Grade C – Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Draft Grade – No Help for Kyler Murray

There is little to suggest that the Arizona Cardinals improved their roster in the 2025 draft. There is no reason to believe the 2025 rookie class will make the team better than last season’s Cardinals’ 8-9 record. For that reason, the Cardinals’ grade is a: C.

Six of their seven picks were on the defensive side of the ball. For a defense ranked 15^th in points given up per game, compared to an offense that ranked 12^th in points scored per game, there should have been more balance compared to a defense-heavy draft.

After the draft, Arizona Cardinals fans will again spend the off-season wondering if Kyler Murray will be a leader and have a true breakout year. The draft of an offensive guard (Hayden Conner) does nothing to think that Murray will have the weapons to lead the team to the playoffs.

Will Walter Nolen be the Next Robert Nkemdiche?

The Cardinals’ first-round pick, Walter Nolen from Ole Miss, is a defensive lineman many draft experts gave low grades. The knock on Nolan is that he did not seem to be a practice player and a player in love with football. Back in 2016, the Cardinals picked Robert Nkemdiche in the first round. Scouts said Nkemdiche was not a good practice player and seemed to quit at times on game day. Ironically, Nkemdiche played his college football at Ole Miss. Nkemdiche was a bust from the start. Early on, Nkemdiche was not. Are you ready for this? A player who practiced hard and came to the game prepared. The hope is that history does not repeat itself.

Walter Nolen, Ole Miss – Grade = D 

Will Arizona Cardinals’ Johnson be the next Tyrann Mathieu?

Second-round pick Will Johnson from Michigan had a good 2023 season, but then his production dropped in 2024. A season-ending injury at Michigan and a rumor of a knee issue seemed to move Johnson from a first-round pick to the second round. Scouts agree that he is athletic, and many are interested to see if his last season was the outlier compared to when he was one of the key pieces of a national championship team.

Not as similar as the Nolan to Nkemdiche comparison, but this pick does have some similarities to the Cardinals’ 2013 draft pick of Tyrann Mathieu. Nobody doubted Mathieu’s ability, but he dropped out of the first round because of off-field incidents that led to jail time compared to a regular last season of college football. That pick paid off well for the Arizona Cardinals.

It seems more logical that Nolan can shake off the rust and perform at a high level based on his 2023 season than that Nolan becomes a force on the D line in year one. When your special project pick in round two may perform better than your first-rounder, you are headed for just an average draft class.

Will Johnson, Michigan – Grade B

The Rest of the Draft Class:

• Grade = C: Round 3, Pick 78: Jordan Burch – Oregon – Outside Linebacker
• Grade = C: Grade Round 4, Pick 115: Cody Simon – Ohio State – Inside Linebacker
• Grade = B: Round 5, Pick 174: Denzel Burke – Ohio State – Cornerback
• Grade = C: Round 6, Pick 211: Hayden Conner – Texas – Offensive Guard
• Grade = C: Round 7, Pick 225: Kitan Crawford – Nevada – Safety

The Draft Class Has Three National Championship Rings

Will drafting players from a major program that are winners be the new formula? The Arizona Cardinals seem to be hopeful of this. Of the seven Cardinals players drafted, Johnson (Michigan), Cody Simon, and Denzel Burker (both Ohio State) won the national title in college.

Two, Conner (Texas) and Jordan Burch (Oregon) played in the College Football Playoff. Nolan played for Ole Miss who Lane Kiffin thinks should have made the college playoffs. Perhaps this winning mentality will be an edge that makes this class better than their C grade. With no new weapons for Murray, this seems unlikely.