Matt Leinart ranked as one of top NFL Draft busts
May 17, 2013, 10:02 PM | Updated: 10:35 pm
You won’t get much argument from Arizona Cardinals fans if you tell them Matt Leinart proved to be a bust of a draft pick.
Now, there may be some debate as to why he was a bust, but not that he was one.
At any rate, SI.com placed Leinart among the “Biggest NFL Draft Busts of the Modern Era.” Fortunately, he’s the only Cardinal on the list.
His Heisman trophy and national championship ring might as well have been glorified paperweights when Leinart stepped up to the next level. He threw more interceptions than TD passes his first season with the Cardinals then proceeded to languish on the bench before being cut in 2010.
Leinart had a promising rookie season after being selected with the No. 10 pick, but never won the favor of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who took over prior to the former USC star’s second season.
In all, Leinart appeared in 29 games with the Cardinals — including 17 starts. He completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 3,893 yards and 14 touchdowns while being picked off 20 times.
The Cardinals went 7-10 in games he started.
