander at No. 52 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Andrew Mukuba. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Jihaad Campbell in pick 72 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A need, and now a little less of one.
Omarr Norman-Lott in the 73rd overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. It fills a real need, too.
Jack Nelson at Round 3, Pick 18 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Dylan Fairchild went about where he belonged in the Round 3 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Tez Johnson in pick No. 89; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They read the board right and Aeneas Peebles was the payoff at slot 90. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They talked themselves into Sai'vion Jones at the 95th pick, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Luke Kandra at par in No. 100, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jack Bech at pick 101 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Ahmed Hassanein in the 105th overall pick, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Emery Jones Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Joshua Farmer well ahead of where he belonged. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Cam Skattebo in No. 112 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
The board had cheaper options than Carson Schwesinger at Round 4, Pick 12, and it noticed. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Billy Bowman Jr. in the 115th pick, and that is fine. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Maxwell Hairston at slot 118 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Jeffrey Bassa at pick 119 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
JJ Pegues in the 120th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Earnest Greene III at the Round 4 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 124 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Fair-plus on Kyren Lacy, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Demetrius Knight Jr. in slot 128, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Que Robinson in pick No. 136 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Antwane Wells Jr. at pick 137, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jacob Parrish in Round 5, Pick 4 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They did well to land Pat Bryant in the 144th pick, just ahead of his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A wild overpay on Elijah Arroyo in No. 147, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They reached a country mile for Kyle Williams at the 148th overall pick, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Jonah Monheim in No. 151 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
CJ West at the 155th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Ricky White III in slot 156 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Tyler Batty at the Round 5 slot, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Ty Robinson at Round 5, Pick 24, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nazir Stackhouse well ahead of where he belonged. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Xzavier Henderson in pick No. 165 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tonka Hemingway at the 166th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached into another round for Jackson Hawes, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A big swing on Nick Nash at the 170th 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 Seth McLaughlin at the Round 5 slot, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A tidy bit of business in Round 6, Pick 4, where Jaeden Roberts graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Devin Neal at No. 180 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A wild overpay on Ty Hamilton in pick No. 188, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Miles Frazier at slot 192 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach on Theo Wease Jr. in the 193rd overall pick; the board had better options right there. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Xavier Truss at pick No. 197 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Danny Stutsman in the 199th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Garrett Dellinger in pick 205 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Shilo Sanders. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Circle this one: Brashard Smith at the 210th pick is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid sticker price for Marcus Yarns in No. 212, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
Akheem Mesidor in Round 6, Pick 38 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Chris Paul Jr. in the Round 6 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jalen Travis in the 221st pick, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cooper Mays this early at Round 7, Pick 6. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Jack Kiser was still sitting there in the 223rd overall pick, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Donovan Edwards at pick No. 229 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.