F
Arizona Cardinals
A weekend the Cardinals spent fighting the board, and losing. F.
by stan93 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 33 picks
· 11 steals
· 7 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Matthew Jones at pick No. 254. The Cardinals jumped the board by 37 and dared it to prove them wrong.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Williams falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
Bottom line, it will take a lot of luck to make this look better later.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a lockdown presence outside. More want than need.
In pick No. 14 they get a building block for the line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Dallas Turner at the 22nd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They read the board right and Taliese Fuaga was the payoff at slot 35. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They went early on Cooper Beebe in pick 38, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Sedrick Van Pran in Round 3, Pick 3; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Bucky Irving. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Devontez Walker at pick 106 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jordan Travis at Round 4, Pick 9 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reach on Cedric Gray in the 114th pick; the board had better options right there. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Theo Wease at the Round 4 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They liked Mohamed Kamara enough to skip the value, taking him in No. 123. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in the 132nd overall pick, where Max Melton graded well above the range. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Justin Rogers in pick No. 134 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid sticker price for Sataoa Laumea in pick No. 140, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ben Sinnott in slot 160 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
A tidy little value on Billy Bowman Jr. in the 162nd pick, a step better than break-even. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Ainias Smith at the 165th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jamari Thrash at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in pick 171: Jaylan Ford for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ashton Gillotte slid further than he should have, and No. 175 is lovely value for the edge rusher. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Lathan Ransom at Round 6, Pick 12 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They did well to land Layden Robinson in pick No. 197, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ali Jennings at slot 201 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and DeWayne Carter at the 211th pick is the proof. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on Miles Frazier in No. 220, a genuine coup. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Ricky Pearsall all the way to the Round 7 slot, and they scooped it up. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jaylin Noel in the 224th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Francisco Mauigoa in pick 231 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
A real head-scratcher, Dominic Lovett in Round 7, Pick 14 is miles ahead of his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Isaiah Williams in the 245th overall pick, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tahj Washington in the 247th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Value said wait; Matthew Jones in slot 254 says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.