MadCards 2025 Cardinal Mock Draft V1.0

[MadCardDisease]

With the Combine and major moves in FA in the books it's time to start getting serious about the draft. Having addressed Edge in FA frees the Cardinals to draft the BPA at 16 instead of forcing an Edge rusher.

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#16 - Kenneth Grant - NT/DT - Mich
6'4" 331 lbs

With the Cardinals signing Dalvin Tomlinson in FA they have a solid Veteran at the NT position for the next couple of years. However Gannon and Rallis like to rotate their players along the DL to keep them fresh. Grant would be able to come in right away and contribute as a rotational guy with Tomlinson. He would also provide an immovable front with Tomlinson in Goal Line situations. He would eventually be the man when Tomlinson moves on in a couple years. In two years the Cardinals will have completely rebuilt their DL finally giving Rallis something real to work with.


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TRADE: LA Chargers Trade (#55, #125, #209 and a 2026 5th) in exchange for the Cardinals #47
The Cardinals came into the 2025 NFL Draft light on picks. This move gives them an additional 2025 4th and 6th round pick. It also provides a future 5th in 2026.
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#55 - Jonah Savaiinaea - RG - UofA
6'4" 324 lbs

The Cardinals continue to build from the inside out adding another big boy up front and another Jonah on the right side for that matter. Savaiinaea is a versatile offensive lineman who projects best at RG. The Cardinals coaches will have to work on improving his footwork some but Savaiinaea could potentially be a fixture inside for years to come.


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TRADE: Cardinals Trade (#78, #125(from Chargers), #225) in exchange for the Patriots #69
Monti gets aggressive and uses one of the picks from the Chargers trade earlier to move up in the 3rd round.
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#69(From NE Trade) - Josaiah Stewart - Edge - Mich
6'1" 249 lbs

The Cardinals move up to snag another Wolverine who drops due to a crazy deep defensive draft class. This time it is for the relentless pass rusher Josaiah Stewart. The Cardinals continue to improve the defensive front and finally give Rallis some actual weapons to work with. Gannon loves the violence that Stewart brings to the football field.

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#115 - Jeffrey Bassa - ILB - Oregon
6'1" 232 lbs

The Cardinals can't have enough strong leaders and Bassa exudes leadership. He is a vocal general on the field directing his troops. The Cardinals add this savvy LB to come in and compete at ILB.

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#152 - Ollie Gordon III - RB - Okla St
6'1" 226 lbs

Ollie is a very large punishing RB. I really enjoyed watching him run over everyone last season. Except for the Sun Devils of course who did a great job bottling him up. He is far better that DeMercado and could push Benson for the #2 RB spot. He drops to the 5th due to a super deep RB class this year.

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#209(from Chargers trade) - Dominick Lovett - WR - Georgia
5'10" 185 lbs

Smaller of stature but fearless, Lovett will compete for the slot position. Solid speed and route running. He will help immediately on special teams.

 

[Stout]

I could live with it.

 

[Harry]

Wild idea.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Wild idea.

What? Stout Living with something? Or my Mock Draft?

 

[Harry]

What? Stout Living with something? Or my Mock Draft?

Your trade!

 

[DVontel]

Man the hate DeMercado catches from this fanbase is so insane


Ollie’s hype really fell off this past year

 

[PDXChris]

The only pick I'm not crazy about is the RB, but I wouldn't be mad. Otherwise, sign me up for this!

 

[kerouac9]

Man the hate DeMercado catches from this fanbase is so insane


Ollie’s hype really fell off this past year

Facts! He kept Trey Benson on the bench all year!

 

[MadCardDisease]

Facts! He kept Trey Benson on the bench all year!

DeMercado was used primarily as a 3rd down back in 2024. Mostly because I don't think the Cardinals trusted the rookie Benson in pass protection.

Benson was essentially on the bench behind Conner as a more traditional RB. Benson had 63 rushing attempts in 2024. While DeMercado had only 24 rushing attempts but he had far more receptions than Benson. I don't see Benson in competition with DeMercado. Benson was in competition with Conner.

Gordon, while a bigger back, is much better catching the ball out of the backfield than one would expect for a guy his size. Gordon is also a much better pass blocker than Benson. I see Gordon as an upgrade/competition to DeMercado. Gordon can block in the passing game, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and all the while he can still be a force as a downhill runner.

I'm not hating on DeMercado. I think he would be a great guy to stash on the Practice Squad to fill in for injuries. However I think the Cardinals can upgrade and add more competition to the position.

 

[kerouac9]

DeMercado was used primarily as a 3rd down back in 2024. Mostly because I don't think the Cardinals trusted the rookie Benson in pass protection.

Benson was essentially on the bench behind Conner as a more traditional RB. Benson had 63 rushing attempts in 2024. While DeMercado had only 24 rushing attempts but he had far more receptions than Benson. I don't see Benson in competition with DeMercado. Benson was in competition with Conner.

I'm not hating on DeMercado. I think he would be a great guy to stash on the Practice Squad to fill in for injuries. However I think the Cardinals can upgrade and add more competition to the position.

Conner - 619 offensive snaps, 291 opportunities (targets plus rushes)
Benson - 127 offensive snaps, 83 opportunities
Demercado - 164 offensive snaps, 44 opportunities

If Benson were the better back, there's no reason why he shouldn't have gotten more opportunities.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Conner - 619 offensive snaps, 291 opportunities (targets plus rushes)
Benson - 127 offensive snaps, 83 opportunities
Demercado - 164 offensive snaps, 44 opportunities

If Benson were the better back, there's no reason why he shouldn't have gotten more opportunities.

Again it comes down to the Cardinals not being comfortable with Benson in pass protection. Hence why DeMercado got most of the 3rd down reps.

 

[BirdGangThing]

Again it comes down to the Cardinals not being comfortable with Benson in pass protection. Hence why DeMercado got most of the 3rd down reps.

and less opportunities

 

[kerouac9]

Again it comes down to the Cardinals not being comfortable with Benson in pass protection. Hence why DeMercado got most of the 3rd down reps.

That's an assumption without evidence tho. Doesn't really explain why Benson couldn't help share Conner's load.

 

[PDXChris]

Conner - 619 offensive snaps, 291 opportunities (targets plus rushes)
Benson - 127 offensive snaps, 83 opportunities
Demercado - 164 offensive snaps, 44 opportunities

If Benson were the better back, there's no reason why he shouldn't have gotten more opportunities.

Benson - 65% opportunity rate
Conner - 47% opportunity rate
Demercado - 27% opportunity rate

When in the field, Benson had by far the highest opportunity rate, so they saw something last year. Hopefully he gets on the field more with that same rate, but time with tell! I'd love to see a more 50/50 early to save Conners legs for a playoff run!

 

[MadCardDisease]

That's an assumption without evidence tho. Doesn't really explain why Benson couldn't help share Conner's load.

Cardinals rookie RB Trey Benson understands he still is learning after two-snap game against Lions

The Cardinals were always going to lean on veteran James Conner in the backfield. Emari Demercado is a better blocker. Benson is going to have to keep earning those snaps.

 

[Denny Green Fan]

With the Combine and major moves in FA in the books it's time to start getting serious about the draft. Having addressed Edge in FA frees the Cardinals to draft the BPA at 16 instead of forcing an Edge rusher.

You must be registered for see images attach

#16 - Kenneth Grant - NT/DT - Mich
6'4" 331 lbs

With the Cardinals signing Dalvin Tomlinson in FA they have a solid Veteran at the NT position for the next couple of years. However Gannon and Rallis like to rotate their players along the DL to keep them fresh. Grant would be able to come in right away and contribute as a rotational guy with Tomlinson. He would also provide an immovable front with Tomlinson in Goal Line situations. He would eventually be the man when Tomlinson moves on in a couple years. In two years the Cardinals will have completely rebuilt their DL finally giving Rallis something real to work with.


******************
TRADE: LA Chargers Trade (#55, #125, #209 and a 2026 5th) in exchange for the Cardinals #47
The Cardinals came into the 2025 NFL Draft light on picks. This move gives them an additional 2025 4th and 6th round pick. It also provides a future 5th in 2026.
******************

You must be registered for see images attach

#55 - Jonah Savaiinaea - RG - UofA
6'4" 324 lbs

The Cardinals continue to build from the inside out adding another big boy up front and another Jonah on the right side for that matter. Savaiinaea is a versatile offensive lineman who projects best at RG. The Cardinals coaches will have to work on improving his footwork some but Savaiinaea could potentially be a fixture inside for years to come.


********************
TRADE: Cardinals Trade (#78, #125(from Chargers), #225) in exchange for the Patriots #69
Monti gets aggressive and uses one of the picks from the Chargers trade earlier to move up in the 3rd round.
********************

You must be registered for see images attach

#69(From NE Trade) - Josaiah Stewart - Edge - Mich
6'1" 249 lbs

The Cardinals move up to snag another Wolverine who drops due to a crazy deep defensive draft class. This time it is for the relentless pass rusher Josaiah Stewart. The Cardinals continue to improve the defensive front and finally give Rallis some actual weapons to work with. Gannon loves the violence that Stewart brings to the football field.

You must be registered for see images attach

#115 - Jeffrey Bassa - ILB - Oregon
6'1" 232 lbs

The Cardinals can't have enough strong leaders and Bassa exudes leadership. He is a vocal general on the field directing his troops. The Cardinals add this savvy LB to come in and compete at ILB.

You must be registered for see images attach

#152 - Ollie Gordon III - RB - Okla St
6'1" 226 lbs

Ollie is a very large punishing RB. I really enjoyed watching him run over everyone last season. Except for the Sun Devils of course who did a great job bottling him up. He is far better that DeMercado and could push Benson for the #2 RB spot. He drops to the 5th due to a super deep RB class this year.

You must be registered for see images attach

#209(from Chargers trade) - Dominick Lovett - WR - Georgia
5'10" 185 lbs

Smaller of stature but fearless, Lovett will compete for the slot position. Solid speed and route running. He will help immediately on special teams.

I would be doing cartwheels down the main interstate here in western Kentucky if this was our draft….2 physical lineman plus a pass rusher and inside backer…

 

[Russ Smith]

Again it comes down to the Cardinals not being comfortable with Benson in pass protection. Hence why DeMercado got most of the 3rd down reps.

Which is why I wouldn't count on Gordon, or any rookie RB for that matter, to instantly be better than Benson in pass pro. It's just a whole different animal in the NFL from college. The size and speed and the amount of things you have to look for it's just MUCH harder to pass pro in the NFL.

Benson was not bad at it in college and was a really good receiver in college but he was a bit overwhelmed IMO at that and it impacted his PT. Demercado picked it up much quicker his rookie year.

I'm expecting a breakout type year from Benson but then I expected much more from him last year, and just when he had started to really come on he got hurt and sat out the end of the year which bugged me. I still really like him but I was disappointed in what we got from him last year.

 

[kerouac9]

I still really like him but I was disappointed in what we got from him last year.

This is a good and fair take.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Benson was not bad at it in college and was a really good receiver in college but he was a bit overwhelmed IMO at that and it impacted his PT. Demercado picked it up much quicker his rookie year.

I watched a lot of FSU games back when Benson was there since my Niece and Nephew were both attending FSU in 2022 and 2023. Benson was rarely asked to block in pass protection and was usually out running a pattern since he is fairly good at catching the ball out of the backfield.

Here is a good video breaking down Benson's strengths and weaknesses. If you go to around the 5 minute mark you will see why Benson wasn't often asked to block much in the passing game:

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Again pass protection is something that you can eventually teach, but Benson wasn't asked to do it much while at FSU and clearly the Cardinals were not comfortable with him doing it at the pro level yet.

EDIT: Although this is true with a lot of Rookie RBs as they are not asked to block much at the College level these days.

 

[Chopper0080]

Which is why I wouldn't count on Gordon, or any rookie RB for that matter, to instantly be better than Benson in pass pro. It's just a whole different animal in the NFL from college. The size and speed and the amount of things you have to look for it's just MUCH harder to pass pro in the NFL.

Benson was not bad at it in college and was a really good receiver in college but he was a bit overwhelmed IMO at that and it impacted his PT. Demercado picked it up much quicker his rookie year.

I'm expecting a breakout type year from Benson but then I expected much more from him last year, and just when he had started to really come on he got hurt and sat out the end of the year which bugged me. I still really like him but I was disappointed in what we got from him last year.

I know people will jump all over me for this, but I think 2025 is kinda a make or break year for Benson. This team is too high rush volume to head into 2026 with Benson not being the 1a to Conner's 1b. The Cardinals will invest signifcantly in another RB in 2026 if Benson has not shown that he is the guy.

 

[football karma]

but I think 2025 is kinda a make or break year for Benson.

not unreasonable at all

the Cards took him to be a 1a kinda back -- he needs to take some burden off of Connor

we saw flashes last year -- and in fairness: he averaged 4.6 yards a carry. Set aside the first Rams game where he carried 11 times for 10 yards -- the other 10 games where he got a carry, he averaged 5.4 yards a pop. Thats pretty solid.

the problem was he was hurt when the team needed him most: the last month of the season when Connor was hurt.

 

[MadCardDisease]

I know people will jump all over me for this, but I think 2025 is kinda a make or break year for Benson. This team is too high rush volume to head into 2026 with Benson not being the 1a to Conner's 1b. The Cardinals will invest signifcantly in another RB in 2026 if Benson has not shown that he is the guy.

Yep, I agree.

Teams don't have to be locked into RBs since a decent replacement can easily be found via FA or the draft. I actually prefer drafting a "Day 3 RB" pretty much every year since the position is like a meat grinder and RB careers tend to be very short. Not to mention in a 17 week season, RBs are very likely going to miss time due to injury. Hence why I have the Cardinals taking a RB in round 5 this year.

The main reason that I really want a RB this year is because it is one of the deepest RB drafts I have seen in quite some time. There are plenty of steals to be had at RB on day 3 of the draft this year and I hope the Cardinals are smart enough to see the value and draft one.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Let's face it - how many more productive years does Conner have left? His level of play dropped as the season wore on, and his style of play in general leads to more injuries, and won't age well.

 

[kerouac9]

Let's face it - how many more productive years does Conner have left? His level of play dropped as the season wore on, and his style of play in general leads to more injuries, and won't age well.

Yeah we used him a lot to get to eight wins. I think the Cards were disappointed that Benson wasn’t able to contribute more.

Conner’s work rate against Washington, Chicago, Seattle, and New England is pretty indefensible if you are a team expecting to play in the postseason.