B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B-.
by Stan93 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 71 picks
· 10 steals
· 41 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, 78 picks early at pick 153.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 26 they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 27th overall pick they get a run-stuffing presence up front, reach and all. A real need, handled.
Mike Sainristil in Round 2, Pick 17 is fair value, right on his grade. A minor itch, scratched.
Chris Braswell at the 50th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Renardo Green at pick No. 53, and the board is aghast. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No drama and no debate, Jaylen Wright went about where he belonged in slot 57. A need, and now a little less of one.
Xavier Legette at the 59th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Ben Sinnott in slot 72, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Roger Rosengarten in No. 74 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Mohamed Kamara in pick 90, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Brandon Coleman in Round 3, Pick 29 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Mekhi Wingo. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Luke McCaffrey. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Javon Solomon at the 100th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It fits a board better than it fits this team.
They paid sticker price for Gabriel Murphy in pick 101, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Maason Smith at slot 104 squarely in line with his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ray Davis slid further than he should have, and the Round 4 slot is lovely value for the running back. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They took Jarvis Brownlee Jr. at par in the 111th pick, which is nothing to complain about. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A real head-scratcher, Jordan Travis in pick No. 114 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached into another round for Beaux Limmer, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ainias Smith at the 117th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Brenden Rice at Round 4, Pick 23, value and slot in agreement. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Tommy Eichenberg at the 125th pick, and the board did not agree. It fills a real need, too.
Decamerion Richardson in pick 134 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Nathaniel Watson at pick No. 135 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Cam Hart at Round 4, Pick 36 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jacob Cowing in No. 138. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A conviction pick on Anthony Gould at the Round 5 slot that the board grades a round light. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Brennan Jackson at slot 140 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
AJ Barner at the 141st overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nice patience on Jalyx Hunt, who had no business lasting to No. 142. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jamari Thrash in slot 143 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tykee Smith at pick No. 145 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They paid a round early for Myles Cole in the 147th overall pick, more than the board wanted. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tahj Washington well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint at Round 5, Pick 17, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jordan Jefferson at pick 161 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The roster fit checks out.
A clean, defensible pick in the 162nd pick with a little surplus value in Trevor Keegan. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Sione Vaki in the 178th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
You do not let a cornerback like Josh Newton reach pick No. 183 and blink. They did not. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Value said wait; Edefuan Ulofoshio in the 185th pick says they were not listening. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaden Crumedy at Round 6, Pick 11 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Delmar Glaze at No. 188 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Justin Eboigbe at the Round 6 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Grayson Murphy in slot 196; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid up for Zion Tupuola-Fetui at pick 197 when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They left a pile of value on the table to take JD Bertrand this early at the 200th overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Logan Lee this early at the Round 6 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Cody Schrader at the 203rd pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Layden Robinson went about where he belonged in pick No. 204. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jacob Monk well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Chau Smith-Wade in pick 206 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A wild overpay on Eric Watts in No. 208, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jawhar Jordan at Round 6, Pick 34 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Keilan Robinson in No. 210 says they were not listening. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They liked Jaylen Harrell enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 212. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Michael Barrett in the Round 6 slot, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A reach on Darius Muasau in the 214th pick; the board had better options right there. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A cornerback of that caliber at the 217th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Drake Nugent in pick 220 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Trey Taylor at Round 7, Pick 4, value and slot in agreement. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They reached into another round for Myles Murphy, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Keaton Bills at pick No. 226, and the board is aghast. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They talked themselves into Brevyn Spann-Ford at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Trey Knox at No. 237 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Tarheeb Still in slot 238 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Jackson Sirmon in Round 7, Pick 20 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A big swing on Jowon Briggs at pick 243, well ahead of any board in the building. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Garret Greenfield is a better player than the 246th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
KT Leveston in the 247th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Andrew Coker at pick No. 256 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.