A-
Arizona Cardinals
Muhammad III should have been long gone. The Cardinals pounced, and earned a A-.
by Coach K ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Moose Muhammad III, Round 7, Pick 7, roughly 41 picks past where he belonged. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
The Barron pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
The D.J. Reed pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
Bottom line, with Olumuyiwa Fashanu leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a cornerstone up front. The biggest hole, addressed.
They took Jared Verse at par in pick No. 17, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Kamari Lassiter at the 35th pick, value and slot in agreement. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Nothing to complain about; Jermaine Burton went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 73 with a little surplus value in Byron Murphy II. A need, and now a little less of one.
McKinnley Jackson at pick 81 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Brenden Rice at slot 103 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No drama and no debate, Beaux Limmer went about where he belonged in the 133rd overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Devin Neal at pick 140 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy bit of business in No. 165, where Mike Sainristil graded well above the range. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A real head-scratcher, Jahdae Barron in pick No. 198 is miles ahead of his ranking. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Francisco Mauigoa at slot 224 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Steal is underselling it; Moose Muhammad III at the 227th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.