Arizona Cardinals Draft History: 6 Best Picks of the 21st Century

The 2012 NFL draft is just over a week away, and the Arizona Cardinals are currently sitting with the 13th overall pick.

As displayed in recent years, the Cardinals are a hit-and-miss team when it comes to picking in the top 64. Arizona has made up for a few early-round mistakes with some quality late-round picks.

Highlighted over the next few slides are the Cardinals six best value draft picks of the 21st century.

Adrian Wilson

Arizona drafted safety Adrian Wilson out of North Carolina State in the third round (64th overall) of the 2001 NFL draft. Eleven years later, scouts can look back and ask themselves why he was not a top-10 pick.  

Wilson has played in 166 games for Arizona over his 11-year career recording over 800 tackles. He has been to the Pro Bowl five times and has joined some elite company as a member of the 20/20 club (players with at least 20 career sacks and 20 career interceptions).

With the leader of your defense being taken in the third round, it just goes to how you that every pick counts.

Darnell Dockett

Another big name Cardinals defender taken outside of the top 64, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett was drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft.

Dockett played defensive tackle for the first five years of his career before moving over to defensive end when Arizona switched to a 3-4 defense.

He was an all-pro in 2009, has been to the Pro Bowl three times and has recorded 34.5 sacks and just fewer than 400 tackles in his eight-year career.

Steve Breaston

Now with the Kansas City Chiefs, wide receiver Steve Breaston was a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft. Breaston was part of a dynamic receiving trio that featured himself in the slot and both Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin on the outside.

When Boldin was traded, Breaston moved to the outside and had the opportunity to be the No. 2 receiver in his contract year.

It is pretty hard to come by a receiver that can be solid both in the slot and on the outside without overspending. Arizona was able to do so, making Breaston a great steal for them with the 142nd pick of the draft.  

Greg Toler

The Arizona Cardinals used their fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft to select corner back Greg Toler out of Saint Paul’s college. This made him the first player from Saint Paul’s to ever be drafted into the NFL.

In case you have not seen Toler or have forgot about him due to his season-ending knee injury, he recorded 90 tackles, forced two fumbles and had two interceptions in the 2010 season.

He is another great young talent with loads of potential. With what he has already shown in the NFL, this was a solid pickup for the Cardinals.

Larry Fitzgerald

With the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals select... Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver out of Pittsburgh.

Those are the words that make most Cardinals fans smile. Fitzgerald is arguably the best thing to have happened to the desert since the team moved there.

Over the past eight seasons, Fitz has established himself as the best wide receiver in football. Going over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years with the likes of Derek Anderson and John Skelton throwing him the ball is basically telling Megatron to sit down.

Anquan Boldin

A first-round talent that dropped to the second round because of a slow 40 time, Anquan Boldin turned out to be more than just your average second-round pick.

Boldin was drafted by the Cardinals with the 22nd pick in the 2003 draft and was named the offensive rookie of the year in his first season. He made it to the Pro Bowl three times in Arizona.

Even as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Boldin did well for Arizona. The draft picks acquired from Baltimore were used to trade for safety Kerry Rhodes, to trade up for linebacker Daryl Washington and to select linebacker O’Brien Schofield.

There likely won’t be many players slipping to the end of the second-round due to a “slow” 40-yard dash time anymore.