C+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals let Prather fall into their laps, and walked away with a C+.
by Joker ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
The Cardinals lost the trade war and it was not close, handing partners the better end again and again. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C+ in the wash.
With quarterback unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them. On value alone, Prather makes the weekend a net positive. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
Keon Coleman in pick 26 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. went about where he belonged in the 35th overall pick. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Chop Robinson in the 36th pick is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid sticker price for Tyler Guyton in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick No. 66 on Denzel Burke with quarterback unsolved.
A straight-up fair deal on Mekhi Wingo at slot 67, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at Round 3, Pick 7 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A want over a need in the 89th pick: Maason Smith adds a DT-EDGE while quarterback keeps waiting.
They took Blake Fisher at par in No. 104, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Cedric Gray at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Ben Sinnott at pick No. 140 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Cody Schrader at slot 188 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay Kaden Prather at pick 225 for years; that is how good the value is. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Omar Speights. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.