Raising Zona
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Breaking down the worst draft picks ever in Arizona Cardinals history

By Sion Fawkes

Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Via OlyDrop)XXX RS_48287.JPG USA AZArizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Via OlyDrop)
Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Via OlyDrop)XXX RS_48287.JPG USA AZArizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, general manager Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill (right) introduces their first-round draft pick, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen on Apr. 27, 2018 at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe, Ariz. (Via OlyDrop) /
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Arizona Cardinals
Sept. 2, 2010; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart (7) against the Washington Redskins at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

4- Matt Leinart, 2006-2009

Statistics with the Arizona Cardinals: 7-10 record, 57.1% completion percentage, 3,893 yards, 14 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 70.8 quarterback rating

If there was one plus about Matt Leinart’s career with the Cardinals, it’s that it eventually opened the doors for Kurt Warner to take over and lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance in 2008. Sure, the Redbirds envisioned Leinart would be the one to take them there, but instead they got a quarterback who completed over 60% of his passes just once, in 2009.

The ill-fated quarterback’s best season came as a rookie in 2006, when he went 4-7, with a 56.8% completion percentage, 2,547 yards, 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 74.0 quarterback rating. It was all downhill from there, and Leinart eventually caught on with the Houston Texans in 2011 before he concluded his career with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2012.

5 – Andre Wadsworth, 1998-2000

Statistics with the Arizona Cardinals: 30 starts, 108 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

Believe it or not, Andre Wadsworth’s career in the desert wasn’t a complete waste. He finished third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 1998. That season, he recorded 57 combined tackles, and five sacks, but knee injuries eventually took their toll, and Wadsworth appeared in just 20 games between 1999 and 2000.

Given the multiple surgeries Wadsworth had on his knee, the Cardinals were apprehensive about keeping him aboard, ultimately releasing the former third overall pick following the 2000 season. Overall, many would most likely consider Wadsworth to be the biggest bust of the 1998 NFL Draft, but Ryan Leaf took that (dis)honor. Wadsworth has instead been more of an afterthought.

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