Cardinals Draft Deionte Thompson Despite Concerns For 'Degenerative' Knee Injury

The Arizona Cardinals selected Alabama Crimson Tide safety Deionte Thompson with the No. 139 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft during Saturday's fifth round.

He was projected as a fringe top-50 selection before sliding to Day 3 of the draft.

Thompson waited a while to see the field consistently for Bama. The former 4-star prospect was a redshirt in 2015 and then played a limited reserve role over the next two years.

The West Orange-Stark High School (Texas) product finally entered the starting lineup in 2018 and quickly emerged as one of the nation's top defensive backs. He racked up 78 total tackles, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and two interceptions across 14 games.

Deionte Thompson NFL Draft 2019: Scouting Report, Grade for Cardinals Rookie

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In January, Thompson explained he considered transferring from Alabama during his slow climb up the Tide's always star-studded depth chart, but his parents told him to wait for his turn.

"Some guys are naturally equipped to play right away, but that's not everyone's story," he told reporters. "Some guys have to trust the process, like I did. It's about trust and hard work and perseverance to get the results you want."

Thompson features all the necessary tools—athleticism, vision, ball skills and a hard-hitting mentality—to become a high-end safety in the NFL.

He's still raw, however, which doesn't come as a surprise given his limited experience at the collegiate level. It's going to increase his learning curve at the next level when it comes to aspects like pursuit angles against the run and covering athletic tight ends in man-to-man coverage.

So Thompson is going to require some patience. He might not come flying out of the gates as a rookie, but his quick development after he started seeing the field for Alabama suggests his talent is going to shine through sooner than later en route to becoming a key defensive asset.

The Cards are betting on the safety's long-term potential, and no final assessments should be made about his future even if he goes through some struggles as a rookie, either through performance or health. That said, the team will hope he can at least provide impact plays for a defense that ranked 20th in yards allowed per game last year.

Thompson could compete with Budda Baker for a starting job opposite D.J. Swearinger during his first year in Arizona, though serving as the team's top reserve safety is most likely when the season opens.