Look, the New Orleans Saints haven’t always been known as a team that drafts well. We’ve recapped the biggest misses under general manager Mickey Loomis, but their history of draft-day mistakes runs back decades. And it’s tough to argue with the case against Russell Erxleben.
A surprise pick at No. 11 overall way back in 1979, the former Texas Longhorns placekicker would have had to accomplish rare feats to avoid being called a bust in the first place. But his Saints career was miserable from the start. His very first game against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons ended in overtime with Erxleben mishandling a poorly-snapped ball, which he threw away and into the arms of a Falcons defender, who returned it for the game-winning touchdown.
Things didn’t improve. Initially drafted with the idea that he could fill in as both kicker and punter, Erxleben struggled to connect on field goals (completing just 4 of his 8 tries, with his longest score traveling just 38 yards), and he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of his rookie season. He was off the team within five years, and out of football altogether for another four, before making a single-game comeback with the Detroit Lions in 1987.
So this draft pick was an abject disaster, and poor on-field performance doesn’t even get into the multiple prison sentences Erxleben has served in the decades sense for investment and securities fraud, totaling tens of millions of dollars in restitution. The Saints have made some bad choices on draft day. But if you’re looking for a worst-case scenario, it has to be Erxleben’s unfortunate career.
The draft is an imperfect science after all pic.twitter.com/FhDgoVVfSu
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) April 11, 2023
