Breaking down the worst draft picks ever in Arizona Cardinals history
By Sion Fawkes
8 – Bryant Johnson, 2003-2007
Statistics with the Arizona Cardinals: 39 games started, 210 receptions, 12.5 yards per catch, 9 touchdowns, 50.8% catch percentage
Bryant Johnson certainly isn’t the biggest bust on this list, but he quickly fell behind Anquan Boldin (drafted 37 picks behind him) and Larry Fitzgerald, who came to the Cardinals in 2004. During his time in the desert, Johnson primarily played as a slot receiver, never generating over 49 catches and four touchdowns in a single season.
His best year came in 2006, when he snagged 40 catches, 740 yards, 18.5 yards per reception, and four touchdowns. He also saw his second-best catch percentage of his career with Arizona that season at 54.1%. Johnson was also serviceable in later stops that included one year with the San Francisco 49ers before he latched on with the Detroit Lions.
9 – Garrison Hearst, 1993-1995
Career with the Arizona Cardinals: 20 starts, 1,503 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry, 3 rushing touchdowns, 41 receptions, 301 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Most NFL fans who grew up watching Garrison Hearst play may be shocked to find him on the list of worst draft picks in Arizona Cardinals history. But before he became one of the league’s better backs, Hearst struggled through three forgettable seasons with the Redbirds.
However, he did manage to top 1,070 rushing yards in 1995. That year, he also amassed 29 receptions for 243 yards, giving him 1,313 all-purpose yards that year. Despite the uptick in production, Hearst still averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and scored just two total touchdowns. The Cardinals cut him in 1996, before the Cincinnati Bengals claimed him a day later.
10 – Thomas Jones, 2000-2002
Career with the Arizona Cardinals: 15 starts, 1,264 rushing yards, 3.5 yards per carry, 9 rushing touchdowns, 73 receptions, 472 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns
In each season between 2005 and 2009, Thomas Jones rushed for over 1,100 yards. But the former seventh overall pick did little during his three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, he never rushed for over 511 yards in the desert, nor did he amass any more than 3.7 yards per carry.
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While he eventually got it together later in his NFL career and ran for over 10,500 yards, joining a rare club of backs in the process, his career with the Cardinals was nothing short of forgettable. Jones, like Hearst above him, will always be remembered for his career accolades wearing something other than a cardinal and red uniform.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)
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