Ranking Every Cardinals Draft Pick's Potential

The Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Draft class will be looked at to produce out at the gate rahter than turn into long-term projects. For a Cardinals team that was on the cusp of a playoff appearance last year, it’s pivotal they get the most out of their rookies from day one than it is year three.

Arizona made some awesome selections and added players who can accomplish just that.

Those players can not only can start at the gate, but could become stars down the road.

Here, we are taking a look at Arizona’s 2025 draft picks and ranking them based on their total upside for the entirety of their careers - not just as rookies.

1) Walter Nolen

Sure, it’s easy to say that a team’s first-round pick has the most upside of anyone else in the draft class. But that would be a disservice to Nolen to say that’s the sole reason why he has the top spot.

There’s so much untapped potential here with Nolen and it should have Cardinals fans over the moon to think about how good he can become. I don’t know what the ceiling is for him, but I do know that the only thing stopping him from greatness is his self.

2) Will Johnson

Johnson falling to the second round had far more to do with his injury status than talent. I assure you if injuries weren’t a long-term concern that he would’ve been a top 20 selection — perhaps Arizona’s first-round pick.

The Michigan star has elite ball skills to not only create turnovers, but turned them into touchdowns. If he’s not doing that, he is shutting down his assignment. Johnson has the best chance of any player from this draft class to be the best day two selection made.

3) Cody Simon

We saw Simon inherit a full-time role this past season with Ohio State and he turned it into a box score of work of art. But could this be a sign of things to come?

Simon was flying around the field and consistently found himself near the ball. He made plays in the backfield and coverage after earning the respect of this team. Perhaps his numbers are a sign of things to come and he turns into a savant at the position for the Cardinals.

4) Jordan Burch

We have a fairly good idea of what Burch is after several seasons playing college ball. But with that being said, he did enjoy a drastic increase in production when it came to sacks last season. It does leave a little bit of optimism available that he’s tapping into a potency to bring down the quarterback.

Seeing how Burch fits into this Cardinals defense has peaked my Intrigue. I’m heavily quoted for stating how much I enjoy and trust this coaching staff, so if anyone were to be able to continue working on Burch, it would be this group.

5) Denzel Burke

Similar to Burch, we have a pretty good idea of who Burke is. Unlike Burch, Burke hasn’t harnessed the totality of his potential as of now. But it still may be there.

Burke has intangibles that can’t be taught and with some good coaching and refinement of his skills he could reach his potential. He would require more work and certainly more patience than others, but there’s a reason the Cardinals wanted to make sure they got a player whose draft stock was completely volatile.

6) Kitan Crawford

Crawford’s versatility is difficult to gauge as a seventh-round pick. There’s not many expectations that can be placed on him that are fair or reasonable, but he does have traits that could translate to the pros.

The way that I would judge Crawford‘s potential would be closer to finding a way to stick with the team even in a niche roll. Crawford has the makeup to become a stud special teams player, and his unteachable speed would give him an advantage of others. If he can find a way to stick there first, there’s always a chance for another step forward.

7) Hayden Conner

Conner has shown he’s not much more than a depth player on your team, but that doesn’t suddenly mean he is some bad football player. After all, you don’t start on an offensive line that was one of the best in college football last season by accident.

How good he can be isn’t something we can know with absolute certainty, but he was recruited well out of high school and maybe good coaching away from taking the next step.