8 Arizona Cardinals Voted Best Picks in NFL Draft History

The Arizona Cardinals were well represented in this list of the best picks in NFL Draft history.

Sept. 13, 2009; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver (81) Anquan Boldin against the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. San Francisco defeated Arizona 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The modern era for the NFL Draft dates back to 1967. In that time, nearly 20,000 players have had their names picked (19,936) in a grand total of 59 draft classes. That's a lot of players, with an average of around 338 selections each year. 

As one would imagine, ranking the best players selected at each pick, starting from one to 262, would be unimaginably difficult... which means that ESPN's Ben Solak had to take on the endeavor for himself. 

Solak went through every single draft from 1967 to 2025 and named the best players to be selected at each individual pick. From those 262 players, the Arizona Cardinals (as a franchise) had eight different players find a spot on the list.

Although no Cardinals were mentioned in round one, the team did host multiple second round picks. A few late selections also appeared to highlight some lesser known players. 

Arizona Cardinals Well Represented in NFL Draft List

We will look at the eight named players chronologically a.k.a. from highest to lowest pick, starting off with franchise legend and Ring of Honor inductee, Dan Dierdorf who was the 43rd overall pick in 1971.

Although Solak didn't make comments on every player, a handful of the Cardinals players did receive some extra attention -- Dierdorf was one of them:

"The only Hall of Famer selected at No. 43, Dierdorf spent all 13 seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and grabbed six All-Pro acknowledgements."

Solak noted that particular pick has hosted more busts than not, but Dierdorf is considered to be one of the best strong side tackles in league history.

The most notable name and a true Arizona Cardinal on the list was Anquan Boldin, the 54th overall pick in 2003:

Dec 27, 2009; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin smiles on the bench in the fourth quarter against the St. Louis Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Boldin is our first pick to never make an All-Pro team, and I debated handing this spot to Jessie Bates III instead. But Boldin is such a classic underappreciated guy: 14-year career, seven seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, success with several different teams and a Super Bowl ring. He was tough, big, physical and talented. I loved him, so I picked him."

I've said many times Boldin is one of the most underrated receivers to play professional football, despite posting Hall of Fame numbers. It's a nice nod to see him get that spot over Bates, who has also been a best-kept secret in the league at safety.

Another Hall of Famer was made with the 59th pick by the Arizona, or rather Phoenix Cardinals -- Aeneas Williams in 1991: "Williams' 55 career picks has him in the top 20 of all time, and he made eight Pro Bowls -- seven as a corner and one as a safety, speaking to his versatility. He's the lone Hall of Famer here without much competition, so an easy selection for me."

Although Williams had some late-career success with the St. Louis Rams, the Southern University product is best known for his days in the desert.

Now we move into some of the more foreign names on this list, at least for the younger fans of the franchise.

Starting off with the 115th overall pick in 1990, the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals drafted fullback Larry Centers out of Stephen F. Austin. The younger audience may be wondering how a fullback made this list, but the position was much different and way more valuable before the turn of the century.

"For the kids who don't know about Centers, he is second only to Marshall Faulk in career receiving yardage for a running back (6,797, less than 100 yards behind) and leads all backs in career receptions (827). He had 130 targets in 1996! Cool stuff."

That's right, Centers is one of the most prolific pass catching players out of the backfield in league history, including the most career receptions. Centers is currently third all-time in franchise history in receptions and 12th in receiving yards.

The next few picks didn't receive special mention by Solak. Wide receiver Mel Gray was the 147th pick in 1971 and made four Pro Bowls from 1974 to 1977.

A much more famous player for the Dallas Cowboys, Jay Novacek, was selected 158th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. Novaceck made the Pro Bowl five times and won three Super Bowls, all with Dallas. In his five years with the Cardinals, he had just 1,054 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Tom Banks was an eighth round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970. He was selected to four Pro Bowls between 1975 and 1978.

The last pick did receive a special note from Solak: Ray Brown. The longtime offensive lineman was selected with the 201st pick in 1986 and played 20 seasons across four different teams, and twice with the then-Washington Redskins. Solak had this interesting note on Brown:

"Here's a wild one: When Brown started in the playoffs for Washington on Jan. 14, 2006, he became the oldest player to start a playoff game since the 1970 merger (as far back as the data goes). He was 43 years old, and he kept that record for a long time ... until Tom Brady dethroned him in 2021."

Certainly meaningful.

Of those players, most had major impacts with the franchise or had sustained success in the league for several seasons. Some resonate with fans more than others, but it's special all the same.