kc'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

Cards mock

  • kc DRAFTING FOR THE
    Cardinals
Draft Selections
Joe Alt Head Shot
PICK: 3 RND: 1 (ARI)
Joe Alt
OT Notre Dame
Jared Verse Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (ARI)
Jared Verse
DE-EDGE Florida State
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 35 RND: 2 (ARI)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
Leonard Taylor III Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (ARI)
Leonard Taylor III
DL Miami (FL)
Jackson Powers-Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (ARI)
Jackson Powers-Johnson
C Oregon
Cooper DeJean Head Shot
PICK: 81 RND: 3 (ARI)
Cooper DeJean
CB Iowa
Audric Estime Head Shot
PICK: 103 RND: 4 (ARI)
Audric Estime
RB Notre Dame
Payton Wilson Head Shot
PICK: 133 RND: 4 (ARI)
Payton Wilson
LB North Carolina State
Braden Fiske Head Shot
PICK: 140 RND: 5 (ARI)
Braden Fiske
DL Florida State
T.J. Sanders Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (ARI)
T.J. Sanders
DT South Carolina
Dorian Singer Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (ARI)
Dorian Singer
WR USC
Chau Smith-Wade Head Shot
PICK: 224 RND: 7 (ARI)
Chau Smith-Wade
CB Washington State
Kaimon Rucker Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (ARI)
Kaimon Rucker
DL-EDGE North Carolina
Draft Grade — Cardinals
Overall B-
ValueB- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Cardinals: B-.

There is reaching, and then there is Braden Fiske at the Round 5 slot. The Cardinals jumped the board by 32 and dared it to prove them wrong. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.

For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain. Landing Singer that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.

Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.

Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.

Pick Analysis
Pick3 Rnd1 Joe Alt
In slot 3 they get a long-term starter on the line. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick17 Rnd1 Jared Verse
In pick No. 17 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick35 Rnd2 Brian Thomas Jr.
They paid up for Brian Thomas Jr. at pick 35 when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick67 Rnd3 Leonard Taylor III
No drama and no debate, Leonard Taylor III went about where he belonged in the 67th pick. The roster fit checks out.
Pick73 Rnd3 Jackson Powers-Johnson
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jackson Powers-Johnson. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick81 Rnd3 Cooper DeJean
Cooper DeJean in No. 81 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Pick103 Rnd4 Audric Estime
They paid a round early for Audric Estime in Round 4, Pick 3, more than the board wanted. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick133 Rnd4 Payton Wilson
Payton Wilson at the Round 4 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It fills a real need, too.
Pick140 Rnd5 Braden Fiske
Braden Fiske in pick No. 140 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick165 Rnd5 T.J. Sanders
They went early on T.J. Sanders in No. 165, and the value did not follow. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick198 Rnd6 Dorian Singer
The board fumbled Dorian Singer all the way to pick 198, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick224 Rnd7 Chau Smith-Wade
By-the-book stuff, Chau Smith-Wade at the 224th pick squarely in line with his ranking. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Pick227 Rnd7 Kaimon Rucker
A clean, defensible pick in the 227th overall pick with a little surplus value in Kaimon Rucker. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.