ANOTHER Australian is headed to the NFL.

Former AFL player Joel Wilkinson has been signed by the Arizona Cardinals, with the team eyeing the athletic 186cm tall 24-year-old to play in the defensive cornerback position.

If Wilkinson, who played for Gold Coast, makes the Cardinals' 53-man roster he could go head-to-head with fellow Australian running back Jarryd Hayne.

Hayne's San Francisco 49ers and the Cardinals are major rivals in the NFC West conference, playing each other twice a year in the regular season.

Wilkinson's time in the AFL was marred by incidents of racial abuse from fans and players.

He also played for the Northern Blues in the VFL.

The Cardinals have a long history of recruiting Australians, including former Geelong defender, turned punter Ben Graham, who became the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl, when they lost to Pittsburgh in 2008.