B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by Stan93 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 9 steals
· 4 reaches
The Nadame Tucker selection is the head-turner. The Cardinals reached 71 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered.
On value alone, Allen makes the weekend a net positive. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Yaya Diaby leading the way.
They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th pick they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker at fair value.
In pick 20 they get a workhorse for the backfield, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Taking Carnell Tate in Round 2, Pick 2 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Dillon Thieneman at No. 35, value and slot in agreement. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A reach for Max Iheanachor in slot 38; a little patience would have been rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Olaivavega Ioane in pick No. 39. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Somehow Avieon Terrell was still sitting there in No. 40, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Keith Abney II at par in the 45th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Caleb Banks in Round 2, Pick 14 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Joshua Josephs at the 47th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No drama and no debate, Jacob Rodriguez went about where he belonged in the Round 3 slot. It fills a real need, too.
No edge and no loss on Malachi Fields in pick 66; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They robbed the room for Lee Hunter here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Christen Miller at pick No. 86 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
CJ Allen in the 87th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They will replay Antonio Williams at slot 88 for years; that is how good the value is. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Dani Dennis-Sutton at the 89th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the edge rusher. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Max Klare at pick 90 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A big swing on Nadame Tucker at the Round 4 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Kevin Coleman Jr. in Round 4, Pick 2, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Drew Allar at pick No. 106 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.