B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B-.
by Zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 78 picks
· 23 steals
· 48 reaches
The Cardinals spent real capital to be 195 picks early on Brian Ugwu, and the board is going to hold them to it. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
They banked enough surplus on Judkins to cover a lot of smaller sins. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
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
Value with a capital V on Kenneth Grant in No. 39, a genuine coup. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Donovan Jackson at slot 49 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Deone Walker at the Round 2 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. It fills a real need, too.
They paid sticker price for Azareye'h Thomas in Round 2, Pick 26, and that is fine. A minor need, but a need all the same.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Antwaun Powell-Ryland in the 68th pick, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They did well to land Tate Ratledge in pick No. 78, just ahead of his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: Xavier Watts still on the board at the 80th pick. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A big swing on Ajani Cornelius at the 81st overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Joshua Farmer at pick No. 86 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Elijah Roberts in slot 89 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They let Tez Johnson come to them and pounced at pick 99. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Elijah Arroyo was still sitting there in No. 107, and they pounced on premier tight end value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Nothing to complain about; Jaylin Noel went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Tai Felton in Round 4, Pick 11 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kevin Jennings at the 113th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Luke Kandra in Round 4, Pick 14 is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Carson Schwesinger in the Round 4 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid up for Jack Nelson at pick No. 117 when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jabbar Muhammad at the 122nd overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A conviction pick on Jeffrey Bassa at slot 123 that the board grades a round light. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into Pat Bryant at pick 124, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cam Skattebo at No. 125 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The roster fit checks out.
They reached into another round for Jackson Slater, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board fumbled Malachi Moore all the way to the 127th overall pick, and they scooped it up. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Lathan Ransom in the 128th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Jonah Monheim at Round 4, Pick 30 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They took Jay Higgins at par in pick No. 132, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Value said wait; Willie Lampkin in pick 133 says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Trey Zuhn III in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A real head-scratcher, Kyle Williams in slot 136 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Cody Simon went about where he belonged in pick 138. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Nick Nash at the 139th pick, and it noticed. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Seth McLaughlin this early at the Round 5 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jacob Parrish well ahead of where he belonged. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They reached a country mile for JJ Pegues at No. 146, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wild overpay on Tonka Hemingway in the 147th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nazir Stackhouse. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Shaun Dolac in slot 151 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They will replay Dylan Sampson at slot 152 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Xzavier Henderson at No. 157 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Oronde Gadsden II at the Round 5 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Ty Hamilton in the 159th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Ricky White III in the 160th pick says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Hayden Conner at pick 165, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Terrance Ferguson in Round 5, Pick 32 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick No. 170 is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached a country mile for Theo Wease Jr. at Round 5, Pick 34, and the board is aghast. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached into another round for Jahvaree Ritzie, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It fills a real need, too.
A wild overpay on DJ Campbell in the Round 5 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Francisco Mauigoa in slot 175, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Billy Bowman Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A big swing on R.J. Oben at No. 180, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Quinshon Judkins at pick 181 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
You do not let a running back like Devin Neal reach the 186th pick and blink. They did not. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jake Majors at No. 188 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jared Wilson at pick No. 189 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Circle this one: Brashard Smith at the Round 6 slot is a fall that decides a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Kobe King in the 193rd overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A reach on Jonas Sanker in the 194th pick; the board had better options right there. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A quiet steal in Round 6, Pick 20: Jaylen Reed for less than the market said. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Maxen Hook well ahead of where he belonged. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Addison West in pick 199 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Miles Frazier at the 200th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jalen Travis in pick 202 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Garrett Dellinger. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Donovan Edwards at Round 6, Pick 29 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Simeon Barrow Jr. in No. 205, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tim Smith at the Round 6 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jamaree Caldwell this early at pick No. 210. It fills a real need, too.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Akheem Mesidor in slot 212, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached a country mile for Steven Parker at pick 216, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jack Kiser at the Round 7 slot. The roster fit checks out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Deion Burks well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Jimmy Horn Jr. in the 221st overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Shilo Sanders in slot 222 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Brian Ugwu at No. 225 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Clay Webb in pick No. 227 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
PJ Williams at the 228th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.