The Big Red Zone concludes its series looking back on each of the 28 St. Louis Cardinals drafts (1960-87). This installment focuses on the 1987 Draft, which was held April 28-29 in New York.

Undeterred by three previous failed attempts at finding an elite quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft (George Izo, 1960; Joe Namath, 1965; and Steve Pisarkiewicz, 1977) the Cardinals took one more swing in their final draft in St. Louis and selected Kelly Stouffer with their first-round pick in 1987.

In three seasons at Colorado State, Stouffer passed for 7,142 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference pick as a senior. And he was named the most outstanding offensive player in the East-West Shrine All-Star Game. 

Despite that resume, several other quarterbacks had been rated higher than Stouffer, and many NFL scouts were surprised that the Big Red deemed him worthy of the sixth selection overall.

“We wouldn’t have taken him if we didn’t think he was,” said George Boone, the Cardinals’ director of personnel. “He may be even better than that. But time is going to determine that one.”

There was some suspicion that one of the reasons the Big Red drafted Stouffer was to put some pressure on incumbent quarterback Neil Lomax, who may have been the subject of behind-the-scenes trade talk.

Big Red coach Gene Stallings had the audacity to compare Stouffer to Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, a 1983 first-round draft pick who, in his first four NFL seasons, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a three-time All-Pro, and passed for 16,177 yards and 142 touchdowns.

“He’s sort of the Marino-type quarterback,” Stallings said of Stouffer. “He’s got outstanding size and everything you’re looking for in a young quarterback.”

But Stouffer never took a snap for the Cardinals. He held out for the entire 1987 season because of a salary dispute and in April of 1988 was traded to Seattle for three draft picks: a fifth-round pick in 1988 (linebacker Chris Gaines), a first-round pick in 1989 (guard Joe Wolf), and a fifth-round pick in ’89 (defensive end David Edeen). 

Although the selection of Stouffer and its subsequent soap opera turned out to be a fiasco, the Cardinals did get good value from their second-round choice, USC defensive back Tim McDonald, and their third-round selection, San Diego State tight end Robert Awalt.

1987 St. Louis Cardinals Draft

Rd-Overall	Player	Position	College
1-6	Kelly Stouffer	QB	Colorado St.
2-34	Tim McDonald	DB	USC
3-62	Robert Awalt	TE	San Diego St.
3-70	Colin Scotts	DT	Hawaii
4-90	Rod Saddler	DT	Texas A&M
5-118	George Swarn	RB	Miami (OH)
5-126	John Bruno	P	Penn St.
5-127	Ilia Jarostchuk	LB	New Hampshire
6-146	Mark Garalczyk	DT	Western Michigan
7-174	Tim Peoples	DB	Washington
7-195	William Harris	TE	Bishop
8-201	Steve Alvord	DT	Washington
9-229	Wayne Davis	LB	Alabama
10-257	Charles Wright	DB	Tulsa
11-285	Todd Peat	G	Northern Illinois

After signing a four-year, $3.1 million contract with Seattle (the Cardinals’ best offer had been $1.8 million for four years), Kelly Stouffer started his rookie season as the Seahawks’ third-string quarterback behind Dave Krieg and Jeff Kemp. But after Krieg suffered a separated shoulder and Kemp was benched, Stouffer started six games. He was demoted after 1988 and played sparingly over the next three seasons. He got another chance as the starter in 1992, but suffered an injury. After being released by Seattle after the ’92 season, Stouffer was signed by Miami (1994) and Carolina (1996) but never made it to the regular season with either team. Stouffer’s NFL statistics: 22 games, 16 starts, 437 pass attempts, 225 completions, 2,333 yards, seven touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Tim McDonald played six seasons for the Cardinals and appeared in 80 games with 76 starts. The hard-hitting safety had an NFL-leading four forced fumbles in 1988. In 1989, he intercepted seven passes (for 170 yards and one touchdown) and had a team-leading 155 combined tackles. McDonald was selected to three Pro Bowls (1989, 1991 and 1992). His career totals with the Cardinals included 20 interceptions for 315 yards, six fumble recoveries and 2.5 sacks. He became a free agent after the ’92 season and signed with San Francisco, where he played seven more seasons.

As a rookie, Robert Awalt began the 1987 season backing up Jay Novacek. When Novacek suffered a fractured elbow midway through the season, Awalt stepped in and became a key receiver for quarterback Neil Lomax, who had a Pro Bowl season in 1987. Awalt caught nine passes in each of his first two starts, equaling a franchise record held by Jackie Smith. He finished the ’87 season with 42 catches (second among NFL tight ends), 526 yards and six touchdowns. Awalt was nearly as good in 1988, when he had 39 receptions for 454 yards and four TDs. Awalt played five more seasons in the NFL but never caught another scoring pass. After he missed three preseason games in 1990 with a hyperextended knee, the Cardinals traded Awalt to Dallas. He was a backup with both the Cowboys (1990-91) and Bills (92-93).

This was Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill’s reaction when the Big Red drafted Hawaii defensive tackle Colin Scotts in the fourth round: “When he gets a sack, he does a thing called the ‘Kangaroo Hop.’ Or so I’m told.” Neither Bidwill nor anyone else saw Scott hop much. In his one season in the NFL (1987), Scotts appeared in only seven games (three starts) and had just two sacks. 

Rod Saddler played both defensive tackle and defensive end in his five seasons (1987-91) with the Cardinals. He started 15 games in 1988, ’89 and ’90. Saddler had his only interception in ’87, and he returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown in ’88. He had 12.5 sacks overall. 

In three seasons with the Big Red (1987-89), Todd Peat played in 31 games and made 27 starts, including eight as a rookie and 15 in 1988.