A look at what happened to the Cardinals’ 2020 draft class, as none are left on their roster.
It was only five years ago, but the Arizona Cardinals have little to show from that year’s draft.
None of the six players selected are on the current roster, while three are with other teams: linebacker Isaiah Simmons (Packers), tackle/guard Josh Jones (Seahawks) and nose tackle Leki Fotu (Raiders). Simmons and Fotu are with their third teams, while Jones is with his fourth.
Out of the league are defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence (fourth round), linebacker Evan Weaver (sixth) and running back Eno Benjamin (seventh). Benjamin is with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
Both Simmons and Jones were traded late in training camp two years ago in the first season with general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon.
The eighth overall pick in 2020, Simmons was dealt to the Giants for a 2024 seventh-round pick, which was used on cornerback Jaden Davis. He was on the practice squad the entire season and is on the current 91-man roster.
A fifth-round choice in 2024 was acquired from the Texans for Jones. The Cardinals selected tackle Christian Jones with that pick. He started the final game last season because Jonah Williams was on injured reserve and Kelvin Beachum was at left tackle in place of the injured Paris Johnson Jr.
Also notable is that of the 38 players drafted from 2018 through 2022, only quarterback Kyler Murray, linebacker Zaven Collins and tight end Trey McBride are on the current roster. All 21 choices in 2023 and 2024 are now on this year’s team.
Surely, Simmons was the biggest disappointment. Following two seasons with the Giants, he signed a one-year contract with the Packers after the draft for the league minimum.
The late signing, Simmons claimed, was because he wanted to ensure that interested teams had a realistic plan for him.
He told reporters, “To me, it seemed like Green Bay had the best plan, was most excited about me and liked me.”
That plan, led by defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, is to be solely a linebacker and not the proverbial Swiss Army knife, which was how he was described after the 2020 draft.
“I think really what I ran into most of my career is everybody wants me to do everything as opposed to letting me get really good at one thing first,” Simmons said. “I fully believe in Haf’s plan. He’s letting me just lock in and learn a small portion first before we even think about expanding to anything else. That’s something I really appreciate because I never really had that opportunity to just hone in on one position.
“That’s been huge for me. It’s something that hasn’t been presented to me because my versatility; I feel like it’s a little bit of a gift and a curse, where they want you to do everything but, at the end of the day, I’m still a human.”
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