D+
Arizona Cardinals
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Cardinals to a D+.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 41 picks
· 25 steals
· 14 reaches
Nobody else had Shaun Dolac anywhere near slot 136. The Cardinals did, by 165 spots, and that gap is the whole story. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D+ is the result.
The Walker value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The Luke Goedeke pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
You do not let a wide receiver like Tetairoa McMillan reach No. 33 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tyler Warren at the 40th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Walter Nolen at slot 47 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Jared Ivey went about where he belonged in pick 78. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jalon Walker at the Round 3 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Deone Walker in Round 3, Pick 30 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Andrew Mukuba in slot 95 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They barely believed it either: Maxwell Hairston still on the board at pick 96. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The board fumbled Tate Ratledge all the way to the 97th pick, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Aeneas Peebles slid further than he should have, and No. 98 is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. It fills a real need, too.
Will Howard at Round 3, Pick 35 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 103rd overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
David Walker at pick No. 114 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jordan Phillips in the Round 4 slot. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Somehow Gunnar Helm was still sitting there in the 118th overall pick, and they pounced on premier tight end value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Cam Skattebo in pick No. 120 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The roster fit checks out.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Bhayshul Tuten. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with Jared Wilson worth more than the price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Omarr Norman-Lott at No. 126 is a fall that decides a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Elijah Roberts at Round 4, Pick 26, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tez Johnson in pick 129 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Steal is underselling it; Jack Bech at slot 130 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They robbed the room for Tai Felton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Jaylin Noel in the 132nd pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Luke Kandra in pick 133. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tory Horton at the 134th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
RJ Harvey in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
Shaun Dolac at pick No. 136 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Cam Horsley, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Lathan Ransom in Round 4, Pick 38, plain and simple. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
The board fumbled Billy Bowman Jr. all the way to the 140th pick, and they scooped it up. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A big swing on Cobee Bryant at pick 141, well ahead of any board in the building. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Value said wait; Cam Jackson in Round 5, Pick 8 says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A real head-scratcher, Ahmed Hassanein in pick No. 148 is miles ahead of his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Jay Higgins graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Chase Lundt at the 155th overall pick, and it noticed. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A quiet steal in slot 161: Nick Nash for less than the market said. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Kyle McCord at No. 162 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for Tyler Batty at slot 164, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fadil Diggs in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Oluwafemi Oladejo in Round 5, Pick 27, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.