B+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals robbed the room for Allen. Final grade: B+.
by Jos ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
The Cardinals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Braelon Allen fell into pick 188. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. The Jackson pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with tight end and linebacker still on the board.
Jones has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In No. 28 they get a double-digit-sack hope, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Terrion Arnold slid further than he should have, and slot 35 is lovely value for the cornerback. A minor itch, scratched.
They read the board right and Ja'Lynn Polk was the payoff at the 66th pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cooper Beebe. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nothing to complain about; Braden Fiske went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The roster fit checks out.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Khyree Jackson while clear needs at tight end and linebacker sat open.
Dominick Puni in Round 4, Pick 6 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Fair-plus on Justin Eboigbe, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good price on Cole Bishop in the 133rd pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jordan Travis at the 140th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Braelon Allen in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
Matthew Jones at pick No. 225 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Sam Hartman is a better player than Round 7, Pick 7 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.