C-
Arizona Cardinals
The phones sank the Cardinals this weekend: C-.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 51 picks
· 19 steals
· 30 reaches
Nobody else had Shaun Dolac anywhere near pick 131. The Cardinals did, by 184 spots, and that gap is the whole story.
They banked enough surplus on Taylor to cover a lot of smaller sins. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring. They left with quarterback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
A perfectly average weekend, for better and for worse.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a disruptor off the edge, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A reach for JT Tuimoloau in the 33rd overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tyler Booker at No. 47 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A wild overpay on Charles Grant in slot 78, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Antwaun Powell-Ryland. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Harold Fannin Jr. at the 86th pick is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They robbed the room for Benjamin Morrison here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
You do not let a safety like Xavier Watts reach pick 89 and blink. They did not. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Marcus Mbow at Round 3, Pick 26 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Will Howard. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tre Harris in No. 110 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Carson Schwesinger at slot 113 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It fills a real need, too.
Darius Alexander at the 114th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Shemar Turner in pick No. 118 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Jah Joyner at the Round 4 slot, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Ty Robinson in pick 126, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Luke Kandra slid further than he should have, and the 127th pick is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in Round 4, Pick 28, and they pounced on premier running back value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Shaun Dolac well ahead of where he belonged. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Lathan Ransom at pick No. 132 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Cobee Bryant in No. 133 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Value said wait; Nick Nash in the 136th overall pick says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Chase Lundt in No. 137 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Willie Lampkin in the Round 5 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tyler Cooper at the 143rd pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for Elijah Roberts at slot 148, and the board is aghast. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Jayden Higgins at pick 153 for years; that is how good the value is. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Andrew Mukuba in Round 5, Pick 15, plain and simple. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Jack Kiser at the 159th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A need, and now a little less of one.
Cam Jackson at pick No. 161 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The roster fit checks out.
Connor Colby at slot 162 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A big swing on Trey Zuhn III at No. 165, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Carson Vinson this early at the Round 5 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached into another round for Ahmed Hassanein, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fadil Diggs at pick 170 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tonka Hemingway at the 172nd pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Taking Pat Bryant in pick No. 174 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Mason Taylor in the 178th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Lander Barton at the Round 6 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Oronde Gadsden II in slot 184 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
A running back of that caliber at pick No. 187 is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They barely believed it either: RJ Harvey still on the board at pick 190. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Joe Huber in the 192nd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board fumbled Jonah Monheim all the way to the 193rd pick, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Tosh Baker at No. 194, and the board is aghast. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Quinn Carroll, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Jalen Travis in pick No. 196 says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Trey Wedig. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They talked themselves into Shilo Sanders at the 200th pick, and the board did not agree. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A real head-scratcher, Tim Smith in slot 202 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Ricky White III at pick 203 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.