Top 10 Arizona Cardinals draft picks from last decade

Number 9 in the top 10 Arizona Cardinals draft picks from the last decade: Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson

Andre Ellington was drafted in the 6th round of the 2013 draft. Ellington had quickness off the edges that the team hadn’t seen in quite some time. I kind of liken him to a J.J. Arrington from the 2008 squad. His first two years were his best years, almost identical in yards and touchdowns on the year.

In fact, his longest career rush is actually tied for third for the franchise’s longest ever. At 80 yards sit Ellington, Kenyan Drake and Tim Hightower who’ve all had the same rushing touchdown length. The two leaders? Elmer Angsman (82) and John David Crow (83). Ellington’s rookie year was great for the team that was struggling to find a running back. After going through the Stepfan Taylors and Ryan Williams’ of the world, this was a refreshing sight to see. The team and fans thought they’d found their guy.

However, the addition of Chris Johnson and David Johnson’s explosion onto the NFL scene is where Ellington took a seat. Even after CJ2K’s injury, Ellington only rushed for 96 yards on the season. Bruce Arians tried converting him to wide receiver, a move that didn’t pan out and led to his release. Ironically Ellington found himself in Tampa years later with Arians but was ultimately cut before the 2019 season began.