5 best Arizona Cardinals draft selections of the 2010s

5. David Johnson – RB

Back in 2015, the Cardinals’ plan to draft running back Ameer Abdullah with their second-round choice was foiled by the Detroit Lions. General manager Steve Keim and his cohorts were forced to go with a plan B, which would go into effect one round later.

The alternative for the Redbirds turned out to be the University of Northern Iowa’s David Johnson. Keim and company looked like geniuses when the rookie amassed 1,038 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns, even though he spent most of 2015 as a backup to veteran Chris Johnson.

A year later, Johnson totaled an eye-popping 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 20 scores for the “Big Red” offense. Unfortunately, the Iowa native never reached those heights again, and he was traded away in the deal with the Houston Texans that delivered wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Cards last year.