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The picks at 15, and Steve Little

Every draft is different, but with the Cardinals selecting at 15 overall, it's a good time to see what players have been chosen in the NFL's 15th slot over the recent past. The last time the Cardinals picked 15th -- and it's been 40 years -- it didn't go all that well. The then-St. Louis Cardinals actually selected a kicker/punter when they took Steve Little. Little missed 14 of his 27 NFL field-goal attempts and 10 extra-points -- the shorter ones -- in less than three seasons. (Little was released six games into the 1980 season and was paralyzed in an accident soon after.)

That's the only time in the modern draft (since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger) that the Cards have picked 15th.

As with most draft spots, the selections have been hit or miss in terms of success, although it does seem to be weighted toward the "hit" side overall. A sampling of the last 15 years:

2017   S Malik Hooker (Colts) 2016   WR Corey Coleman (Browns) 2015   RB Melvin Gordon (Chargers) 2014   LB Ryan Shazier (Steelers) 2013   S Kenny Vaccaro (Saints) 2012   LB Bruce Irvin (Seahawks) 2011   G Mike Pouncey (Dolphins) 2010   DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants) 2009   LB Brian Cushing (Texans) 2008   T Branden Albert (Chiefs) 2007   LB Lawrence Timmons (Steelers) 2006   CB Tye Hill (Rams) 2005   LB Derrick Johnson (Chiefs) 2004   WR Michael Clayton (Bucs) 2003   DE Jerome McDougal (Eagles)

The last time the Cardinals picked 47th -- their second-round slot this year -- it was an unquestioned hit, with an asterisk: LB Daryl Washington.

FILE - This 1978 file photo shows St. Louis Cardinals punter Steve Little. An All American at Arkansas, where he tied an NCAA record with a 67-yard field goal, Little was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 15th overall pick in 1978. (AP Photo, File)
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