B
Arizona Cardinals
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Cardinals a B.
by IFR1974 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The Cardinals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Terrion Arnold fell into Round 2, Pick 16.
If Ugwu pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. It is not that DeJean is a bad player; it is that the Cardinals had louder needs to answer first.
The interior defensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 26th overall pick they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
By-the-book stuff, Troy Fautanu at the 41st pick squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Terrion Arnold in No. 48, plain and simple. A minor itch, scratched.
Fair-plus on Brian Thomas Jr., a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Cooper DeJean in the Round 3 slot leaves interior defensive lineman for later.
They paid sticker price for AJ Barner in slot 116, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Donovan Jackson in the 119th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ray Davis. The roster fit checks out.
Shemar Turner at the 141st overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jordan Travis at pick 148 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Cole Bishop at the 153rd overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They took Sincere Haynesworth at par in pick No. 163, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They went early on Darius Robinson in No. 187, and the value did not follow. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steve Linton in the Round 6 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Reuben Fatheree II in pick 219 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Brian Ugwu at slot 225, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No drama and no debate, Francisco Mauigoa went about where he belonged in Round 7, Pick 6. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Blake Watson at the 247th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.