A-
Arizona Cardinals
Best value of the weekend goes to the Cardinals for Sturdivant: A-.
by Jrico1020 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Cardinals watched J. Michael Sturdivant slide 34 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
The cost of the McGregor reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
In the end it comes back to Jer'Zhan Newton, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 10 they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher at fair value.
In slot 32 they get protection for the quarterback. The biggest hole, addressed.
Tyler Nubin in the 39th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Jackson Powers-Johnson at pick No. 66 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 3 slot with a little surplus value in Jeremiah Trotter Jr.. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy bit of business in No. 95, where Johnny Wilson graded well above the range. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Donovan Jackson in pick 129, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Tommy Eichenberg went about where he belonged in the 132nd overall pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy little value on Sataoa Laumea in pick 133, a step better than break-even. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Johnny Dixon slipping to the Round 5 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They took Jaheim Bell at par in the 143rd pick, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Justin Rogers in the 166th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jaylen Harrell in pick No. 188, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Braiden McGregor at slot 189 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
J. Michael Sturdivant in Round 6, Pick 27 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nothing to complain about; Miyan Williams went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Zion Nelson in pick No. 253, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.