CARDINALS MOCK DRAFT GRADE D

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Cardinals D

URL cardinals-2101

Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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D

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals bet the future on Maye. The board says D.

by MHotchkiss7 · 2024 NFL Draft · 16 picks · 1 steals · 3 reaches
Value B-
Need B+
Trades F
Future A

Nobody had Bryson Nesbit this high, and it is not close. The Cardinals reached 137 spots to get him at the Round 5 slot. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.

They have staked the next five years on Drake Maye, which is the only story that really matters here. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.

The Chestnut value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.

In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.3 · Pick 3 · Drake Maye · QB · rank 5
In pick No. 3 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
R1.17 · Pick 17 · Jared Verse · DE-EDGE · rank 12
In the 17th pick they get a disruptor off the edge. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R1.20 · Pick 20 · Amarius Mims · OT · rank 23
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.3 · Pick 35 · Kamari Lassiter · CB · rank 40
They paid sticker price for Kamari Lassiter in No. 35, and that is fine. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R2.20 · Pick 52 · Cooper Beebe · OG · rank 55
Cooper Beebe at slot 52 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Mekhi Wingo · DT · rank 72
No drama and no debate, Mekhi Wingo went about where he belonged in Round 3, Pick 3. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.9 · Pick 73 · Jackson Powers-Johnson · C · rank 80
By-the-book stuff, Jackson Powers-Johnson at the 73rd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.17 · Pick 81 · Donovan Edwards · RB · rank 85
They took Donovan Edwards at par in slot 81, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R4.3 · Pick 103 · Junior Colson · LB · rank 120
They paid up for Junior Colson at the 103rd pick when waiting would have done the job. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.33 · Pick 133 · Theo Wease · WR · rank 133
Theo Wease in pick 133 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R5.4 · Pick 140 · Cole Bishop · S · rank 154
Cole Bishop at Round 5, Pick 4 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R5.29 · Pick 165 · Bryson Nesbit · TE · rank 302
They reached a country mile for Bryson Nesbit at No. 165, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
R6.4 · Pick 179 · Jacob Cowing · WR · rank 182
Jacob Cowing in the Round 6 slot is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.23 · Pick 198 · Zion Tupuola-Fetui · DE-EDGE · rank 203
No edge and no loss on Zion Tupuola-Fetui in pick No. 198; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R7.4 · Pick 224 · Duce Chestnut · CB · rank 209
Duce Chestnut slid further than he should have, and slot 224 is lovely value for the cornerback. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
R7.7 · Pick 227 · Anthony Belton · OL · rank 222
Anthony Belton in Round 7, Pick 7 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
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