There is conviction, and then there is this. The Cardinals took Mason Taylor a full 31 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. It grades a D-, and the process earned it.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. They have staked the next five years on Shedeur Sanders, which is the only story that really matters here.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. It is not that Styles is a bad player; it is that the Cardinals had louder needs to answer first.
The Judkins pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.7
· Pick 7
· Malaki Starks
· S
· rank 11
In the Round 1 slot they get a downhill hitter at safety at fair value. More want than need.
R1.14
· Pick 14
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 14
In pick 14 they get a franchise quarterback. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Tyler Booker
· OG
· rank 40
In the 25th pick they get a building block for the line, reach and all. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· Denzel Burke
· CB
· rank 21
They will replay Denzel Burke at slot 39 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Jonah Savaiinaea
· OT
· rank 30
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jonah Savaiinaea in No. 40. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.13
· Pick 45
· Quinshon Judkins
· RB
· rank 22
Quinshon Judkins in pick No. 45 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R3.8
· Pick 72
· Sonny Styles
· S
· rank 85
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Sonny Styles at safety with edge rusher open.
R3.25
· Pick 89
· Dasan McCullough
· LB
· rank 93
Dasan McCullough at No. 89 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R4.8
· Pick 104
· Wyatt Milum
· OT
· rank 110
No drama and no debate, Wyatt Milum went about where he belonged in the Round 4 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.13
· Pick 109
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 123
A want over a need in slot 109: Nick Emmanwori adds a safety while edge rusher keeps waiting.
R5.8
· Pick 136
· Davison Igbinosun
· CB
· rank 137
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Davison Igbinosun. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
R6.8
· Pick 168
· Alfred Collins
· DT
· rank 175
They took Alfred Collins at par in the 168th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R6.24
· Pick 184
· Mason Taylor
· TE
· rank 215
They talked themselves into Mason Taylor at the 184th pick, and the board did not agree. The roster fit checks out.
R7.8
· Pick 200
· Theo Wease Jr.
· WR
· rank 190
Theo Wease Jr. slipping to pick 200 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
