The phones were a trap the Cardinals kept walking into, shipping out surplus on nearly every deal. It grades a D, and the process earned it.
If Robinson pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it.
They will answer for taking cornerback early while interior defensive lineman and linebacker went begging. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Landing Jennings that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and interior defensive lineman is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.2
· Pick 2
· Marvin Harrison Jr.
· WR
· rank 1
In slot 2 they get a go-to option on the outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R1.3
· Pick 3
· Jayden Daniels
· QB
· rank 8
In the 3rd pick they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R1.21
· Pick 21
· Bralen Trice
· DE-EDGE
· rank 17
In pick 21 they get a disruptor off the edge. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.2
· Pick 34
· Kris Abrams-Draine
· CB
· rank 36
Kris Abrams-Draine at the 34th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· Sedrick Van Pran
· C
· rank 75
Sedrick Van Pran at the Round 3 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Ladd McConkey
· WR
· rank 67
Ladd McConkey at Round 3, Pick 6 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.22
· Pick 85
· TreVeyon Henderson
· RB
· rank 85
TreVeyon Henderson in pick No. 85 is fair value, right on his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R4.33
· Pick 133
· Khyree Jackson
· CB
· rank 130
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman and linebacker to take Khyree Jackson, a cornerback that was not the priority.
R5.3
· Pick 139
· Jaheim Bell
· TE
· rank 139
No edge and no loss on Jaheim Bell in the Round 5 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R5.29
· Pick 165
· Cole Bishop
· S
· rank 158
Nothing to complain about; Cole Bishop went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R5.33
· Pick 169
· Layden Robinson
· OG
· rank 195
Layden Robinson at slot 169 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R6.23
· Pick 198
· JT Daniels
· QB
· rank 193
JT Daniels in No. 198 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.31
· Pick 206
· Tyler Baron
· DL-EDGE
· rank 200
Good price on Tyler Baron in pick No. 206, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R7.3
· Pick 223
· Ali Jennings
· WR
· rank 192
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Ali Jennings in pick 223, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R7.6
· Pick 226
· Steve Linton
· LB-EDGE
· rank 213
Steve Linton is a better player than the 226th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
