The Arizona Cardinals selected McElroy in the second round (Arizona's 2nd pick overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft, and he played for the Cardinals from ( to ). In his rookie NFL season, 1996, McElroy started for the Cardinals in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 63 yards on 17 carries, but struggled in the second week against Miami, when he carried six times for negative five yards. The next week against New England, he had just 11 yards on eight carries, and against New Orleans in the fourth week of the season, McElroy was replaced in the lineup after gaining just five yards on four carries.