B+
Arizona Cardinals
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Cardinals a B+.
by Zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 31 picks
· 6 steals
· 19 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Tyler Batty at the Round 5 slot. The Cardinals jumped the board by 142 and dared it to prove them wrong. More right than wrong, and a B+ to match.
That is a tight end 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 Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Andrew Van Ginkel leading the way. The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
They went early on Deone Walker in pick 58, and the value did not follow. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They barely believed it either: Tyler Warren still on the board at the 78th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No edge and no loss on Dylan Fairchild in the Round 3 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Ahmed Hassanein. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Tez Johnson in No. 89 is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They read the board right and Azareye'h Thomas was the payoff at pick No. 113. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A straight-up fair deal on Jeffrey Bassa at the 117th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.
Carson Schwesinger in Round 4, Pick 25 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They liked Dorian Strong enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They robbed the room for Billy Bowman Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A wild overpay on Jonah Monheim in slot 160, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Joshua Farmer at the 165th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tonka Hemingway well ahead of where he belonged. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Tyler Batty in No. 168 says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Cam Miller in the Round 5 slot, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Cam Skattebo in pick No. 170 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ricky White III at the 172nd pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Connor Colby in Round 5, Pick 36, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Elijah Arroyo in the 175th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A conviction pick on CJ West at slot 186 that the board grades a round light. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached a country mile for Jahvaree Ritzie at pick 189, and the board is aghast. It fills a real need, too.
Seth McLaughlin at No. 197 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Theo Wease Jr. at pick No. 202 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Nick Nash, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Shilo Sanders at pick 208, and the board did not agree. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Ollie Gordon II in the 209th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaylin Smith at Round 6, Pick 38 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Xzavier Henderson this early at slot 218. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A real head-scratcher, Jamaree Caldwell in the 241st overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Addison West at No. 248 for years; that is how good the value is. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cooper Mays in pick 253 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.