D+
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals left with their quarterback, and a D+ to match.
by Ash ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The trade table was where it all came apart. The Cardinals shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill. A D+ that will need time and luck to look better.
Whatever Bo Nix becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. With tight end and interior defensive lineman unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them.
A whole weekend of picks and tight end is somehow still a want. The Nugent reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 16th overall pick they get their quarterback of the future. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 27 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Chop Robinson in slot 35 is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They liked Junior Colson enough to skip the value, taking him in No. 66. The roster fit checks out.
They jumped the gun on Jalen McMillan, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Mike Sainristil at the Round 3 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A tidy bit of business in pick 90, where Christian Mahogany graded well above the range. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Khyree Jackson adds a cornerback and leaves tight end and interior defensive lineman untouched.
Drake Nugent in slot 133 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach for Keith Randolph Jr. in Round 5, Pick 4; a little patience would have been rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They did well to land Julian Pearl in the 188th pick, just ahead of his grade. It fits a board better than it fits this team.
Taulia Tagovailoa at No. 225 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the quarterback. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Blake Watson at the Round 7 slot is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.