B-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals robbed the room for Lawson. Final grade: B-.
by MV ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 5 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Deontae Lawson, the No. 81 name on the board, stolen at the 151st pick. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
They will need Cross III to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 16 they get an anchor for the defensive front. A real need, handled.
They liked Marcus Mbow enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 47. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Denzel Burke at Round 3, Pick 14 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Howard Cross III this early at the 114th overall pick. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Deontae Lawson at slot 151 for years; that is how good the value is. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.