B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals let Payton fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by JBHANCOCK94 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Cole Payton sat on the board until the Round 7 slot, and the Cardinals did not need to be asked twice. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. A small leak at the table, if not a fatal one.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a building block for the line at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
They did well to land CJ Allen in No. 34, just ahead of his grade. The roster fit checks out.
They read the board right and Devin Moore was the payoff at slot 104. A minor itch, scratched.
No drama and no debate, Jakobe Thomas went about where he belonged in the 143rd overall pick. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They let Eric Rivers come to them and pounced at pick 183. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They robbed the room for Cole Payton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.