B+
Arizona Cardinals
Nobody dealt better than the Cardinals this weekend: B+.
by Stan93 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 91 picks
· 16 steals
· 52 reaches
The Cardinals put a flag in the ground for Cody Schrader, 79 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
Landing Bell that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
They will answer for taking cornerback early while quarterback went begging.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st overall pick they get a matchup weapon at tight end. A real need, handled.
In the 2nd pick they get juice off the edge, even if it was a touch early. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In No. 3 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare, though they paid up to get him. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 6 they get a wrecking ball inside, though the board says they badly overpaid. A clean fit for the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 7 they get a blindside protector, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the Round 1 slot they get a go-to option on the outside, reach and all. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 11 they get a weapon on the perimeter, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They liked Graham Barton enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 17. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
In the 18th pick they get a three-down second-level presence, a steep price for the projection.
In No. 27 they get a home-run threat at receiver, though the board says they badly overpaid. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 30 they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Payton Wilson at the 34th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Nice patience on Cooper DeJean, who had no business lasting to the Round 2 slot. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They paid up for Malachi Corley at slot 36 when waiting would have done the job. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Austin Booker this early at pick 37. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A premium they did not need to pay, Christian Haynes a notch or two before his time. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Chop Robinson in Round 2, Pick 12 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Xavier Legette in pick No. 46 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They bypassed pressing needs at quarterback to take Nate Wiggins, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Renardo Green at the 54th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They jumped the gun on Michael Hall Jr., taking him earlier than his grade liked. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Blake Fisher in the 58th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose safety. Cole Bishop in the 59th pick leaves quarterback for later.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 60 with a little surplus value in Zach Frazier. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They took Kiran Amegadjie at par in slot 62, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Cooper Beebe in pick 66; it is a wash and a sensible one. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at the 67th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A straight-up fair deal on Kingsley Suamataia at pick No. 69, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A conviction pick on Malik Washington at the Round 3 slot that the board grades a round light. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board had cheaper options than Sedrick Van Pran at Round 3, Pick 10, and it noticed. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Roger Rosengarten at the 75th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached into another round for Ben Sinnott, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Brandon Coleman well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jalen McMillan at the 85th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Andru Phillips adds a cornerback and leaves quarterback untouched.
They paid sticker price for Christian Mahogany in pick 92, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reach for Zak Zinter in the Round 3 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Mohamed Kamara in pick No. 94 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.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. while clear needs at quarterback sat open.
They went early on DeWayne Carter in the Round 3 slot, and the value did not follow. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Mekhi Wingo in the 103rd overall pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jacob Cowing in pick 104, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No drama and no debate, Matt Goncalves went about where he belonged in pick No. 106. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Bucky Irving in the 107th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Cade Stover still on the board at slot 109. The roster fit checks out.
Hunter Nourzad in Round 4, Pick 10 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A curious use of Round 4, Pick 16. Quarterback needed the pick; a safety in Malik Mustapha did not.
Jalyx Hunt at the 117th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tyler Davis in the 118th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Isaac Guerendo at pick 121 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Anthony Gould at No. 122, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Caelen Carson at cornerback with quarterback open.
A want over a need in slot 125: Kamren Kinchens adds a safety while quarterback keeps waiting.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Cody Schrader. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A tidy bit of business in the 127th overall pick, where Cedric Gray graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jamari Thrash. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let Erick All come to them and pounced at the Round 5 slot. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Tommy Eichenberg at Round 5, Pick 3 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Beaux Limmer at pick 140 squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Josh Newton in No. 142, and that is fine. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They took Mason McCormick at par in pick No. 143, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A straight-up fair deal on Tanor Bortolini at the 144th pick, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid a round early for Walter Rouse in pick No. 146, more than the board wanted. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No drama and no debate, Trevor Keegan went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 15. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A reach on Decamerion Richardson in the Round 5 slot; the board had better options right there. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A conviction pick on Jordan Jefferson at pick 155 that the board grades a round light. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ryan Flournoy at No. 162 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Sione Vaki at the 164th pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A slide stopped in the 166th overall pick, with Beau Brade worth more than the price. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They did well to land AJ Barner in slot 167, just ahead of his grade. The roster fit checks out.
A reach on Nathan Thomas in slot 180; the board had better options right there. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had cheaper options than Edefuan Ulofoshio at pick 181, and it noticed. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wild overpay on Jaden Crumedy in the 182nd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Zion Tupuola-Fetui at the Round 6 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Trevin Wallace in the 186th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid up for Nathaniel Watson at No. 187 when waiting would have done the job. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Value said wait; Logan Lee in pick No. 188 says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into JD Bertrand at Round 6, Pick 15, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Marist Liufau in the Round 6 slot, plain and simple. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Fabien Lovett is a better player than pick No. 193 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tanner McLachlan at slot 197 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No edge and no loss on Jalen Coker in Round 6, Pick 26; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in No. 205 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jaheim Bell at the 225th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Curtis Jacobs at the 226th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A big swing on Brevyn Spann-Ford at pick 231, well ahead of any board in the building. The roster fit checks out.
Jaylon Carlies at No. 234 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Darius Muasau at pick 242 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Keilan Robinson in the 245th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid a round early for Jawhar Jordan in Round 7, Pick 32, more than the board wanted. It fills a real need, too.
Drake Nugent at the 253rd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.