The Arizona Cardinals have gotten solid grades for their work in the 2025 NFL draft. I personally gave them an A-minus. I, however, did not rank them against the rest of the teams in the NFL.
NFL.com's Gennaro Filice did, though. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He gave the Cardinals a B-plus. Monti Ossenfort took big swings on pedigreed talent early, and I’m here for it.
Fresh off an 8-9 season with improvement across the board in Year 2 of the Jonathan Gannon era, Arizona feels like a team that could be a spicy addition or two from breaking through. Walter Nolen and Will Johnson could fit that bill. Nolen, who trumped Travis Hunter as ESPN’s No.
1 overall prospect in the recruiting class of 2022, was a polarizing player in the pre-draft process due to his unrefined technique. But nobody could deny the titillating flashes of game-wreckage, which came more often after his transfer from Texas A&M to Ole Miss last year, ultimately leading to his selection in the top half of Round 1. Meanwhile, Johnson is the most pedigreed, polished outside cornerback in this draft class, but Ian Rapoport reported during the first round that the Michigan product had a knee issue that was red-flagged for longevity concerns, thus explaining why he lasted until Pick No.
47. Again, Ossenfort swung from the heels on Thursday and Friday night, but I like the odds on these gambles. His favorite pick is Johnson and his sleeper pick is cornerback Denzel Burke, drafted out of Ohio State in the fifth round.
Johnson is a pick most love, especially considering he went in Round 2 after being projected as high as a top-10 pick. But Burke is going to have a hard time getting into the playing rotation with Garrett Williams and 2024 second-round pick Max Melton. Filice ranked the Cardinals as the No.
10 draft class in the league. The New England Patriots had the highest-ranked draft and the Seattle Seahawks, an NFC West rival, came in at No. 2.
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