As the draft bust series continues, we now reach the top five biggest busts in the draft the Cardinals have had 1990. All the players that remain in the top of this list were all very highly touted players and drafted very high in the first round. The sad thing is that as we reveal them each day, it is actually very depressing at how many very high picks the Cardinals have had and how many turned out to be busts.
In review, draft bust number 10 was Cody Brown in 2009. Bust number nine was running back Chuck Levy in 1994. Bust number eight was running back Leeland McElroy in 1996. The Cardinals' seventh biggest bust was receiver Bryant Johnson in 2003. Draft bust number six takes us all the way back to 1990 with RB Anthony Thompson.
The fifth biggest draft bust since 1990 for the Arizona Cardinals was cornerback Tom Knight in 1997.
Knight was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round as the ninth player in the draft. Ever since drafting Aeneas Williams in 1991, Arizona had been seeking a good corner to line up on the opposite side of the field. Knight was supposed to be that player. He was a player who made big plays in college at Iowa, turning interceptions into points. Pro Football Weekly even described him as maybe being a better pro than Shawn Springs or Bryant Westbrook. He was drafted ahead of other defensive backs we still know today -- Darren Sharper and Ronde Barber.
He never turned out to be the player the Cardinals wanted. He was perhaps one of the most forgettable picks. He started 14 games his rookie year but did not cause any turnovers. He had a total of three interceptions in the five years he played in Arizona. In fact, one fan, when recalling some of Knight's more memorable plays, remembers this:
Yes. There was that play where he was running and then grabbed his hammy. Then there was the time he grabbed his knee. Oh, who could forget the great play where he fell down and grabbed his ankle. Tom Knight had many memorable plays.
Two of the five years in Arizona were limited because of injuries. He played two years in Baltimore and another in St. Louis, but never had an interception in either stop.
It is for these reasons that Knight makes out top 10 list of biggest busts. He was a top 10 pick that never accomplished anything at all and is most remembered for small injuries during games.
Tomorrow will feature another top 10 pick that did not pan out for Arizona, but has since had a productive career.
Are You Smarter Than The Experts?
Correctly predict the first 32 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft and you’ll win $10,000,000!
BEST ROUND EVER IN PRIMETIME
Enter at facebook.com/BudLight
Here We Go
Enjoy Responsibly ©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO. ©2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. No Purchase Necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents (except CA) 21+. Contest begins 12AM CDT on 4/1 and ends 5:59:59PM CDT on 4/28. See Official Rules for complete details. Void where prohibited.