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For every Peyton Manning, there’s a Ryan Leaf. And for every Patrick Mahomes, there’s a Paxton Lynch.
The NFL draft entered its common era in 1967 when the American and National Football Leagues decided to merge instead of acting separately. This was part of the agreement reached the year prior, something that didn’t take place on the field (save for the Super Bowl), until the ’70 season.
In the 55 drafts since the on-field merger, there have been plenty of picks that resulted in great value, Hall of Fame talent and the building of dynasties.
You won’t find any of those selections here.
Instead, we’re looking at the biggest draft busts of the aforementioned era, including quarterbacks, who in some cases, failed to start even five games. Let’s get started by looking at every team’s worst pick of all time, but first, here are a few guidelines for our choices.
- We’re starting with the 1970 draft, coinciding with the AFL-NFL merger.
- Value matters. A lot. Nobody cares about some seventh-round pick who never played.
- If you’re a first-round quarterback who didn’t pan out, look away.
Arizona Cardinals: Steve Pisarkiewicz, QB (No. 19, 1977)
Taken 19th pick out of Missouri, Pisarkiewicz was supposed to succeed Jim Hart as the signal-caller for Big Red. Instead, Pisarkiewicz became a forgettable figure. He started just four games over two seasons for St. Louis before going to the Green Bay Packers, where he played in one game as a backup before dropping out of the league.
Atlanta Falcons: Joe Profit, RB (No. 7, 1971)
The fledgling Falcons were hoping Profit would become a pillar of their first competitive team. Instead, Profit played in only 15 games for Atlanta across three seasons, rushing for a total of 471 yards and three touchdowns on 3.5 yards per carry for his career.
Baltimore Ravens: Kyle Boller, QB (No. 19, 2003)
Few quarterbacks over the past 25 years have been bigger busts than Boller. Taken in the first round in hopes of curing Baltimore’s constant carousel under center, Boller ended up completing just 56.7% of his passes with 48 touchdowns against 54 interceptions. He lasted five years, starting 42 games.
Buffalo Bills: Tom Cousineau, LB (No. 1, 1979)
Cousineau is a unique case. The top pick in the draft out of Ohio State, Cousineau decided to sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He eventually came to the NFL in 1983, acquired for a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns. Who did the Bills select with that choice? Jim Kelly.
Carolina Panthers: Tim Biakabutuka, RB (No. 8, 1996)
Biakabutuka was the first pick in the history of the Panthers, a dynamic running back from Michigan to pair with Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins. Unfortunately, constant injuries slowed Biakabutuka, limiting him to 50 games over six years. He rushed for 2,530 yards and 14 touchdowns before retiring after the 2001 season.
Chicago Bears: Kevin White, WR (No. 7, 2015)
The Bears hoped the West Virginia product would turn into the team’s first elite, homegrown receiver in the Super Bowl era. Instead, White was a complete bust. Oft-injured, he amassed only 28 catches for 397 yards in his career, never scoring a touchdown.
Cincinnati Bengals: Akili Smith, QB (No. 3, 1999)
There are so many Bengals to choose from in the 1990s alone, including fellow quarterback David Klingler. But we go with Smith, who was taken one spot after Donovan McNabb. Smith took over for Jeff Blake and never found his footing, completing 46.6% of his attempts with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Cleveland Browns: Justin Gilbert, CB (No. 8, 2014)
Much like their aforementioned Ohio brethren, there are endless choices for this spot. Yet few were bigger disasters than Gilbert, even if Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn and Johnny Manziel all make great cases. Gilbert was a top-10 pick and a supposed lockdown corner. Instead, he played 23 games over two years for the Browns, who then traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he lasted one year.
Dallas Cowboys: Bill Thomas, RB (No. 26, 1972)
The 1970s Cowboys did almost everything right, but selecting Thomas wasn’t one of them. Thomas played only seven games for the Cowboys as a rookie before playing one season apiece with the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs. By the time his career was over, he racked up just 36 rushing yards.
Detroit Lions: Charles Rogers (No. 2, 2003)
Rogers kicked off a stretch of three receivers selected in the top 10 by the Lions in three consecutive years. Of them, Rogers struggled the most. He played in only 15 games due to injuries and a suspension, catching 36 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns before being released prior to the 2006 season.
Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch, QB (No. 26, 2016)
The Broncos traded up in the first round to select Lynch out of Memphis, with the hope being he’d replace Peyton Manning. Instead, he became the biggest bust in franchise history, starting a miniscule four games across two seasons before being released. He finished with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Green Bay Packers: Jerry Tagge, QB (No. 11, 1972)
Tagge was taken as the successor for Bart Starr. However, Tagge never caught on in Green Bay after Scott Hunter led the Packers to a stunning division title in 1972. Ultimately, Tagge played in 18 games (12 starts), completing 48.4% of his attempts over his three-year career with three touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Houston Texans: David Carr, QB (No. 1, 2002)
This might be somewhat unfair, considering Carr was the first pick in Texans history and played on an expansion team with one of the worst offensive lines ever witnessed. As a rookie, he was thrown on the field and sacked 76 times. All told, he lasted five years in Houston and 10 years in the NFL before retiring.
Indianapolis Colts: Art Schlichter, QB (No. 4, 1982)
Schlichter was supposed to be the heir apparent to the oft-injured and uber-talented Bert Jones. The problem? Schlichter had a major gambling problem and wasn’t a very good quarterback to boot. He played just 13 games (six starts) and served a one-year gambling suspension in 1983 before flaming out of the league after the ’85 campaign.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert, QB (No. 10, 2011)
The Jaguars have been searching for a franchise quarterback since the days of Mark Brunell (the jury remains out on Trevor Lawrence) and took a swing on Gabbert as a first-round choice in 2011. The result was disastrous. Gabbert lasted only three years in Jacksonville, making 27 starts and throwing 22 touchdowns and 24 interceptions before becoming a career backup.
Kansas City Chiefs: Todd Blackledge, QB (No. 7, 1983)
Blackledge was part of the famed 1983 draft in which six quarterbacks were selected in the first round including Hall of Famers John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Blackledge was the worst of them. He started 24 games across five seasons for what was, at the time, a rudderless organization. The Chiefs didn’t take another quarterback in the first round until Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
Las Vegas Raiders: JaMarcus Russell, QB (No. 1, 2007)
Russell has an overpowering case for the worst No. 1 choice in history. He came into the league as a strong-armed LSU product before it became immediately apparent he couldn’t play. Russell’s weight ballooned, the stories of his lack of preparation became legendary and he started only 25 games over three seasons before being released.
Los Angeles Chargers: Ryan Leaf, QB (No. 2, 1998)
Incredibly, Leaf was in the conversation with Peyton Manning as the potential No. 1 overall pick in 1998. Of course, Manning ended up going to Indianapolis while Leaf landed in San Diego. His career was a horror show, lasting only four seasons in the NFL while throwing 14 touchdowns against 36 interceptions across 25 appearances.
Los Angeles Rams: Jason Smith, OT (No. 2, 2009)
Smith was thought to be the cornerstone of what had become a long rebuild. Instead, he delayed the build even further by becoming one of the worst players ever selected in that slot. Smith started 26 games for St. Louis over three years before finishing his career in 2012 with the New York Jets as a backup.
Miami Dolphins: Yatil Green, WR (No. 15, 1997)
To be clear, Green isn’t a bust because of a lack of talent or effort. He had awful injury luck. Green tore his ACL at the outset of his first training camp. The following summer, the same thing happened. By 1999, Green was healthy enough to play but saw action in just eight games before being released. He never played another down.
Minnesota Vikings: D.J. Dozier, RB (No. 14, 1987)
There were some other contenders, but Dozier made it because he set off a chain of events. The Vikings wanted a star back to pair with their solid passing attack and great defense. However, Dozier never became that guy, rushing for 643 yards in four years with the Vikings. As a result, they traded a bushel of draft picks to the Cowboys in 1989 for Herschel Walker, turning Dallas into a dynasty while Minnesota floundered.
New England Patriots: N’Keal Harry, WR (No. 32, 2019)
Harry was thought to be the next top-end option for Tom Brady in the passing game as Rob Gronkowski moved on and Julian Edelman aged. Instead, Harry ended up being a disaster, catching only 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns in New England before playing briefly with the Bears and Vikings.
New Orleans Saints: Jonathan Sullivan, DT (No. 6, 2003)
There were ample candidates with the Saints, but Sullivan’s career was as underwhelming as any. Sullivan lasted only three years in New Orleans, notching 1.5 sacks across 36 games. While his talent wasn’t worthy of his draft slot, his biggest issues were lack of effort and an inability to stay in shape.
New York Giants: Rocky Thompson, RB (No. 18, 1971)
The selection of Thompson in the first round never made sense. The Giants had a star running back in Ron Johnson but almost nothing else of note. Still, New York selected the back from West Texas A&M and watched as he gained 217 yards and a touchdown on 3.2 yards per carry across three campaigns before being out of the league.
New York Jets: Christian Hackenberg, QB (No. 51, 2016)
Hackenberg was a decent quarterback at Penn State, helping the Nittany Lions emerge from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. However, after throwing 48 touchdowns against 31 interceptions in Happy Valley, the Jets stunningly made him their second-round pick. Despite New York having a revolving door at quarterback, Hackenberg never played a down in the NFL.
Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Haddix, RB (No. 8, 1983)
Haddix might not be the obvious choice, but he’s fascinating. The Mississippi State running back lasted eight seasons (six with the Eagles), and yet averaged 3.0 yards per carry and never had more than 311 rushing yards in a season. Taken in the loaded 1983 draft, the Eagles missed out on talents such as Jim Kelly, Darrell Green, Dan Marino and others.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Huey Richardson, LB (No. 15, 1991)
Despite being a model franchise, the Steelers have had some brutal picks over the years. Yet none were worse than Richardson, who played only five games as a rookie before being dealt away to Washington, where he lasted four games before he was released. He then played seven games with the Jets and was out of football.
San Francisco 49ers: Jim Druckenmiller, QB (No. 26, 1997)
With Steve Young entering his age-36 season, the 49ers were attempting to prepare for life after his retirement. In that effort, they selected Druckenmiller, but the Virginia Tech product never got going. In two seasons, he started one game and played in four before being out of the league.
Seattle Seahawks: Dan McGwire, QB (No. 16, 1991)
McGwire, the brother of renowned MLB slugger Mark McGwire, was a first-round pick for the Seahawks as a result of their moving off longtime quarterback Dave Krieg. However, McGwire started only five games across three years, throwing two touchdown passes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bo Jackson, RB (No. 1, 1986)
Jackson was a tremendous running back at Auburn, winning the Heisman Trophy. However, despite making clear he’d never play for the Buccaneers, owner Hugh Culverhouse selected Jackson with the No. 1 pick. The superstar made good on his threat, choosing to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals instead. The following year, the Raiders selected Jackson, where he played four seasons.
Tennessee Titans: Isaiah Wilson, OT (No. 29, 2020)
In terms of a return on investment, Wilson has a case as the biggest bust in NFL history. Tennessee used its first-round pick on Wilson, who played one game as a rookie and was eventually suspended for violating team rules. Traded for a seventh-round pick to Miami the following offseason, Wilson showed up late to his team physical and was waived, ending his career.
Washington Commanders: Heath Shuler, QB (No. 3, 1994)
Shuler was supposed to keep Washington in title contention, as it largely had been for the previous 15 years. However, Shuler proved to be one of the bigger busts of the decade, starting 13 games across three seasons while 1994 seventh-round pick Gus Frerotte won the job. Shuler ended up with the Saints in ’97, where his career ended.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Biggest NFL Draft Bust for Every Team.
