You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Cardinals did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.

Everything downstream of Cam Ward depends on Cam Ward, and the building knows it. Leaving wide receiver unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.

The Ward pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.

Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and wide receiver is still a hole.