B
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B.
by stan93 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 46 picks
· 9 steals
· 33 reaches
The Cardinals torched the value chart for Eugene Asante, taking him 187 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted.
That Smith pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
Quarterback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid a round early for Nic Scourton in pick No. 25, more than the board wanted. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Alfred Collins in the 47th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Deone Walker come to them and pounced at slot 78. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They liked Jaxson Dart enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 3, Pick 17. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Dylan Fairchild at the 86th pick, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
David Walker at the Round 3 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Elijah Arroyo in the 99th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Savion Williams. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A big swing on Carson Vinson at Round 5, Pick 1, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Value with a capital V on Jeffrey Bassa in the Round 5 slot, a genuine coup. The roster fit checks out.
Carson Schwesinger at No. 140 is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Joshua Farmer in the 145th pick, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jacob Parrish. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A real head-scratcher, Antwane Wells Jr. in slot 151 is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached into another round for Jonah Monheim, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on JJ Pegues in No. 157, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Miles Frazier in the 159th overall pick says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Circle this one: Billy Bowman Jr. at Round 5, Pick 23 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor itch, scratched.
Tyler Batty at pick No. 162 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tonka Hemingway in the 164th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
They robbed the room for Cam Skattebo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nazir Stackhouse in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Devin Neal still on the board at No. 168. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached a country mile for Barryn Sorrell at slot 170, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ty Hamilton at the 172nd overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Connor Colby in pick No. 173, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Seth McLaughlin well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into Anthony Belton at pick 176, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ricky White III at the 180th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Smael Mondon Jr. in the Round 6 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on CJ West at pick No. 189 that the board grades a round light. A need, and now a little less of one.
DJ Campbell at the 191st overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nick Nash this early at No. 192. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaylin Smith at Round 6, Pick 20 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They reached into another round for Shilo Sanders, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They talked themselves into Akheem Mesidor at slot 202, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Jamaree Caldwell in pick 204, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Brashard Smith in the 209th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jackson Hawes a notch or two before his time. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Tim Smith in pick 221 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for J.J. Weaver. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Garrett Dellinger in pick No. 227 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for Xavier Truss at the Round 7 slot, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Eugene Asante well ahead of where he belonged. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Javontez Spraggins at No. 248 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A running back of that caliber at Round 7, Pick 33 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.