B
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals let Slaughter fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by ryknyse ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The Cardinals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Jake Slaughter fell into Round 3, Pick 28.
The Barrett pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 12 they get an anchor for the defensive front, even if it was a touch early.
In slot 20 they get a premier pass rusher at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They paid up for Blake Miller at the Round 2 slot when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Josiah Trotter slid further than he should have, and Round 3, Pick 1 is lovely value for the linebacker. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board fumbled Jake Slaughter all the way to the 92nd overall pick, and they scooped it up. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Bud Clark in pick 104 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Mason Reiger at pick No. 112 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They took Zxavian Harris at par in the 152nd pick, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Josh Cameron in slot 183; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Nick Barrett in the 217th pick, miles early. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jeff Caldwell at Round 7, Pick 2 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.