Cardinals trade former top-10 draft pick to Giants

The Arizona Cardinals have officially given up on one of their former top-10 draft picks.

The Cardinals on Thursday traded defensive back/linebacker 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 great 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, three interceptions and eight 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, four sacks and two interceptions last season.

Acquiring Simmons was a low-risk move for the Giants that could potentially pay huge dividends if defensive coordinator Wink Martindale can maximize Simmons’ talent. The Cardinals previously declined the fifth-year option on Simmons’ rookie contract. He is owed just over $1 million this season.