D+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 45 picks
· 20 steals
· 21 reaches
The tape said wait; the Cardinals did not. Tim Smith went at the 203rd pick, a good 149 picks before the board was ready.
The Smith steal is the beam this whole class leans on. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jack Sawyer. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at No. 47 is the definition of value, full stop. A need, and now a little less of one.
Tate Ratledge at the Round 3 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland in pick No. 79 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Donovan Jackson in the 85th pick, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Ozzy Trapilo at the 87th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jabbar Muhammad in pick No. 114 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A minor itch, scratched.
Steal is underselling it; Jihaad Campbell at No. 121 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Rylie Mills in slot 122, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Dylan Fairchild reach the 124th overall pick and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kevin Jennings at the 125th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They robbed the room for Jaylin Noel here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Cobee Bryant at pick 140, well ahead of any board in the building. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They reached into another round for Willie Lampkin, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They barely believed it either: Elijah Arroyo still on the board at the 143rd overall pick. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Earnest Greene III at the 147th pick when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Miles Frazier this early at Round 5, Pick 9. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Demetrius Knight Jr. at No. 153 for years; that is how good the value is. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ricky White III well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Malachi Moore in pick No. 162 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Cam Skattebo at the Round 5 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Tosh Baker. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Kyle Williams at pick No. 169, and the board did not agree. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Chris Paul Jr. at the 183rd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Somehow Kyren Lacy was still sitting there in the Round 6 slot, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for Cam Jackson at No. 185, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A real head-scratcher, Fadil Diggs in slot 192 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A wild overpay on Jalen Travis in the 194th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Value said wait; Garrett Dellinger in pick 196 says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Shilo Sanders at Round 6, Pick 21 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Cody Simon in the 202nd overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Tim Smith at pick No. 203 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
RJ Harvey in the 204th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
They read the board right and Antwane Wells Jr. was the payoff at Round 6, Pick 27. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jahvaree Ritzie at pick 207 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Jonah Monheim in No. 213, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Terrance Ferguson in slot 216 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Billy Bowman Jr. at the Round 6 slot is a fall that decides a draft. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Brashard Smith at pick No. 220 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board fumbled Jay Higgins all the way to the 223rd overall pick, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Shaun Dolac in pick 225 is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wild overpay on Kain Medrano in Round 7, Pick 11, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Circle this one: Trevor Etienne at the Round 7 slot is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Dominic Lovett this early at slot 253. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They barely believed it either: Jack Kiser still on the board at No. 257. The roster fit checks out.