Tom Banks would become a steal for the St. Louis Cardinals when they got the Auburn Offensive Lineman in the 8^th Round of the 1970 Draft, but it would take years to realize that value.

Banks missed the entire 1970 Season because of a knee injury but came back to take over the starting duties at Center.  He played more at Left Guard in 1973, but another knee injury took him out of all but the opening game of 1974, right after he returned to Center.  Banks remained the starter upon his return and promptly went on a four-year run of Pro Bowls, where he was arguably among the best directly in front of the Quarterback in the NFC.  He would also secure a First Team All-Pro in the bi-centennial year of 1976.

Banks played until 1980, retiring with 110 Starts in 116 Games.

One of the best Wide Receivers in Cardinals history, Anquan Boldin, made an immediate impact in his 2003 rookie season.

A Second Round Pick from Florida State, Boldin won the Offensive Rookie of the Year on the strength of a 1,377 Yard/8 Touchdown year.  Boldin only played 10 Games in 2004 but bounced back with 1,402 Yards and led the NFL Receiving Yards per Game (100.1).  A Pro Bowl Selection in 2006 and 2008, Boldin exceeded 1,000 Receiving Yards five times in Arizona, a solid accomplishment over eight seasons.  He was traded to Baltimore in 2010, leaving the Cardinals after 44 Touchdowns and 7,520 Yards.

As good as he was on the field, Boldin was a better man off it.  He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year and Alan Page Community Award following his Cardinals tenure and continues to be known for his philanthropic endeavors.

A Cardinal for the entirety of his 13-year NFL career, Luis Sharpe was the second Offensive Lineman taken in the 1982 NFL Draft, behind only Hall of Famer Mike Munchak.  It is a safe assumption that the Cards got the second-best Offensive Lineman of that draft.  

Playing for the team while they had geographic designations of St. Louis, Phoenix, and Arizona, Sharpe started all 189 of his Games at Left Tackle, achieving Pro Bowls in three straight years (1987-89) while obtaining Second Team All-Pros in 1988 and 1990.  He rarely missed games, stayed relatively healthy for most of his career, and was the building block for over a decade that the Cardinals attempted to build around.  The team was not that successful in that regard, as he only appeared in one playoff game, but Sharpe was their top lineman for many years and deserved this spot.

In the same draft that the St. Louis Cardinals grabbed an elite Running Back (Ottis Anderson), they landed a top-flight Wide Receiver in Roy Green, though it took longer before that selection paid dividends.

Green was used more as a Returner in his first two seasons before seeing significant action as a Wide Receiver.  A permanent starter by 1982, Green broke out in 1983 as a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler, leading the NFL in Touchdown Receptions (14) with his first 1,000 Yard year (1,227).  Green again was a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl Selection in 1984, this time with 12 TDs and 1,555 Yards, with the latter statistic topping the leaderboard.

Green was unable to repeat this success as injuries began to compile, but he did have another four-digit Yard year when the franchise relocated to Phoenix in 1998.  He played with the Cardinals for two more seasons before he played two final years in Philadelphia.  As a Cardinal, he accumulated 8,496 Yards and 66 Touchdowns and entered the team's Ring of Honor in 2016.