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👋 GOOD MORNING
Happy Tuesday! I’ll get into more Cardinals draft stuff below, but first, I don’t know what it was about yesterday, but it felt like an extra-long start to the week. Maybe it was the lack of local sports with the D-backs off and the Mercury still waiting to tip off their season (preseason starts a week from today!), but it just felt like the day took its sweet time.
When in doubt, it’s safe to default to the NHL and/or NBA playoffs. There are so many captivating stories, don’t forget to pick a horse and hold on for the ride! I’m officially on the Maple Leafs and Pistons bandwagons … which usually means the kiss of death, so we’ll see 🙃
Do you have any “adopted” teams this playoff season? Send me a note and let me know who! Would love to share some of your responses in a future issue.
One last note: Remember, if this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up for the newsletter right here, and I’ll keep you in the loop with everything going on this summer! Don’t miss a beat!
On to the show!
How National Experts Graded the Cardinals’ Draft
OK, I’m going to get this out of the way immediately:
I hate draft grades.
This doesn’t just apply to the NFL — I hate these grades across all sports. Players take time to develop, and even the day-one impact guys deserve a lengthy runway as they adjust to exponentially more difficult competition, not to mention life as a professional athlete. Truthfully, realistic grades can’t be assigned for years following any sport’s respective draft.
But, hey, that doesn’t stop the talking heads from trying, and that’s why we’re here today.
Cardinals Lauded for Defensive Picks
The reviews have come swiftly, and most of the pundits place Arizona in the ‘B’ range when it comes to overall grades, though a few ‘A’s did sneak in. Here’s where most of the major outlets ranked the Cardinals’ 2025 draft class:
Mel Kiper, ESPN, B- Overall, GM Monti Ossenfort tried to beef up a clear weakness, and I can’t fault him there. I’m surprised he didn’t take a wideout in a class full of solid players, though. If Johnson becomes a starter, this class could be just fine.
Connor Rogers, NBC Sports, B+ The results of this draft are largely dependent on the health of second-round pick Will Johnson, who I think was a worthy gamble at pick 47 with star potential. Walter Nolen is an athletic, gap-shooting disruptor who ends up on the ground more than you’d like. The Cardinals’ veteran defensive line room is a great place for him to develop into a pro.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com, A- Arizona focused on defense on the first two days of the draft, taking two potential stars in Nolen and Johnson. If Nolen can put it all together and Johnson can stay healthy, they will lift the Cardinals’ defense to a new level.
Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports, B- The Cardinals have gone to extreme lengths to improve the defense this offseason, and that theme continued in the draft. Nolen has immense upside as a pass rusher, and Johnson was probably picked at the proper value in the second round. Both are youthful, splash-play creators.
Nate Tice & Charles McDonald, Yahoo Sports, A I love this draft class. The Cardinals had a clear plan to upgrade their defense and took some big swings on talented players in Walter Nolen and Will Johnson to start their draft class. They doubled down on the defensive line with the selection of do-it-all defensive lineman Jordan Burch from Oregon and took an upside pick with Denzel Burke on Day 3.
SB Nation Collaboration, B It’s difficult to give a team a bad grade when they might have landed one of the biggest draft steals of the last 10 years. If Will Johnson’s injury concerns were overblown in the pre-draft process then the Cardinals got a Top 10 talent in the second round at cornerback. We really liked the defensive focus of this draft, and the gamble with Walter Nolen is fascinating by a normally risk-averse franchise.
My Take: Can you really put too much stock into an exercise like this when a guy like Kiper — who melted down multiple times over Shedeur Sanders’ stunning free fall down the draft board — awards just one A+, and it went to Cleveland? The team that drafted Sanders? That’s ….. a bit ‘sus,’ as my son would say. All the more reason to take all of these grades with a grain of salt, but with all that said, it’s not a bad thing to see mostly rave reviews around the effort put forth this past weekend by GM Monti Ossenfort and his staff.
The fact that they’re not getting universally called out can be reassuring, and a sign the Cardinals are poised to improve from their 8-9 showing last season.
Take a Deeper Dive: Fran Duffy evaluated every pick the Cardinals made last weekend.
Musings From Around (and Sometimes Beyond) The Valley
Jonesin’ For a Coach: Suns GM James Jones may have an uncertain future considering he’s on an expiring contract that has yet to be renewed, but that won’t stop him from leading the search for the team’s next head coach, as it was reported yesterday. So what can you expect this offseason? Gerald has got you covered.
Burke Gets to Work: New Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball coach Becky Burke announced her biggest signing to date, bringing in guard Molly Ladwig, who is All-State out of Omaha, Neb. Ladwig was the third-ranked player out of Nebraska this season.
It’s Never Too Early…: The ASU men’s hockey team released its schedule yesterday, and there are some marquee names on there. The season kicks off Oct. 3 against Penn State — which appeared in the Frozen Four this past season — and also includes non-conference games against Ohio State and Notre Dame.
🧢 Tip of the Hat by Branded Bills
Hope you had a great day, coach!
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