CARDINALS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B

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Cards 2 B

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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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B

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B.

by Dirty Chihuahua · 2024 NFL Draft · 12 picks · 0 steals · 1 reaches
Value B-
Need B+
Trades B-
Future B-

The needs board said one thing and the Cardinals did another, using the Round 3 slot on Maason Smith while edge rusher waited.

They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. If McCarthy pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They left with quarterback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.

Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.4 · Pick 4 · Joe Alt · OT · rank 3
Joe Alt at No. 4 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R1.27 · Pick 27 · Jordan Morgan · OT · rank 25
In pick No. 27 they get protection for the quarterback. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.3 · Pick 35 · J.J. McCarthy · QB · rank 46
They paid a round early for J.J. McCarthy in the 35th pick, more than the board wanted. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.2 · Pick 66 · Mekhi Wingo · DT · rank 68
By-the-book stuff, Mekhi Wingo at the 66th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
R3.7 · Pick 71 · Brenden Rice · WR · rank 71
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Brenden Rice. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R3.27 · Pick 90 · Maason Smith · DT-EDGE · rank 87
Of all the spots to shop, they chose DT-EDGE. Maason Smith in pick 90 leaves edge rusher for later.
R4.4 · Pick 104 · Jaden Hicks · S · rank 107
Jaden Hicks in slot 104 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R4.33 · Pick 133 · James Williams · S · rank 130
A curious use of Round 4, Pick 33. Edge rusher needed the pick; a safety in James Williams did not.
R5.4 · Pick 140 · Kamal Hadden · CB · rank 134
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 5 slot with a little surplus value in Kamal Hadden. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R6.13 · Pick 188 · AJ Barner · TE · rank 186
They paid sticker price for AJ Barner in No. 188, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R7.5 · Pick 225 · Blake Watson · RB · rank 218
Blake Watson at the 225th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A need, and now a little less of one.
R7.7 · Pick 227 · Steele Chambers · LB · rank 222
Steele Chambers at pick No. 227 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
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