Photos: Arizona Cardinals 2019 draft picks

Kent Somers | The Republic | azcentral.com

Among those participating in the Cardinals’ rookie minicamp this weekend are 12 free agents who signed after the draft and a handful of others who don’t have contracts are trying out.

A few are likely to overcome long odds and make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp. It happens every year, and over the course of their history in Arizona, the Cardinals have signed several rookie free agents who became productive NFL players.

Here’s a look at the top five players who signed with the Cardinals as rookie free agents. (Not included are players who signed with the team before it moved to Arizona in 1988 or rookie free agents who signed with other teams first, such as Kurt Warner.)

Michael Chow/The Republic

Linebacker Ronald McKinnon

He won the Harlon Hill Trophy as a senior at North Alabama, sort of the Division II Heisman Trophy, but was not drafted because of his height, or lack thereof.

Generously listed at 6-feet, McKinnon signed with the Cardinals in 1996 and made an impact immediately.

He played special teams as a rookie, then started 119 of the team’s next 128 games. McKinnon liked to call himself the most underrated linebacker in the league, and it was hard to argue.

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A likable guy, McKinnon’s favorite catch phrase was “speak on it,” as in, if you said Ronald McKinnon was the most underrated linebacker in the NFL, he would not argue.

“Speak on it,” he would say.

McKinnon played 10 years in the NFL, including nine with the Cardinals. He finished his career with the Saints.

Center Lyle Sendlein

A starter on a national championship team with Texas, Sendlein wasn’t drafted for some odd reason. It might have been that teams were scared off by his shoulder problems.

That didn’t stop Sendlein from carving out a solid NFL career.

A Scottsdale Chaparral High product, Sendlein made the roster in 2007 and didn’t miss a start from 2008 through 2014. He played through a variety of injuries, earning him a reputation as one of the tougher players to ever wear an Arizona Cardinals uniform.

Safety Tony Jefferson

Jefferson left Oklahoma a year early partly because he had been advised he could go as high as the second round.

When he wasn’t drafted at all in 2013, Jefferson told his agent he didn’t care where he ended up, just find the best situation.

Turns out, it was with the Cardinals.

Jefferson was a member of a tight defensive backs group that included Patrick Peterson, Rashad Johnson and Jerraud Powers.

The Cardinals made a mistake by not making a more strident effort to re-sign Jefferson after the 2015 season. He played 2016 under a one-year, restricted free agent deal then hit unrestricted free agency the following year.

The Ravens snapped him up, signing him to a deal that included $19 million fully guaranteed.

Safety Kwamie Lassiter

Former coach and general manager Buddy Ryan did a lot of things wrong in Arizona, which is why he was fired about two years. But Ryan was successful at identifying talented secondary players who went undrafted.

Lassiter, from Kansas, was one of those. He made the team as a rookie in 1995 and worked his way into a starting role a few years later under coach Vince Tobin.

Lassiter earned a place in team history by intercepting four passes in the final game of the 1998 season, clinching the Cardinals’ first playoff berth since moving to Arizona.

Lassiter lived in Arizona after his retirement and was known for his work in the community. He died last December at age 49.

Safety Brent Alexander

Alexander signed with Arizona in 1994, Ryan’s first year as coach. Alexander had played for Ryan’s son, Rob, at Tennessee State, and the connection paid dividends for the Cardinals.

Alexander started seven games at cornerback as a rookie, then moved to safety the next year. In all, he started 50 games in four seasons as a Cardinals.

After Arizona, Alexander spent two years with the Panthers, four with the Steelers and two with the Giants.