With the 16th pick in the 2025 POD Community Mock Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select…
We’ve reached the halfway point in our 2025 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, our site-wide mock where commenters get to act as NFL general managers.
The Arizona Cardinals are up in the draft, and they are represented by commenter VisiblePepper. The Cardinals always seem like they’re on the verge of becoming a true contender in the NFC West, but they haven’t won the division title in a decade.
Can VisiblePepper get them over the top? Before getting into the pick, check in on the previous 15 picks in our draft by visiting our 2025 POD Community Mock Draft tracker.
With the 16th pick in the Community Mock, the Arizona Cardinals have selected…
Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle out of Michigan.
Here’s VisiblePepper explaining the pick:
This was a close call for me. Initially, when I was thinking about who the Cardinals need most, I predicted that I would draft an offensive lineman. It seems for the past few years, that has been a very ignored position group, apart from Paris Johnson Jr. My hope was that one of Will Campbell, Armand Membou, or Kelvin Banks would fall to 16, because of some other skill positions that may have been more exciting. However, as Banks was picked up at 14, and Josh Simmons feeling like a reach, it became more about best player available in another position of need.
Here to fill that need is Kenneth Grant. Coming in at 6-foot-3, 339 pounds, Grant is as much of an athlete as he is a roadblock, with a high-motor bullrush, and is overall the disruptor in the middle that Arizona hasn’t had. Looking at his tape from Michigan, especially going through the playoffs, he may have been a bit overshadowed by Mason Graham, but his impact was felt nonetheless. He has a very sturdy base, is able to dig his heels into the ground, and does fairly well against double teams. He does have some issues with lateral movement, as well as some inconsistent hand placement, but frankly I don’t think those issues are enough to override his raw talent, size, and determination. Those are more technical skills that can be tweaked, and they don’t worry me as much as some other prospects’ shortcomings.
Right now, Dalvin Tomlinson and Bilal Nichols seem to be the starters, and between injuries and age, they don’t stand to make as much of an impact, or have the longevity, as Grant does, especially alongside the fact that the big man has no major injuries coming out of a decently long college career. It might not be the sexiest pick of the draft, but at the end of the day, strengthening the interior lines of either side of the ball is always going to be priority for any team that wants to be taken seriously.
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