A-
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by jcardcity ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 2 steals
· 10 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Cardinals took Blake Watson a full 107 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Murphy II pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. The Asante Samuel Jr. pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
Bottom line, with Rome Odunze leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th pick they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 21 they get juice off the edge. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Jordan Morgan at No. 34 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They went early on Brandon Dorlus in the 44th overall pick, and the value did not follow. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A wild overpay on Christian Haynes in Round 3, Pick 2, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached into another round for Payton Wilson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Caelen Carson at No. 76 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Byron Murphy II in pick No. 85, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jalen McMillan a notch or two before his time. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jaheim Bell slipping to pick 133 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It fills a real need, too.
Gabriel Murphy at the 139th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid a round early for Devin Neal in the Round 5 slot, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
A reach on Jasheen Davis in slot 198; the board had better options right there. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Josh Proctor in Round 7, Pick 3, miles early. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Blake Watson this early at Round 7, Pick 6. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.