ROLL CALL OF BIGGEST DRAFT BUSTS
With the NFL celebrating its upcoming 100th season and the draft less than a week away, what better teaser for celebrating the league’s future than by looking back at the biggest misses during and surrounding the annual “Player Selection Meeting”?
Although the draft has been in existence since the Eagles picked inaugural Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger first overall in 1936, it was hardly a scientific (or particularly informed) process for decades. So this list’s scope will encompass drafts dating only to 1967, the first common draft following the agreement between the NFL and the AFL to merge.
Some words about the methodology: This ranking and analysis are certainly interspersed with opinion. But I tried not to view these wayward picks in a vacuum, taking into account what teams sacrificed to choose a player, either in terms of trade currency or whom they opted not to select, when evaluating each bust. Some deals themselves are included since many prevented teams from enlisting superior options.
Naturally, extra weight was given to quarterback gaffes.
Lastly, I tried to have some fun and used creativity in select spots to keep you (and me) engaged during this gargantuan undertaking, so try not to get too bent out of shape if that defensive tackle or tight end your team took in the top 10 before petering out didn’t rate a mention.
With those considerations in place, let’s begin this exercise in revisionist history with our biggest draft whiffs in NFL history:
1. QB Ryan Leaf, 2nd overall 1998, Chargers: It seems patently obvious two decades after the fact, but he was very much in the conversation to be this draft’s No. 1 pick. The Colts wisely chose Peyton Manning. The Bolts set themselves back years by taking Leaf (4-14 in 18 starts for the club with a 48.8 passer rating), whose gross immaturity and inability to solve pro defenses trumped his vast physical talent. What cements his infamy is the price San Diego paid to simply swap its initial No. 3 pick to get Arizona’s spot at No. 2. The freight the Cardinals commanded, aside from the switch, was a second-rounder, an additional first-rounder in 1999 and two veteran players (Eric Metcalf and Patrick Sapp).
2. OT Tony Mandarich, 2nd overall 1989, Packers: The Sports Illustrated cover boy deemed “The Incredible Bulk” before the draft — he had uncommon athleticism and size for the position at the time — was labeled “The NFL’s Incredible Bust” only three years later. Mandarich’s steroid-fueled body and poor work ethic didn’t hold up against NFL competition, and he later descended into drug and alcohol issues. Any value he later provided at guard might have helped the Colts but didn’t do the Pack any good. But this context truly frames his failure: Mandarich was the only player selected in the top five that year who didn’t wind up in the Hall of Fame. Troy Aikman went No. 1, but Green Bay passed on Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders.
3. QB JaMarcus Russell, 1st overall 2007, Raiders: It turned out to be a miserable year for passers, the likes of Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb and John Beck taken later. But Russell, who began his career with a lengthy holdout, never fulfilled the hype generated by his howitzer arm and legendary pro day. He lasted three seasons, losing 18 of 25 starts and compiling an abysmal 65.2 passer rating, before laziness and weight gain washed him out of the league. Who could Oakland have taken instead? Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis all came off the board in the first half of Round 1.
4. QB Jeff George, 1st overall 1990, Colts: He looked like Uncle Rico, threw like him, too ... and basically played like the “Napoleon Dynamite” folk hero. George forced Indianapolis to surrender Pro Bowl OT Chris Hinton, future Pro Bowl WR Andre Rison and a first-round pick in 1991 to Atlanta — where George wound up himself in 1994 after wearing out his welcome with a bad attitude and 14-35 record for the Colts, who passed on three eventual Hall of Famers in the first round.
5. RB Lawrence Phillips, 6th overall 1996, Rams: Bad player. Bad dude. And St. Louis should have known better. The Rams parted with DT Sean Gilbert to acquire the Phillips pick ... and Eddie George was still available ... and they exported Jerome Bettis to Pittsburgh in a separate deal to clear the way for Phillips. Brutal.
6. Jets’ decisions to trade down in 1997: Brace yourself, NYJ fans, this is merely the first of many mentions. After going 1-15 in 1996, Gang Green most definitely earned the No. 1 pick of the ’97 draft — which they surely would have used for Peyton Manning, had he opted not to return to the University of Tennessee for his senior year. So in a bid to restock this roster, newly acquired coach Bill Parcells dealt down from No. 1 to No. 6, passing on the opportunity to snatch future Hall of Fame LT Orlando Pace. Then Parcells dropped from No. 6 to No. 8, passing on the opportunity to snatch future Hall of Fame LT Walter Jones. Ugh. LB James Farrior, who was much better in Pittsburgh in his career than during his Gotham stint, “headlined” New York’s forgettable haul, which could have also included Tony Gonzalez, who went 13th.
7. Colts’ decision to draft John Elway No. 1 in 1983: His talent obviously justified the selection, but team brass should have taken Elway seriously when he threatened to play baseball rather than for Baltimore. In the end, he launched his Hall of Fame career in Denver while the Colts were left with Hinton, backup QB Mark Herrmann, a firstround pick in 1984 and, in a year’s time, a one-way ticket to Indianapolis.
8. QB Robert Griffin III, 2nd overall 2012, Redskins: Washington shipped three first-round picks and one in the second to the Rams for the chance to take RG3. Initially, it seemed a reasonable gambit as the Heisman Trophy winner won offensive rookie of the year honors while leading a charge to the NFC East title. The rest is unfortunate history. The Redskins are still picking up the pieces.
9. Rams’ haul for Robert Griffin III: On the opposite end of the RG3 coin? St. Louis parlayed its bounty into Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Isaiah Pead, Rokevious Watkins, Alec Ogletree, Stedman Bailey, Zac Stacy and Greg Robinson. Some decent (and not-so-decent) players in there, but obviously not a group that came anywhere close to salvaging the NFL in The Gateway City, much less providing the bedrock for a perennial powerhouse.
10. OLB Aundray Bruce, 1st overall 1988, Falcons: Atlanta thought it was getting the next Lawrence Taylor. Nope. Bruce was no better than a sub package guy, including spot duty at tight end. There were five Hall of Famers picked elsewhere in Bruce’s draft and a pretty good pass rusher (Neil Smith) directly after him.
11. RB Bo Jackson, 1st overall 1986, Buccaneers: Don’t get it twisted — this isn’t a dig at a guy who might truly be a “once in a lifetime” talent. Instead, interpret it as a dig at a long-feckless franchise that chose to squander its pick even though Bo had vowed never to play in Tampa, believing the team deliberately cost him his baseball eligibility at Auburn while trying to strong-arm him into a football-only career. The Bucs took Jackson anyway ... and he was soon stroking towering taters for the Kansas City Royals.
12. OT Robert Gallery, 2nd overall 2004, Raiders: Never approached his pre-draft hype and only became serviceable after moving to guard. Who could Oakland have had instead? Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers, Sean Taylor and Ben Roethlisberger heard their names called shortly after Gallery’s selection.
13. RB Blair Thomas, 2nd overall 1990, Jets: To think future Hall of Famers Cortez Kennedy and Junior Seau were sitting there. Or, if New York really had to have a runner, future NFL alltime leading rusher Emmitt Smith was around until No. 17.
14. Bills’ decision to draft Tom Cousineau No. 1 in 1979: Buffalo owned the choice after dealing O.J. Simpson to the 49ers. But Cousineau took the Canadian Football League’s money and ran, never playing a down for the Bills. Hall of Famers Dan Hampton and Kellen Winslow went later in that first round.
15. Seahawks’ decision to trade down in 1977: They were induced to deal out of No. 2 after Tony Dorsett threatened not to play in Seattle. So the Cowboys moved up for the future Hall of Famer. The Seahawks instead reeled in
Steve August, Tom Lynch, Terry Beeson and Glenn Carano. Who? Exactly. Guess who won the Super Bowl the following season?
16. QB Art Schlichter, 4th overall 1982, Colts: On the field, he was horrendous (42.6 passer rating). Off the field, he was worse, his gambling problems leading to his suspension for the 1983 season and, later, prison. Schlichter’s issues also forced Baltimore into its illadvised Elway pick the next year.
17. QB Jack Thompson, 3rd overall 1979, Bengals: The “Throwin’ Samoan” never threw very effectively in six NFL seasons. Furthermore, Cincinnati was just fine under center with Ken Anderson, who would lead the Bengals to their first Super Bowl two years later. Also, Phil Simms was chosen four slots after Thompson ... or, if Cincy needed, like, a developmental quarterback, they could have had, uh, Joe Montana in Round 3 ...
18. DE Dion Jordan, 3rd overall 2013, Dolphins: The slender pass rusher has been repeatedly suspended and only rewarded Miami with three sacks in two seasons. The Dolphins paid a first- and second-round pick to Oakland to get the Oregon prospect.
19. WR Johnny “Lam” Jones, 2nd overall 1980, Jets: New York hoped his Olympic speed would translate into stardom. Not so much. Jones never looked natural as a receiver, often leaving his feet while trying to catch the easiest passes. The next player taken was Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, arguably the best left tackle of all time. The next receiver selected was Hall of Famer Art Monk.
20. DT Steve Niehaus, 2nd overall 1976, Seahawks: Seattle’s maiden draft selection didn’t turn out nearly as well as Tampa Bay’s after the Bucs landed future Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon at No. 1. (The Seahawks recovered by acquiring Hall of Famer Steve Largent, who was taken by the Oilers in Round 4.)
21. Buccaneers’ decision to trade down in 1978: Confident in RB Ricky Bell, the No. 1 pick in 1977, Tampa Bay sent the top pick of ’78 to Houston for TE Jimmie Giles and four selections, including a first- and second-rounder. The Oilers? Hello, Earl Campbell.
22. P Russell Erxleben, 11th overall 1979, Saints: Groan. Known for his record 67-yard field goal in college with Texas, he proved neither the kicker nor punter New Orleans envisioned. Erxleben is the highest-drafted special teamer of the common draft era, going two spots ahead of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow. He landed in prison later in life for securities fraud.
23. K Steve Little, 15th overall 1978, Cardinals: Taking a kicker in Round 1, especially in an era when the position was far less reliable, could be forgiven. But not if your guy misses 14 of 27 field goal attempts in three seasons ... and when you could’ve had Ozzie Newsome or Doug Williams instead.
24. OLB Vernon Gholston, 6th overall 2008, Jets: He played 45 games for New York. He registered nary a sack.
25. QB Kelly Stouffer, 6th overall 1987, Cardinals: He held out his rookie season and got traded to Seattle. Lucky for the Cards, given Stouffer (7 TD passes, 19 interceptions in five seasons) would make future Seahawks franchise QB Rick Mirer look like an all-pro.
26. WR Troy Williamson, 7th overall 2005, Vikings: Minnesota basically traded Randy Moss to Oakland in order to get this guy ... who finished with 153 fewer TDs than Moss.
27. TE Kyle Brady, 9th overall 1995, Jets: New York could have had Warren Sapp ... or Ty Law ... or Derrick Brooks. But in typical J-E-T-S fashion, they screwed it up royally. (And the availability of Law and Brooks didn’t deter the Jets from taking DE Hugh Douglas 16th overall, either.)
28. QB Sam Bradford, 1st overall 2010, Rams: He’s never been a bad player, and many forget he was the offensive rookie of the year. But his injury history at Oklahoma was predictive. The six players selected after Bradford? Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams, Eric Berry, Russell Okung and Joe Haden with Earl Thomas off the board at No. 14. Bradford later cost Minnesota a first- and fourth-rounder in 2016 to replace Teddy Bridgewater but didn’t get the Vikings to the postseason and lost his job to Case Keenum the next year. Bradford has never appeared in a playoff game.
29. Browns’ haul for Julio Jones: Cleveland dealt the sixth pick in 2011 to Atlanta — Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff was widely panned at the time for paying so much to get Jones — and ultimately wound up with NT Phil Taylor, WR Greg Little, FB Owen Marecic and QB Brandon Weeden. Oof.
30. Browns’ 2012 draft: As bad as Weeden (22nd overall) was, Trent Richardson, the No. 3 pick, was worse based on relative value. Cleveland sent Minnesota four picks to swap from fourth to third overall. Even when the Browns flipped Richardson to the Colts for a first-round pick in 2013, they eventually wound up with Johnny Manziel.
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