The Arizona Cardinals couldn’t have known. Couldn’t have known what they were getting when they drafted an under-sized linebacker in the 1998 draft. Pat Tillman, a seventh-round pick, would go on to become one of the most significant players in Cardinals’ history.
Tillman’s initial impact came on the football field. He was a standout at Arizona State, a born leader who was able to lift his Sun Devil teammates to impressive heights. Despite his success in college, he was considered too small to play linebacker in the NFL.
So Arizona drafted him not to play linebacker, but safety.