C-
Arizona Cardinals
Flashes of a plan, unevenly executed. Cardinals: C-.
by NFL 2024 3 ROUND ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 0 steals
· 6 reaches
Nobody else had Graham Mertz anywhere near the 68th overall pick. The Cardinals did, by 142 spots, and that gap is the whole story. For now it grades a C-, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
They punted on offensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it. The skill positions did well by the weekend.
Hit on Jonathon Brooks and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get an every-down engine for the run game, a steep price for the projection. A real need, handled.
In pick No. 17 they get a double-digit-sack hope, though the board says they badly overpaid. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Cedric Gray in the 36th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Graham Mertz in pick 68 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J. Michael Sturdivant in Round 3, Pick 7, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Ben Sinnott at the 81st overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.