Monti's Draft Grades 2026

[JustWinBaby]

It seems like Beck has been playing college football for the last decade, well he almost has. In those years he has seemed to be the quarterback for a team with a legit shot at the national championship every year. I do not know how he has was able to play college ball for so many years but he was paid very well to do so. Miami had a legit shot at beating Indiana.

We have no choice but to give him a shot. I think he was the head coach's pick. I am anxious to see him play. I like Bissett but could care less if he is on our team next year. He won one freaking game.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I completely disagree. From a roster-building perspective this draft was a catastrophe. How does this fit in with the team Monti has been constructing the past three years?

There is a lot of truth to that K9 but then this team changed direction by the coach hired and what his vision is. One could then say too that they did not draft well with the other coach unless it was the coach's fault not utilizing what he felt was needed. Just hope this current approach compliments the new direction.

 

[PDXChris]

Please make it happen with Calais!

Cardinals in 'wait-and-see mode' with Calais Campbell - Arizona Sports

The Cardinals have been in contact with Calais Campbell on another potential reunion, but they're stuck in wait-and-see mode as the 18-year veteran considers his options.

arizonasports.com

 

[JCSunsfan]

Incomplete.

 

[kerouac9]

There is a lot of truth to that K9 but then this team changed direction by the coach hired and what his vision is. One could then say too that they did not draft well with the other coach unless it was the coach's fault not utilizing what he felt was needed. Just hope this current approach compliments the new direction.

I’m 100% sure the roster vision is Monti’s and has been. I don’t think Gannon would’ve placed Kyler on IR.

I think people saying “I trust MLF” are in deep cope. He hasn’t done anything in the league and I don’t think he has much input.

 

[oaken1]

another way to look at it. Not a grade but a sense of what is valued.

Monti tends to value athleticism scores

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My guess,..is because RAS does not factor in system.

you get a lot of guys that put up production because the system they play in leans into their strengths. RAS just gives you a physical profile that you can expect results from in any system..and you can highlight specific traits that shine in your particular system

 

[BritCard]

Draft grades are worthless. Even Monti said it. You don't know what you have until you get to camp.

I will say this. Through rounds 1-4 (which IMO are the rounds that count) I thought he took BPA, or at least someone that you could argue was BPA, apart from Beck.

I love they we took Love. He was the best player in the draft and will be entertaining for us fans to watch. Many of my favorite plays came during the small window when David Johnson was great.

When I listed options at #34 Bisontis was the first name I listed. He's one of the best G's in the draft and still only 21.

When it got to round 4 Kaleb Proctor was the first name I listed too.

After that I really don't know as I don't watch players expected to go that far back and it's a crap shoot anyway.

Even with the Beck pick, as much as I don't like it, I'm not looking at the round 3 picks and thinking "Damn we should have taken that guy", but I would have gone with a different QB.

Beck aside, I think he drafted about as well as anyone could through 4 rounds given what was available, but you never know how they will turn out in the NFL.

 

[oaken1]

Draft grades are worthless. Even Monti said it. You don't know what you have until you get to camp.

I will say this. Through rounds 1-4 (which IMO are the rounds that count) I thought he took BPA, or at least someone that you could argue was BPA, apart from Beck.

I love they we took Love. He was the best player in the draft and will be entertaining for us fans to watch. Many of my favorite plays came during the small window when David Johnson was great.

When I listed options at #34 Bisontis was the first name I listed. He's one of the best G's in the draft and still only 21.

When it got to round 4 Kaleb Proctor was the first name I listed too.

After that I really don't know as I don't watch players expected to go that far back and it's a crap shoot anyway.

Even with the Beck pick, as much as I don't like it, I'm not looking at the round 3 picks and thinking "Damn we should have taken that guy", but I would have gone with a different QB.

Beck aside, I think he drafted about as well as anyone could through 4 rounds given what was available, but you never know how they will turn out in the NFL.

agree for the most part.
Like I said in a different post...it was like I was making the picks.
except I like Beck as a QB..he has by far the most experience which is a major trait teams look for,as well as the biggest success indicator.
I would not have been mad if we drafted Allar or Nussmeier instead though...Allar is a prototype with all the tools,..and Nuss has an "IT" factor that he just wins...he wins situations, which leads to winning games.... But Nuss is kinda small...and I think I am done with statistical outliers at QB and LB for a while.

Kaleb Proctor might be my favorite pick...not sure how I missed him leading up to the draft...I love watching that kid play.

But I also like Reggie Virgil. Great length, solid game speed, incredible strength for his weight...and a natural ability to track the ball and highpoint...and a natural hands catcher..
Monti is right...had Virgil run like a 4.36 he likely would have been a top 40 pick. Dude has strong skills at his profession.

 

[daves]

The Athletic's Dane Brugler yesterday posted his 2026 NFL Draft Rankings. Here are some highlights:

1. Cleveland Browns
2. New York Giants
3. Las Vegas Raiders
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. New York Jets

15. Arizona Cardinals

Favorite pick: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Chase Bisontis will upgrade the offensive line, but it’s hard not to go with Love. We can debate the strategy to draft this position given the current state of the roster, but the Cardinals came away with the draft’s most explosive weapon. Though the value can be criticized, Love is immediately going to make Arizona’s offense exponentially better.

Day 3 pick who could surprise: Kaleb Proctor, DT, Southeastern Louisiana

Reggie Virgil was a great pick in the fifth round, and Karson Sharar will quickly earn his keep on special teams. But Proctor has a chance to become an important building block on the defensive front. He moves well for a 291-pounder and has a knack for defeating blocks.

25. Seattle Seahawks
27. San Francisco 49ers
30. Los Angeles Rams

 

[MadCardDisease]

The best time to grade a draft is after the 4th year IMO. By that time you will pretty much know how many of the drafted players are still in the league heading into their second contract and who the major contributors are. Yes there will still be outliers who develop later in their careers but they will at least still need to be in the league to develop. The bust are the guys who are already out of the league or 1st and 2nd rounders who are barely hanging on by that point.

 

[Chopper0080]

The best time to grade a draft is after the 4th year IMO. By that time you will pretty much know how many of the drafted players are still in the league heading into their second contract and who the major contributors are. Yes there will still be outliers who develop later in their careers but they will at least still need to be in the league to develop. The bust are the guys who are already out of the league or 1st and 2nd rounders who are barely hanging on by that point.

Ultimately, yes, but you generally have an idea of who can play by mid year 2. It doesn't mean they still can't improve, but their trajectory is mostly set.

 

[Chopper0080]

It's a C draft.

I feel like it is pretty obvious Monti does not have much confidence in several of his drafted players so he is utilizing resources to try and fill holes he has already tried to fill.

Love at 3 to be the breakaway lead back that former 3rd round Benson isn't.
A 2nd rounder in Bisontis to replace former 3rd rounder Adams at OG.
A 3rd rounder to have a young QB to develop after Tune failed to be that.
Another small, rusher focused DL in the same vein of Nolen, Robinson, and Stills.
5th round Virgil to be a ST WR and depth that they hoped Palmer would be. Still not a "fast" WR
6th rounder for a ST LB (maybe more) to replace Pappoe. Similar to the Crawford pick last year.
The 4th day 4 OL player taken in 4 drafts.

So...it's ok, I guess. The tough part of the draft is that it should be used to supplement your FA approach. Monti didn't do much in FA so that makes the draft more difficult. Instead of spending 14 mil or 12 mil per year on a RB like Walker or Etienne, Monti chose to use the 3rd pick overall on a RB that they will pay around the same money. That's just a terrible use of resources even if they get a good player. The optimal use of FA, the cap, and the draft is to sign top FA players at less premium positions, until you have a developed player base of 2nd contract drafted players at premium positions that makes those signings too difficult to squeeze in.

 

[Cardiac]

Hey Chopper, really enjoy your posts and FB knowledge. I'm not as big as fan of the above post however.

Hammering Monti for the Tune pick is just looking to pile on for no good reason imo.

Adams has been disappointing but is now a solid backup. Drafting Bisontis is a positive but you find a way to make it a negative.

Benson is an unlucky injury victim.

I didn't want Love with the #3 pick but not sure what would have been a better pick in this draft. Who would you have taken, my choice was Reese but wasn't excited about him. Reese wouldn't have done much to fix our edge needs this year or maybe never would.

Every GM whiffs on some picks so I like when they keep trying to fix roster issues. I'm still concerned about the RT spot but the rest of the Oline looks good imo.
QB is the only glaring hole on the offense and Monti drafted a potential solid candidate in rd 3. I'm curious and concerned about his efforts to addressing the most important position on the team.

At this point I don't think Monti can ever do anything positive in your eyes and I do understand why. I'm just going to take my hopium for now.

 

[Mr X]

Monti should have solidified our OL/DL by now to where we should be able to draft studs at any position and fix holes with premier free agents. Injuries have certainly played a part and coaching development.

Guess you have to keep trying til you get it right but seems like once again we will rely on the guys that let us down to fix it.

I'll give him a pass at QB since he didn't sign the extension

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Adams has been disappointing but is now a solid backup. Drafting Bisontis is a positive but you find a way to make it a negative.

If you draft a guard in the 3rd round, you expect him to be a future starter. If the FO thought he were a legitimate starter, they wouldn't be drafting Bisontis!

Benson is an unlucky injury victim.

Call him whatever you want - a RB drafted in the 3rd round SHOULD be a starting quality RB. Even when healthy, Benson hasn't shown anything other than perhaps a change of pace back. Thats a fail.

Every GM whiffs on some picks

Of course! But Monti's record of drafting so far has been abysmal. You're totally ignoring the fact that he's drafting to cover the holes he didn't pick due to his poor choices in the past.

I'm still concerned about the RT spot but the rest of the Oline looks good imo.

This is a reasonable take, although our RT situation is definitely a concern.

QB is the only glaring hole on the offense and Monti drafted a potential solid candidate in rd 3. I'm curious and concerned about his efforts to addressing the most important position on the team.

If you think that Beck is the QBOTF, I don't know what to tell you. There is very little to indicate that a QB of his ilk will be a top 10-15, so using a 3rd round pick on a guy that is projected to be a career backup seems like an awful waste of a valuable resource. We're talking about the 65th pick in the draft!

At this point I don't think Monti can ever do anything positive in your eyes and I do understand why. I'm just going to take my hopium for now.

We're 3 years into the Monti show, and widely considered one of the worst 3 teams in the NFL, with very little hope at the most important position. A real NFL franchise wouldn't have hired a nobody like Monti in the first place, and would have dumped him with Gannon.

Get excited if you want, but don't be disappointed if we're staring down another 4 win season next year.

 

[Cardiac]

If you draft a guard in the 3rd round, you expect him to be a future starter. If the FO thought he were a legitimate starter, they wouldn't be drafting Bisontis!

What % of OGs taken in the 3rd round become a "starter"? Adams did finish last year fairly strong. I like Monti making sure the OG position is in a good place.

Call him whatever you want - a RB drafted in the 3rd round SHOULD be a starting quality RB. Even when healthy, Benson hasn't shown anything other than perhaps a change of pace back. Thats a fail.

No crystal ball to see a players injury history.

Of course! But Monti's record of drafting so far has been abysmal. You're totally ignoring the fact that he's drafting to cover the holes he didn't pick due to his poor choices in the past.

I really don't want to defend Monti because his track record isn't good, I just don't agree with abysmal.

This is a reasonable take, although our RT situation is definitely a concern.

If you think that Beck is the QBOTF, I don't know what to tell you. There is very little to indicate that a QB of his ilk will be a top 10-15, so using a 3rd round pick on a guy that is projected to be a career backup seems like an awful waste of a valuable resource. We're talking about the 65th pick in the draft!

I didn't say Beck was the qbotf, simply that it was a decent gamble. I did also say his approach this offseason about the QB position was concerning.

We're 3 years into the Monti show, and widely considered one of the worst 3 teams in the NFL, with very little hope at the most important position. A real NFL franchise wouldn't have hired a nobody like Monti in the first place, and would have dumped him with Gannon.

I was also a little surprised that Monti didn't get fired but some of these complaints about him are nitpicking imo. Bashing Monti for Tune when he was a 5th round pick and then bashing him for using a 3rd round pick.

Get excited if you want, but don't be disappointed if we're staring down another 4 win season next year.

Never said excited. I'm guessing 6 to 7 wins which means tough to be able to draft a franchise QB. Hopium is for the pendulum to swing back in regards to injuries and some of the draft picks show progress from their rookie year.

 

[kerouac9]

No crystal ball to see a players injury history.

Good thing is you don’t need a crystal ball because these guys’ injuries are well-reported before the draft.

 

[Cardiac]

Good thing is you don’t need a crystal ball because these guys’ injuries are well-reported before the draft.

Benson had injury issues in college?

 

[kerouac9]

Benson had injury issues in college?

He did.

2024 NFL Draft: Will Past ACL Tear Cause Trey Benson to Slide? | Sports Injury Central

By many metrics, Florida State running back Trey Benson is the type of work horse back that many teams are looking for in the early rounds o

sicscore.com

 

[Cardiac]

He did.

2024 NFL Draft: Will Past ACL Tear Cause Trey Benson to Slide? | Sports Injury Central

By many metrics, Florida State running back Trey Benson is the type of work horse back that many teams are looking for in the early rounds o

sicscore.com

Thanks, he did have 2 injury free seasons after the injury so Monti rolled the dice. Probably should have gone with a different RB in that draft.

 

[PDXChris]

What % of OGs taken in the 3rd round become a "starter"? Adams did finish last year fairly strong. I like Monti making sure the OG position is in a good place.

If you draft a guard in the 3rd round, you expect him to be a future starter. If the FO thought he were a legitimate starter, they wouldn't be drafting Bisontis!

Only 16.5% of 3rd round picks become full time starters, but OL is 40%. RB is actually the lowest at 10%.

 

[Chopper0080]

Hey Chopper, really enjoy your posts and FB knowledge. I'm not as big as fan of the above post however.

Hammering Monti for the Tune pick is just looking to pile on for no good reason imo.

Adams has been disappointing but is now a solid backup. Drafting Bisontis is a positive but you find a way to make it a negative.

Benson is an unlucky injury victim.

I didn't want Love with the #3 pick but not sure what would have been a better pick in this draft. Who would you have taken, my choice was Reese but wasn't excited about him. Reese wouldn't have done much to fix our edge needs this year or maybe never would.

Every GM whiffs on some picks so I like when they keep trying to fix roster issues. I'm still concerned about the RT spot but the rest of the Oline looks good imo.
QB is the only glaring hole on the offense and Monti drafted a potential solid candidate in rd 3. I'm curious and concerned about his efforts to addressing the most important position on the team.

At this point I don't think Monti can ever do anything positive in your eyes and I do understand why. I'm just going to take my hopium for now.

Interesting interpretation.

I don't understand how acknowledging that Tune was drafted to be a developmental QB who wasn't able to stick hammers Monti. People on this board are saying Beck was drafted for the same role.

Nothing about Bisontis was critical. I have no issue with the pick. I was pointing out that Monti previously spent a top 100 pick to fill that role and two years later is using a top 45 pick to fill that role.

Benson is Benson. Injury failure or just bad player doesn't matter much to me. Again, pointing out Monti using premium resources on the same position he has previously used premium resources on.

Pick 3 has been discussed to death. I have shared my thoughts on why I feel positional value matters.

I thought it was an average draft which is why I gave it a C. Monti focused on non-premium positions and took some low upside risks with top 100 assets. Hopefully it turns out to be a "bad process = good result" outcome.

 

[Cardiac]

Interesting interpretation.

I don't understand how acknowledging that Tune was drafted to be a developmental QB who wasn't able to stick hammers Monti. People on this board are saying Beck was drafted for the same role.

Nothing about Bisontis was critical. I have no issue with the pick. I was pointing out that Monti previously spent a top 100 pick to fill that role and two years later is using a top 45 pick to fill that role.

Benson is Benson. Injury failure or just bad player doesn't matter much to me. Again, pointing out Monti using premium resources on the same position he has previously used premium resources on.

Pick 3 has been discussed to death. I have shared my thoughts on why I feel positional value matters.

I thought it was an average draft which is why I gave it a C. Monti focused on non-premium positions and took some low upside risks with top 100 assets. Hopefully it turns out to be a "bad process = good result" outcome.

I guess we can agree to disagree about Benson.
I was torn about the Love pick because of the positional value argument that you and others have made. I really like the player and he seems to be a natural leader and impressive young man. So are you saying you would have drafted Reese or traded down for 70% value of the pick?

 

[Chopper0080]

I guess we can agree to disagree about Benson.
I was torn about the Love pick because of the positional value argument that you and others have made. I really like the player and he seems to be a natural leader and impressive young man. So are you saying you would have drafted Reese or traded down for 70% value of the pick?

I think the payoff for Reese was greater than the payoff for Love based on on contract and scarcity even if he was riskier. IN some ways I feel the same about Mauigoa at 3. I have a hard time evaluating a trade back scenario when we won't probably ever know what the offers were.

How are the Cardinals going to improve at EDGE if they aren't using premium resources on EDGE players? Same question at RT though that is easier than EDGE IMO. I can give the Mauigoa thing a bit of a pass because some teams don't put as much value on RT. That said, it better work or they will continue to look like donkeys.

 

[kerouac9]

I guess we can agree to disagree about Benson.
I was torn about the Love pick because of the positional value argument that you and others have made. I really like the player and he seems to be a natural leader and impressive young man. So are you saying you would have drafted Reese or traded down for 70% value of the pick?

Where does this come from? Isn’t he autistic and a guy who plays video games and watches anime? He’s described himself as an introvert.

He’s more like Kyler and MHJ.