D-
Arizona Cardinals
Daniels is the Cardinals' new face under center. Grade: D-.
by SKADOOSH ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody took the Cardinals to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it.
So much rides on Jayden Daniels that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
The Nelson value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th pick they get a long-term answer under center. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A market-rate edge rusher, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Laiatu Latu. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
In slot 17 they get a potential shutdown corner at fair value. More want than need.
In the Round 1 slot they get a No. 1 receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
Jared Verse in pick 26 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
In No. 27 they get a sticky cover corner. Need was not the driver here.
In the 28th overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They read the board right and Kamren Kinchens was the payoff at Round 2, Pick 2. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Emeka Egbuka in the 35th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Tyler Guyton in the 44th pick, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 3, Pick 2 with a little surplus value in Brandon Dorlus. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy little value on Javon Bullard in No. 68, a step better than break-even. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in pick No. 71 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They did well to land Trey Benson in the Round 3 slot, just ahead of his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nothing to complain about; Tyler Davis went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They took Audric Estime at par in pick 104, which is nothing to complain about. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Matt Goncalves in slot 110. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good price on Cade Stover in No. 133, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Javon Foster at pick No. 139 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jaheim Bell at Round 5, Pick 4 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. The roster fit checks out.
Christian Jones in the 182nd pick is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fair-plus on Sam Hartman, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
By-the-book stuff, Steve Linton at pick 188 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value with a capital V on Zion Nelson in the Round 7 slot, a genuine coup. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in slot 225, where Sheridan Jones graded well above the range. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
J.J. Weaver at pick 227 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.