Grading NFL teams’ drafts after one night seems unreasonable but it is basically a reaction of talent vs. value. So how did the Arizona Cardinals do with their selection of linebacker Zaven Collins with the 16th pick in the draft?
It was about as good as they could have done.
Because of how the draft played out, there was no way for the Cardinals to get an A by staying at No. 16. The players that would have given them an A grade were all gone by the time the Cardinals made their selection.
Receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith or cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II would have earned high grades.
Had they traded back in the draft, landed Collins and a Day 2 pick, I would give them an A.
But taking another linebacker in the first round, especially one who might not get a ton of playing time as a rookie because Jordan Hicks is still on the team, is not necessarily the best use of a first-round pick.
So the best we can give the Cardinals here is simply a B. There’s nothing wrong with the pick, but if he was who the Cardinals were going to get, it would have been better to have gotten him a little later.
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