B-
Arizona Cardinals
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Cardinals and Smith: B-.
by jkase ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The Cardinals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Donovan Smith fell into the 168th overall pick. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through wide receiver. Reaching for Cross III left real value on the table behind him.
Good work on the whole, with wide receiver the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. More want than need.
A reach on Howard Cross III in Round 2, Pick 8; the board had better options right there. The roster fit checks out.
Steal is underselling it; Drew Allar at No. 72 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jay Higgins at pick No. 104 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tidy bit of business in slot 136, where Joshua Gray graded well above the range. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A top-tier quarterback at a bargain, Donovan Smith in pick 168, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Tristan Leigh was the payoff at the 200th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.