This NFL Thursday miniseries has to come an end today with this final entry, exploring the best players in the history of the long-standing Cardinals franchise. From Chicago to St. Louis to Phoenix, the team has been around since 1920. That’s a mighty long time, and it’s only won 2 NFL titles—the last one coming in 1947, before any of our analytical tools have been able to be applied to statistical achievement. Pretty nuts.

No. 10: Ernie McMillan, T—95 AV (1961-1974)

Four times a Pro Bowler (1965, 1967, 1969-1970), he toiled in relative anonymity in St. Louis, never playing in a postseason game and only reaching double digits in Approximate Value once (1970). Across his 14 seasons with the team, he played and started at both tackle positions, although all his Pro Bowls came when he was playing on the right side. Considering he was a 13th-round draft pick, the Cardinals got pretty good return.

No. 9: Jackie Smith, TE—96 AV (1963-1977)

Best known for a moment in history after he left the Cardinals, he is in the Hall of Fame after being a 10th-round draft pick. He reached five consecutive Pro Bowls (1966-1970) and helped modernize the position he played as well. Unlike some others on this list, he was fortunate enough to play in 2 postseasons with St. Louis in 1974 and 1975 as the Cardinals won back-to-back NFC East Division titles. Also a good investment!

No. 8: Luis Sharpe, T—99 AV (1982-1994)

He was part of the franchise when it moved from the Midwest to the Southwest, making three straight Pro Bowls (1987-1989) as the No. 16 overall pick in the draft. He didn’t miss a game until his eighth season in the NFL, and twice he notched double-digit AV (1988, 1990). Alas, he only reached the postseason once, in the strike-shortened season of 1982. Nonetheless, with 189 starts in 189 career games, he was a stalwart Card.

No. 7: Dan Dierdorf, OL—104 AV (1971-1983)

Probably the OL anchor of the most successful stretch in franchise history for the twentieth century, he was a second-round pick who went on to a Hall of Fame career by playing four different positions on the line and making the Pro Bowl a total of 6 times in the process: 1974-1978, 1980. All his Pro Bowls came when he played right tackle, so that was his best spot, as the Cardinals reached 3 playoffs (1974-1975, 1982) with him.

No. 6: Aeneas Williams, CB/FS—106 AV (1991-2000)

In just a decade with the team, he made his mark: 6 consecutive Pro Bowls (1994-1999), 49 interceptions, 6 INT returns for touchdowns, and a Hall of Fame induction. He topped the NFL in INTs once (1994) and pick sixes once as well (1995). He recovered 14 fumbles while with the Cardinals, returning 2 of those for scores, too. He also averaged almost 57 tackles per season, making his third-round draft status seem like a bargain.

No. 5: Patrick Peterson, CB—114 AV (2011-2020)

The No. 5 overall pick in the draft, he is active still in the NFL, albeit with another team. But during his decade with the franchise, he was stellar: 8 straight Pro Bowls (2011-2018) and certainly a reputation for scaring opposing offenses into avoiding his side of the field. He posted a ridiculous 22 AV in his rookie season to establish himself, and while he never was “that good” again, he still was pretty darn great.

No. 4: Roger Wehrli, CB/FS—118 AV (1969-1982)

A defensive anchor for a successful time in franchise history, he was the No. 19 overall pick in the draft, and now he’s in the Hall of Fame after reaching 7 Pro Bowls (1970-1971, 1974-1977, 1979). In every one of those Pro Bowl years, he reached double-digit AV, too, while notching 40 INTs and 2 pick sixes in the regular season. He only played in the 1974-1975 postseasons, but he did register one interception in those 2 games.

No. 3: Larry Wilson, FS/SS—121 AV (1960-1972)

You can see where a tradition started with the team and its defensive secondary: overall, he posted 52 INTs and 5 INT TDs despite never playing on a team that reached the playoffs. His Hall of Fame career included 8 Pro Bowls (1962-1963, 1965-1970), however, so it’s obvious he was well respected around the league. Not bad for a seventh-round draft pick, eh? He led the NFL in INTs once (1966) and also scored on 2 fumble returns.

No. 2: Jim Hart, QB—131 AV (1966-1983)

The best quarterback in team history played for a long time, winning those 2 division titles in the 1970s and stretching his career across 3 decades. He made 4 consecutive Pro Bowls (1974-1977) and posted an 87-88-5 record for a team that was often playing well under .500 football. Not bad for an un-drafted QB out of a small college. His playoff record was 0-2, however, as the team couldn’t win a playoff game for a long time.

No. 1: Larry Fitzgerald, WR—138 AV (2004-2020)

We named him the MVP of the Super Bowl for 2008, even though the Cardinals lost a squeaker. The No. 3 pick in the draft, he made 11 Pro Bowls (2005, 2007-2013, 2015-2017), topped the NFL in receptions twice (2005, 2016), and led the league in TD catches twice as well (2007-2008). There are too many achievements to list here, so we won’t bother, but the 2008 postseason was his masterpiece: 30 balls and 7 TDs in 4 games.