B-
Arizona Cardinals
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Cardinals: B-.
by ORRZ04 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Cardinals spent the 143rd pick on Taylen Green, a name the board had a full 42 spots lower. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it. That is a tight end worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 3rd pick they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Caleb Banks at the Round 2 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaishawn Barham in the 118th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Parker Brailsford in No. 135 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taylen Green in pick 143 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 straight-up fair deal on Kaden Wetjen at pick No. 217, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Andre Fuller at the Round 7 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 230, where Jaren Kanak graded well above the range. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.