C+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals did enough to get by: C+.
by Imperialrome ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 1 steals
· 7 reaches
The Cardinals went off the board in a big way for Sean Martin, 72 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another.
That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend.
It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th pick they get a No. 1 receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 17 they get protection for the quarterback, though they paid up to get him. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They paid sticker price for Nate Wiggins in the 36th overall pick, and that is fine. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jackson Powers-Johnson in pick 68 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached into another round for Trey Benson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jack Sawyer in the Round 3 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Brenden Rice all the way to pick 104, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Smael Mondon Jr. at the 133rd pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had cheaper options than Javion Cohen at No. 141, and it noticed. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Jason Marshall Jr. at par in slot 163, which is nothing to complain about. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Eugene Asante at the 190th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It fills a real need, too.
Evan Williams in pick No. 225 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Sean Martin. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They talked themselves into AJ Barner at Round 7, Pick 29, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.