Cardinals' Grades in NFL Draft Range From A to Questionable

The Arizona Cardinals' 2026 draft is now in the rearview mirror.

The Cardinals made all seven of their original draft selections and feel confident in the mix of short-term/long-term players that are arriving to the desert after this weekend.

Arizona's draft haul consists of the following:

Round 1. Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love (Pick 3 overall)
Round 2. Texas A&M OG Chase Bisontis (Pick 34)
Round 3. Miami QB Carson Beck (Pick 65)
Round 4. Southeastern Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor (Pick 104)
Round 5. Texas Tech WR Reggie Virgil (Pick 143)
Round 6. Iowa LB Karson Sharar (Pick 183)
Round 7. Ole Miss OT Jayden Williams (Pick 217)

We gave you guys our four biggest takeaways earlier today, and now it's time to move towards the plethora of national draft grades:

USA Today: C-

Nate Davis wasn't quite a fan of the Jeremiyah Love pick at No. 3.

"It seems like they maybe filled appropriate positions? But perhaps in the wrong order? Love, arguably this draft’s preeminent player, arrived via the third overall pick," he wrote.

"And while it feels wrong to ding GM Monti Ossenfort for adhering to the oft-trumpeted 'draft the best player available' maxim, it also seems like he might have relegated Love to an existence similar to the one Saquon Barkley suffered for years while serving as the offensive focal point of the quarterback-hindered Giants."

The Cardinals finished 29th across the league.

Positional value was thrown out the window. Arizona hopes Love can be much more than just a running back for them.

Sporting News: B

Vinnie Iyer had the Cardinals a bit higher than Davis at No. 21:

"The Cardinals drafted more like a contender with the early luxury of Love as a workhorse running back, but at least GM Monti Ossenfort supported it with Bisontis to upgrade the blocking. Beck is where the class went awry, forcing a QB pick that wasn’t needed with no Ty Simpson. Choppy is the best description for this class, with little value on Day 3," he wrote.

There's certainly value that came on Day 3, at least in terms of Proctor's arrival. The Beck pick did come a bit earlier than anticipated, to Iyer's credit.

CBS Sports: B-

The Beck selection individually got a D grade despite Arizona's overall draft class being graded as it was from Carter Bahns.

"Beck's arm is a real concern following a senior year at Miami in which he struggled to hit some deep throws. His UCL injury at the end of his Georgia career also clouds his long-term future. That's not quite the sure thing a team would prefer when taking what it hopes is a franchise signal-caller," he wrote.

The good news? Beck isn't being relied on as a future franchise quarterback, as his selection absolutely still leaves the door open for Arizona to explore other quarterback options next offseason.

NFL.com: A

The running game got massively upgraded this weekend, and that was a focal point for Chad Reuter in the high grading of Arizona's haul:

"The Cardinals chose the best offensive threat in the draft third overall, with Love's strength, vision and ability to score from anywhere on the field apparently trumping the narrative that running backs aren't worth a top-five pick. Bisontis is a nasty blocker worthy of his early second-round selection," he wrote.

The Cardinals were one of two teams to have an "A" grade or higher on their draft.

Sports Illustrated: B

Gilberto Manzano says perhaps the Cardinals spent too much time and effort focusing on improving the rushing attack.

"There’s no doubt that the Cardinals’ rushing attack will be better in 2026 with Love making dynamic plays and Bisontis providing rushing lanes. Still, you could argue that the team paid too much attention to improving the running game," he wrote.

"In free agency, Arizona had added Tyler Allgeier to a backfield that already had Trey Benson and James Conner. The Cardinals ignored their hole at right tackle and used a third-round pick on a quarterback who might not offer much upside as a long-term starter."

ESPN: B

Mel Kiper says with the newly added offensive pieces, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the key to unlocking this Cardinals offense:

"If LaFleur can just get Marvin Harrison Jr. on track, there's some hope for this offense. Even if the real QB answer doesn't come until next year, the surrounding players are starting to fall into place. That said, the defense needs to play some catch-up, too. The Cards didn't make a single defensive pick until Kaleb Proctor at No. 104, and they didn't do much there in free agency, either. That kept Arizona in 'B' territory."

The overall sentiment for Arizona's drafts is mostly good, with the Love selection being mostly understood and the Beck pick being devisive across draft grades.

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