The Arizona Cardinals have officially given up on one of their former top-10 draft picks.
The Cardinals on Thursday traded defensive back Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants for a seventh-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Simmons was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is a freak athlete who played a number of different positions in college at Clemson. He recorded seven sacks as a senior in 2019 while predominantly playing linebacker and defensive end. Simmons also saw snaps at defensive back and had 104 tackles, 3 interceptions and 8 passes deflected.
Finding the right positional fit for Simmons proved to be a challenge for the Cardinals, though the 25-year-old has still been productive. He has bounced back and forth between linebacker and safety and had 99 total tackles, 4 sacks and 2 interceptions last season.
Acquiring Simmons was a low-risk move for the Giants that could potentially pay huge dividends if defensive coordinator Wink Martingale can maximize Simmons’ talent. The Cardinals had previously declined the fifth-year option on Simmons’ rookie contract. He is owed just over $1 million this season.
