What Cardinals Got in Final Draft Pick

Our series taking a look at the Arizona Cardinals' 2025 NFL Draft class comes to a close with Kitan Crawford. The Nevada standout put together a good final season in college on his way out the door. It was much needed, considering the start of his career.

Crawford was highly recruited out of high school as a consensus four-star safety and chose to take his talents to Austin, Texas and play for the Longhorns. It was difficult for him to find the field defensively, but he was recognized across the Big 12 conference for his progress on special teams.

Unfortunately, the lack of production and tape available on him that wasn’t on special teams made it much more difficult to evaluate him. Crawford had just one season in a starting role and even though he showed promise - there were still wrinkles to iron out on his game.

Let’s have a brief breakdown of who Crawford is, what he brings to the table, and what his role will be as a rookie for the Cardinals:

Accomplishments

• Four-star recruit in the 2020 high school class
• Honorable mention All-Big 12 (2023, Special Teams)
• Honorable mention All-Mountain West (2024)
• Appeared in 59 games (46 with Texas, 13 with Nevada)

2025 NFL Draft Profile

• Terrific athlete including 4.41 40-yard dash
• Elite special teams player
• Only 16 starts in five seasons (four with Texas, 12 with Nevada)
• Surpassed all major-statistics in lone season with Nevada from four years with Texas
• Flashed some potential with Nevada, but couldn't find the field with Texas outside of special teams

What The Tape Shows

Crawford could not get on the field as a defender in his four years in Texas. His time with Nevada was much more productive on that side of the ball and he had a chance to show off the potential that made him a four-star recruit out of high school.

There is definitely some fine-tuning needed to his game that was on display with the Wolfpack, but Crawford stuffed the box score across the board. The talent is still there, but he’ll need time and patience to retrieve the promise he had coming out of high school.

Role for 2025

There can be next to zero expectations placed on a seventh round pick if we’re being completely honest and fair. If you’re wondering what to expect this year, look forward to a player who will be competing for their spot on the roster.

Best case scenario for Crawford is to find a role on special teams and work his way up from there.