Jordan Hamm
Quiet production.
That is the name of the game for Arizona Cardinals linebacker Markus Golden. In his senior year as a Missouri Tiger, he notched 77 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Though, standing at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, he was considered too small to be an elite prospect and was overshadowed by his Tiger teammates Michael Sam and Shane Ray.
That didn’t stop the Arizona Cardinals from selecting him in the second round of the 2015 draft. Steve Keim and Bruce Arians admitted they watched Missouri’s tape often to scout Ray, but number 33, Golden, kept jumping off the tape. When the pick was made, the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said, “This is one of the hardest-working men in football.”
In Golden’s rookie season, that quiet production continued, making 31 tackles and four sacks with the Cardinals. Golden was another name on a talented defense, and he is just fine with that.
“We have a good team defense,” Golden said. “Everyone knows the players around the whole defense and everyone is making plays. We (now) have Chandler Jones, Nkdemdiche, Frostee if he can get back soon. We have a lot of great playmakers on this team”
