D
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals bled value on every deal, hence the D.
by zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 33 picks
· 11 steals
· 15 reaches
The Cardinals did not so much draft Shaun Dolac as overpay for him, 122 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend.
They banked enough surplus on Neal to cover a lot of smaller sins. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes. They bet on numbers rather than a single high pick.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 16 they get a bendy edge with upside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They paid up for Alfred Collins at slot 47 when waiting would have done the job. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They reached into another round for Emery Jones Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tez Johnson at pick No. 113 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Joshua Farmer at par in the Round 4 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tommi Hill at pick 115 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Carson Schwesinger in No. 116 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Dylan Fairchild in pick No. 124 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Elijah Arroyo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Billy Bowman Jr. still on the board at the 141st overall pick. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in the Round 5 slot, and they pounced on premier running back value. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Willie Lampkin in Round 5, Pick 12 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid sticker price for Jonah Monheim in the 150th pick, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Kevin Jennings in slot 151, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Nick Nash in the Round 5 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ricky White III at pick 157 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Kyle Williams at the 165th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They jumped the gun on JJ Pegues, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It fills a real need, too.
The board fumbled Jeffrey Bassa all the way to Round 5, Pick 32, and they scooped it up. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A big swing on Shaun Dolac at the 170th pick, well ahead of any board in the building. A need, and now a little less of one.
Circle this one: Jackson Slater at slot 172 is a fall that decides a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Tonka Hemingway this early at No. 173. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A running back of that caliber at the Round 5 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Steal is underselling it; Cody Simon at the 180th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Xzavier Henderson in the 186th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than Addison West at slot 187, and it noticed. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Hayden Conner at No. 192 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They let Jonas Sanker come to them and pounced at Round 7, Pick 5. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Akheem Mesidor well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Seth McLaughlin in pick No. 231, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Marcus Yarns in the Round 7 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
They talked themselves into Jamaree Caldwell at pick No. 242, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Shilo Sanders at the 253rd overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.