The Arizona Cardinals won the 2025 NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers lost. Badly.
From the very first round, the Cardinals outsmarted their division rivals on draft night.
The 49ers have spent most of the last decade dominating the NFC West, as the Cardinals have struggled to find any level of success. It looks like the tides are changing.
Cardinals fans can’t help but laugh as 49ers flunk NFL Draft
The San Francisco 49ers were in desperate need of roster help after their mass exodus in free agency. Their defense was full of holes, with Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Leonard Floyd all finding new homes. Heading into the weekend, they had needs at all three levels of their defense.
The offense wasn’t much better. With Deebo Samuel shipped to Washington, the 49ers were in desperate need of another receiving threat. Their offensive line is wearing thin, especially as Trent Williams ages.
San Francisco attempted to fill out their roster through the draft, but they reached massively on many of their picks.
In the first round, the 49ers took a developmental edge rusher in Mykel Williams, leaving the Cardinals to take Walter Nolen (the better prospect according to many experts).
San Francisco’s most egregious reach came in the third round, when they drafted Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin. I had Martin listed as a potential fit for the Cardinals… in the seventh round.
They turned their attention to the offense in the fourth round, reaching again for a return specialist of a receiver, Jordan Watkins out of Ole Miss.
They picked a running back (which is becoming a 49ers staple) in the fifth round. Jordan James is a good player, but he may not see the field behind Christian McCaffrey and Isaac Guerendo.
As if hoping for a repeat of the Brock Purdy pick, the 49ers took Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the seventh round.
PFF gave the 49ers a D grade for their abysmal draft. The Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, were given an A+.
The Cardinals, unlike the 49ers, drafted for overall value rather than reaching for players who could fill needs. In both the first and second rounds, Arizona picked up top-20 prospects. They consistently found value with their picks and completely rebuilt their defense in the process.
The Arizona Cardinals are no longer the laughingstock of the NFC West. Now, we’re the ones laughing.