Arizona Cardinals: Reviewing the 2004 NFL Draft for the Franchise

The Arizona Cardinals have a long history in the NFL, but for awhile they were known under other names.

The Arizona Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988 and became the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. Since then have had experienced minor success.

In 2004, Dennis Green was entering his first season as the Cardinals coach and entered the 2004 draft with seven draft picks.

I will be grading each pick based on the players' overall performance in a Cardinals uniform and their overall NFL performance.

Here are the grades for the 2004 Arizona Cardinals draft.

Larry Fitzgerald: 1st Round, Pick 3

Years with the Cardinals: Seven

Years in the league: Seven and active

Stats with the Cardinals: Currently: 108 games played, 613 receptions, 8,204 receiving yards and 65 receiving touchdowns

Accomplishments: Five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All Pro

Fitzgerald has been putting up great numbers and highlight-reel catches ever since he came into the league. He is currently one of the top receivers in the league and at this pace he will be in the Hall of Fame when his career is all said and done. 

Grade with the Cardinals: A

Overall NFL grade: A

Karlos Dansby: 2nd Round, Pick 33

Years with the Cardinals: Six

Years in the league: Seven and active

Stats with the Cardinals: 90 games played, 25.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, and 444 tackles

Accomplishments: None

Dansby is a solid linebacker, although he doesn't really have the household name yet. His fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in 2009 gave the Cardinals the win in the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history. Dansby now plays for the Miami Dolphins and is the second-highest paid inside linebacker behind Patrick Willis.

Grade with the Cardinals: B

Overall NFL grade: B

Darnell Dockett: 3rd Round, Pick 64

Years with the Cardinals: Seven

Years in the league: Seven and active

Stats with the Cardinals: Currently: 111 games played, 31 sacks, four interceptions, eight forced fumbles and 260 tackles

Accomplishments: Three-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time All-Pro

Dockett has only missed two starts in his entire seven-year career. He played defensive tackle until 2009 when Arizona switched to the 3-4 defense, and he has the second most sacks at the position since 2004. He is the leader of the Cardinals defense and very valuable to this team. 

Grade with the Cardinals: B

Overall NFL grade: B

Alex Stepanovich: 4th Round, Pick 100

Years with the Cardinals: Three

Years in the league: Five

Stats with the Cardinals: 30 games played and three fumble recoveries

Accomplishments: None

Stepanovich played his entire rookie season without missing a single snap. He then got hurt the next two seasons and was waived in 2007. He went on to play one season for the Cincinnati Bengals before being released by the Atlanta Falcons and being waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009.

Grade with the Cardinals: D

Overall NFL grade: D

Antonio Smith: 5th Round, Pick 135

Years with the Cardinals: Five

Years in the league:  Seven and active

Stats with the Cardinals: 61 games played, 14.5 sacks, eight fumble recoveries and 100 tackles

Accomplishments: None

Smith provides great value as an efficient pass rusher who was selected in the fifth round. He played well for Arizona, but the Cardinals refused to re-sign him. He now starts for the Houston Texans and led the NFL with 19 quarterback hits last season. He gets a B just for his value, as he was drafted in the fifth round.

Grade with the Cardinals: B

Overall NFL grade: B

Nick Leckey: 6th Round, Pick 167

Years with the Cardinals: Three

Years in the league: Six

Stats with the Cardinals: 34 games played and one fumble recovery

Accomplishments: Super Bowl champion (with the New Orleans Saints)

Leckey started 20 games for the Arizona Cardinals, but other than that, didn't do much. He started 12 more games for the St. Louis Rams and was later released by the New Orleans Saints in 2010.

Grade with the Cardinals: F

Overall NFL grade: F

John Navarre: 7th Round, Pick 202

Years with the Cardinals: Two

Years in the league: Two

Stats with the Cardinals: Two games played, 342 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and five interceptions

Accomplishments: None

Navarre was on the same Michigan team that Tom Brady was on, but their NFL careers ended up completely different.

Grade with the Cardinals: F

Overall NFL grade: F

Overall

This actually was not a bad draft at all. An All-Pro receiver, the leader of your defense, a solid linebacker and great value in the fifth round. Four good players out of seven is not bad at all.

Overall grade - B-