ryknyse'S MOCK DRAFT
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ryknyse'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 29, 2026

Cardinals

  • ryknyse DRAFTING FOR THE
    Cardinals
Draft Selections
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 12 RND: 1 (ARI)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Akheem Mesidor Head Shot
PICK: 20 RND: 1 (ARI)
Akheem Mesidor
DL-EDGE Miami
Blake Miller Head Shot
PICK: 34 RND: 2 (ARI)
Blake Miller
OT Clemson
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 65 RND: 3 (ARI)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 104 RND: 4 (ARI)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
Jaeden Roberts Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (ARI)
Jaeden Roberts
OG Alabama
Pat Coogan Head Shot
PICK: 183 RND: 6 (ARI)
Pat Coogan
C Indiana
Keyshaun Elliott Head Shot
PICK: 217 RND: 7 (ARI)
Keyshaun Elliott
LB Arizona State
Draft Picks Received
Kayden McDonald Head Shot
PICK: 12 RND: 1 (DAL)
Kayden McDonald
DT Ohio State
Akheem Mesidor Head Shot
PICK: 20 RND: 1 (DAL)
Akheem Mesidor
DL-EDGE Miami
Draft Picks Traded
David Bailey Head Shot
PICK: 3 RND: 1 (DAL)
David Bailey
LB-EDGE Texas Tech
Players Gained
Head Shot
Tyler Smith
OT
Draft Grade — Cardinals
Overall B
ValueC+ NeedB TradesA+ FutureB-
The Cardinals let Ponds fall and pounced. Final grade: B.

If you want a masterclass in dealing, watch the Cardinals, who turned every swap into a profit this weekend. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.

If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. The Ponds pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The cost of the Mesidor reach is exactly the players who went right after him.

A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.

Pick Analysis
Pick12 Rnd1 Kayden McDonald
In the 12th overall pick they get a disruptive interior force, even if it was a touch early. A real need, handled.
Pick20 Rnd1 Akheem Mesidor
Akheem Mesidor at pick 20 is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick34 Rnd2 Blake Miller
They paid up for Blake Miller at pick No. 34 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick65 Rnd3 D'Angelo Ponds
They robbed the room for D'Angelo Ponds here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick104 Rnd4 Bryce Lance
Bryce Lance at the 104th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick143 Rnd5 Jaeden Roberts
Jaeden Roberts at No. 143 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick183 Rnd6 Pat Coogan
Pat Coogan in pick 183 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick217 Rnd7 Keyshaun Elliott
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Keyshaun Elliott. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.