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The Arizona Cardinals' 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Last 10 Years
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- The Arizona Cardinals' 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Last 10 Years
Drafting is an inexact science. Even the best of the best miss for any number of reasons—injuries, poor scheme fit, off-the-field issues, lack of development, and so on. With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, things should be quiet on the personnel side until training camps open in July.
With that in mind, it seems like the perfect time to go back over the last 10 drafts to identify picks which didn’t pan out for each of the 32 clubs. Before we begin, let’s set the ground rules: We’re starting with the 2016 draft, so no players from the 2026 draft are eligible.
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Now that we’ve established the parameters, here are the Arizona Cardinals ’ five worst draft picks of the past decade:
Dishonorable Mentions
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WR Hakeem Butler (103rd Overall, 2019)
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DE Myjai Sanders (100th Overall, 2022)
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LB BJ Ojulari (41st Overall, 2023)
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DE Darius Robinson (27th Overall, 2024)
5) RB Trey Benson , 66th Overall (2024)
Drafted to supplement oft-injured James Conner , Benson has encountered his own issues with staying healthy, appearing in 17 games over his first two seasons. With Arizona using the third overall pick in this year’s draft on Jeremiyah Love, it looks like Benson’s time in the desert could already be coming to an end.
4) LB Isaiah Simmons , 8th Overall (2020)
A top-10 pick, Simmons has had a few decent statistical seasons, but Arizona thought so little of his actual impact that they flipped him for a seventh-round pick in 2023. He failed to make the Packers last year and spent several weeks between Carolina's practice squad and active roster.
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3) DL Robert Nkemdiche , 29th Overall (2016)
Any time you’re a first-round defensive lineman and you wind up with more arrests (6) than sacks (4.5) in your career, you make the list.
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2) WR Andy Isabella , 62nd Overall (2019)
Not only was Isabella a disappointment as a player, recording just 33 career receptions, the next four receivers selected in 2019 included DK Metcalf , Diontae Johnson , and Terry McLaurin , all of whom developed into WR1s during their careers.
1) QB Josh Rosen , 10th Overall (2018)
Five quarterbacks were taken in the first round of the 2018 draft. Two won MVPs, another just won the Super Bowl, and one made two of the last three Pro Bowls. The fifth was Rosen, who was not only the worst of the quarterbacks but also the worst player selected in the entire first round. He went 3-13 as a starter and never appeared in an NFL game after 2021.
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This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
