Twice is Nice: Pair of Cardinals Named AP All-Pro

The Arizona Cardinals received good news when the Associated Press announced their All-Pro teams on Friday. A pair of Cardinals were included on the list, safety Budda Baker and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Since moving from St. Louis to Arizona, the Cardinals have had 12 players selected to an All-Pro team prior to Friday’s announcement (Baker previously named All-Pro in 2017). Hopkins makes it 13 in the franchise’s Arizona history and the fourth wide receiver.

Rare Air

Hopkins’ selection comes in his first season with the Cardinals. His selection also ties the franchise record for most All-Pro selections for an Arizona Cardinals wide receiver. Pre-dating the Arizona teams, the Cardinals record for All-Pro selections for a wide receiver is two, held by Roy Green. Larry Fitzgerald, to the surprise of many, has only received the honor once. That came during the 2015 season when the Cardinals made it to the NFC Championship Game.

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Hopkins’ second-team All-Pro selection is his fourth consecutive selection overall (Three previous first-team selections). He finished the year with 115 receptions, tying his career-high set in 2018. Hopkins also added 1,407 receiving yards and six scores as the top option for the Arizona offense and quarterback Kyler Murray.

Big Budda

Budda Baker makes his second appearance on the All-Pro list, although this is his first time as a defensive starter. As a rookie, Baker was selected as a special teams player in 2017. Baker snagged the first two interceptions of his career in 2020, also adding two sacks, tying his career-high set in 2018. Perhaps the biggest display of how important Baker is to the Arizona defense is to look at how poorly the unit played when their safety was not on the field.

Baker had nearly 30 fewer tackles in 2020 compared to his total last season but that was a reflection of the overall improvement of the Arizona defense from a year ago. The talented safety has been a consistent presence for the Cardinals on defense has earned three Pro Bowl selections in addition to his two All-Pro selections. With Baker and Hopkins, the Cardinals have a pair of foundational pieces on both sides of the ball.

– Ryan Adverderada is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Cardinals and covers the San Francisco 49ers for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Follow @ryanadverderada