D+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals left with their quarterback, and a D+ to match.
by Bobbo ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Cardinals, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. Hard to defend, and the D+ reflects that.
So much rides on Bo Nix that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. The Cardinals indulged a want in James while a need in tight end stayed open. Getting James where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
That tight end hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and tight end is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 13 they get an anchor for the defensive front. A real need, handled.
In the 14th overall pick they get a building block for the line at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the Round 1 slot they get the arm they will build around. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Adonai Mitchell in pick 44, a genuine coup. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Chop Robinson at Round 2, Pick 30 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick No. 66 is the definition of value, full stop. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jermaine Burton reach the 71st pick and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Junior Colson in No. 77 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A curious use of the 104th overall pick. Tight end needed the pick; a cornerback in D.J. James did not.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Cade Stover at TE-EDGE with tight end open.
A tidy bit of business in Round 4, Pick 33, where Justin Eboigbe graded well above the range. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Ray Davis in pick No. 140 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.