D+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals robbed the room for Neal. Final grade: D+.
by JG ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 60 picks
· 16 steals
· 35 reaches
The war room fell hard for Barryn Sorrell, and it showed at pick 166: 114 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. The math is unkind, and the D+ follows.
Neal falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher. A real need, handled.
In pick 32 they get a bendy edge with upside, though they paid up to get him. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They will replay Tyler Booker at No. 57 for years; that is how good the value is. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Deone Walker went about where he belonged in the 63rd pick. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jordan Burch in Round 3, Pick 14 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; David Walker in slot 86 says they were not listening. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Tez Johnson at par in No. 95, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They went early on Ozzy Trapilo in the Round 4 slot, and the value did not follow. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Malachi Moore at the 117th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A tidy bit of business in the 119th pick, where Luke Kandra graded well above the range. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Demetrius Knight Jr. in pick 120, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy little value on Daylen Everette in pick No. 122, a step better than break-even. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Sai'vion Jones at slot 123 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid a round early for Hayden Conner in the Round 4 slot, more than the board wanted. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tight end of that caliber at the 126th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Que Robinson at No. 127, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Kevin Jennings at pick 128 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Fair-plus on Carson Schwesinger, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 131 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Savion Williams was still sitting there in Round 4, Pick 31, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board fumbled Kyren Lacy all the way to pick No. 136, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Miles Frazier this early at No. 139. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Steal is underselling it; TreVeyon Henderson at slot 140 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pat Bryant at the Round 5 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked Ty Robinson enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 146. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They jumped the gun on Willie Lampkin, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Circle this one: Cam Skattebo at the 156th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Seth McLaughlin in the 158th overall pick, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach on Antwane Wells Jr. in pick No. 159; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid up for JJ Pegues at the 160th pick when waiting would have done the job. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached into another round for Anthony Belton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached a country mile for Barryn Sorrell at the Round 5 slot, and the board is aghast. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, CJ West in the 167th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jacob Parrish in No. 174 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A wild overpay on Ja'Corey Brooks in pick 176, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jonah Monheim. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Lathan Ransom at the 181st overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Jamon Dumas-Johnson in No. 183 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jalen Travis well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
O'Donnell Fortune at pick No. 188 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They read the board right and Addison West was the payoff at pick 189. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Ricky White III in the 191st pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on PJ Williams at Round 6, Pick 17, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jared Wilson a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jay Toia at pick No. 197 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
Jonas Sanker at Round 6, Pick 24 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Kobe King at the 201st overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The roster fit checks out.
They barely believed it either: Devin Neal still on the board at the 202nd pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jahvaree Ritzie at No. 203 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jeffrey Bassa in slot 206 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Micah Morris at pick 210 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Joey Slackman at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J.J. Weaver in No. 221, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jaylen Reed in the 225th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Terrance Ferguson is a better player than pick No. 227 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached into another round for Bryan Felter, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A big swing on Jamaree Caldwell at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It fills a real need, too.
Justin Walley at Round 7, Pick 21 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Cooper Mays in the 239th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tim Smith in slot 241 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.