B-
Arizona Cardinals
A solid, sensible weekend for the Cardinals: B-.
by Zipper ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 38 picks
· 12 steals
· 23 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Cardinals spent pick 165 on Shaun Dolac, a name the board had a full 127 spots lower. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
However the rest shakes out, Mukuba at that price is a win they earned. The Cardinals paired the rookies with proven help, Germaine Pratt leading the way.
They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made. On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 25 they get juice off the edge, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They went early on Alfred Collins in the 47th pick, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They liked Donovan Jackson enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 3 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Deone Walker slid further than he should have, and Round 3, Pick 17 is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dylan Fairchild at No. 87 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Xavier Watts at pick 88 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 3 slot, where Elijah Arroyo graded well above the range. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Tez Johnson at No. 99 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tyler Batty in slot 105, miles early. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid a round early for Joshua Farmer in the 107th overall pick, more than the board wanted. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached into another round for Rylie Mills, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
O'Donnell Fortune in pick 113 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They barely believed it either: Carson Schwesinger still on the board at the 121st pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pat Bryant at Round 4, Pick 22 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Luke Kandra is a better player than Round 4, Pick 23 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Andrew Mukuba in the 126th pick is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Value said wait; Nick Nash in pick No. 130 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They did well to land Jeffrey Bassa in pick 137, just ahead of his grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jonah Monheim in the 138th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Cam Skattebo at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tonka Hemingway in slot 141 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Jackson Slater went about where he belonged in No. 145. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A big swing on Willie Lampkin at the 151st overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Lathan Ransom in pick 157 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Kevin Jennings well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Cody Simon in slot 161 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Somehow Jay Higgins was still sitting there in pick No. 162, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Shaun Dolac at Round 5, Pick 28, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jonas Sanker at No. 179 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A wild overpay on Jacob Parrish in the Round 6 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Xzavier Henderson. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
CJ West at pick 189 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Theo Wease Jr. this early at pick No. 192. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Seth McLaughlin in No. 193 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 real head-scratcher, Maxen Hook in the Round 6 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They reached a country mile for Jahvaree Ritzie at slot 196, and the board is aghast. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Shilo Sanders at Round 6, Pick 22 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Jaylen Reed at the 221st pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.