B-
Arizona Cardinals
Grand theft in pick No. 104: the Cardinals steal Gabriel and grade out a B-.
by Nickishim39 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Cardinals did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
Getting Gabriel where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The Thomas reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 21 they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher, though they paid up to get him.
Nice patience on Jabbar Muhammad, who had no business lasting to the 40th overall pick. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Dillon Gabriel at slot 104 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, Jonah Monheim went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 8. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Jaeden Roberts at par in the Round 6 slot, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A premium they did not need to pay, Noah Thomas a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.