#6: DB Deone Bucannon, 2014
As compared to the last mentioned Cardinals on this list, Deone Bucannon had a good and almost immediate impact on the Arizona defense. Bucannon was all over the field for the Cardinals, racking up over 400 total tackles, seven forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries in five seasons with Arizona. Arizona ended up picking up the fifth-year option for Bucannon but a weak season performance in his last year ended up with him leaving the Cardinals for free agency.
#5: LB Isaiah Simmons, 2020
Much like Bucannon, the Cardinals drafted Isaiah Simmons who was a versatile player for the defense. There were questions as to whether Simmons would play linebacker, or more in the secondary. The Cardinals were on the rise with drafting their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray the year before, and had just made a trade that landed them wideout DeAndre Hopkins for almost nothing from the Houston Texans.
Simmons was part of a Cardinals’ team that was always competitive, but once Arizona lost Murray late in the 2022 season, things went downhill in Arizona. With head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort coming into Arizona to clean things up, Simmons was not part of their rebuild. After just three years with the Cardinals, Simmons was traded to the New York Giants.