B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by Cashydemon ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 32 picks
· 4 steals
· 25 reaches
The Cardinals clearly saw something nobody else did in Chico Bennett Jr., taking him 331 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced.
Mondon Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Bryant pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with running back still on the board.
They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 1 they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A real need, handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 3, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A wild overpay on Denzel Burke in pick 34, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A minor itch, scratched.
Jalon Walker at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A want over a need in Round 2, Pick 4: Cobee Bryant adds a cornerback while running back keeps waiting.
A conviction pick on Isaiah Bond at pick No. 37 that the board grades a round light. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked Harold Fannin Jr. enough to skip the value, taking him in the 38th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tate Ratledge at No. 65 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Barryn Sorrell in the 68th pick, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jaylin Noel at pick 69 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They jumped the gun on Donovan Jackson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Nazir Stackhouse in pick No. 75 is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jared Wilson. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jimmy Horn Jr. this early at Round 4, Pick 3. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Value with a capital V on Malachi Moore in pick No. 105, a genuine coup. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They will replay Anthony Belton at pick 140 for years; that is how good the value is. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for Chico Bennett Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Smael Mondon Jr. in the 168th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
Addison West at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. 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 Mario Williams. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Jeff Sims at No. 178, and the board is aghast. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; PJ Williams in the 180th overall pick says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A big swing on Phillip Webb at Round 6, Pick 23, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Gino Garcia at the 199th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Thor Griffith in pick No. 217 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Trey Wedig in the 219th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Colbie Young at slot 220, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Fred Davis well ahead of where he belonged. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Karon Prunty at the Round 7 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They talked themselves into Mose Vavao at No. 254, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Trikweze Bridges well ahead of where he belonged. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A big swing on R.J. Moten at the 256th pick, well ahead of any board in the building. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.