D
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals won the night they stopped Smith from sliding. Grade: D.
by Stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 41 picks
· 25 steals
· 14 reaches
The Cardinals put a flag in the ground for Tyreak Sapp, 136 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. The math is unkind, and the D follows.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Smith. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
The Trenton Simpson deal gives the class an established piece to lean on. On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Will Campbell at pick No. 30 is the proof. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
In Round 1, Pick 32 they get a bendy edge with upside, though the board says they badly overpaid. The biggest hole, addressed.
Tyler Booker at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Trey Amos. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Deone Walker is a better player than the 80th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They barely believed it either: Jalon Walker still on the board at the 91st overall pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Tez Johnson at slot 97 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Maxwell Hairston slid further than he should have, and No. 113 is lovely value for the cornerback. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They robbed the room for Mason Taylor here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
They liked Rylie Mills enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 4 slot. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Jaxson Dart at Round 4, Pick 20 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Donovan Jackson in pick 122 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Luke Kandra at No. 123 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at the Round 4 slot is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tyreak Sapp in pick 130, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on Antwane Wells Jr. at Round 4, Pick 30, well ahead of any board in the building. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on JJ Pegues in slot 133, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Sebastian Castro in the 138th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Tory Horton at pick No. 146 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Demetrius Knight Jr. at the 148th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Somehow Danny Stutsman was still sitting there in pick 152, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 156th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They let Howard Cross III come to them and pounced at pick No. 160. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Hayden Conner in the Round 5 slot, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Ty Hamilton this early at slot 168. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Seth McLaughlin at Round 5, Pick 33 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steal is underselling it; Jaylin Noel at the 173rd pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jake Briningstool in No. 186 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay Devin Neal at slot 187 for years; that is how good the value is. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Dorian Strong in pick No. 191 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They went early on Jonah Monheim in the 194th overall pick, and the value did not follow. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nick Nash well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Theo Wease Jr. all the way to No. 223, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taking Jay Higgins in pick 224 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a wide receiver like Kobe Hudson reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Xavier Truss. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A real head-scratcher, Jamaree Caldwell in the 235th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
Somehow Brashard Smith was still sitting there in the 236th pick, and they pounced on premier running back value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Taking Davison Igbinosun in Round 7, Pick 21 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
R.J. Oben at pick No. 247 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board fumbled Jaishawn Barham all the way to pick 253, and they scooped it up. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.