The NFL Draft is a yearly event where teams can draft players in the hopes of building their team. However, many fans have shared stories of heartbreak and disappointment after being drafted by their favorite team.
The biggest draft busts nba is a list of the biggest NBA and NFL draft busts. It discusses how these players have been a disappointment to their teams.
For NFL fans, the NFL Draft is one of the most exciting times of the year. Every year, there are a few surprises, and every now and again, a once-in-a-generation talent appears. However, for every success story, there are a slew of heartbreaking tales of overhyped sportsmen whose careers never pan out. No college athlete wants to be a draft failure because their name will be remembered for the rest of their lives.
We’ll look at various tales of NFL draft bust agony as we get closer to the draft. Fans and experts told how these collegiate superstars dealt with terrible issues that hampered their ability to perform in the NFL. Some of these players were first-round selections who fell short of expectations. Others were injured to the point that they were little more than husks of their former selves. Finally, there were others who just didn’t give a damn. Take a look at the list below, courtesy of NBC Sports and Reddit.
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Trent Richardson (#30)
@ArashHamidi understood straight immediately who he felt was the worst draft flop ever when asked. “Richardson only because of how clearly dominating he was in college, playing for the most dominant program in college football, and being recognized as the greatest player in his game,” he tweeted. It’s the biggest unexpected draft failure I’ve ever had to deal with.”
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Tim Tebow (#29)
Tebow and the Denver Broncos won the AFC West championship in Tebow’s debut season, but his NFL career took a turn for the worst after that. Because of his frequent fumbles, he fell below Kyle Orton in the pecking order after a strong first season. While he was given opportunities, the harsh reality was that he lacked the consistency required to succeed at the highest level. Tebow had a rocky relationship with both the Jets and the Patriots. Finally, he retired from football to pursue a career in Major League Baseball.
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“He led the Broncos to an 8-5 record during which he acknowledged played mediocre football but no one was willing to educate him,” wrote austinbostin069. “Belichick took him in for a short period of time and gave him around three months of instruction before letting him go. There were no offers for him to come study for a few years; instead, he was dismissed. I can’t help but wonder what might have been.”
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Casey Matthews (#28)
“I feel terrible for Casey Matthews for the Eagles, he should have never been selected at all,” NomadFire commented. “Placed in a bad position with a bad DC and a defensive line that couldn’t keep the big men away from him. Even though he wasn’t the main issue, he got a lot of flak from the supporters. After getting another chance with the Vikings, he suffered a season-ending hip injury. “I’ll never play again.”
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This Reddit member was completely right in his assessment. Matthews’ NFL career has been a disaster. But, thankfully, it didn’t last very long. Because of the toll it takes on physical beings, the sport is very harsh. Many sportsmen find out that their careers are gone in an instant. Matthews, an Oregon star, moved to Philadelphia in 2012, but it didn’t work out. After just two seasons, the linebacker was done.
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Todd Marinovich (no. 27)
Huazzy remarked, “I feel terrible for Todd Marinovich.” “I’m not saying he wasn’t to blame for anything, but his father basically made parenting into a science experiment. I believe his background would destabilize nearly anyone.” Because his father groomed him to be the ideal athlete, Marinovich has one of the weirdest NFL tales of all time. The issue was that humans, unlike machines, are not programmable.
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Marinovich was selected by the Raiders in 1991, and there were great hopes. Because he was given liberties that his father had never given him before, his conduct grew unpredictable throughout his college years. Drug addiction developed as a result of this. In the end, he only lasted two seasons in the NFL due to personal issues that surfaced. When a parent stops his son from being a kid, this is what occurs.
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Christian Ponder is number 26.
“I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Ponder. He sucked, but he didn’t have much of a following to begin with. I was compelled to enter, and the rest is history. BEDeluxe said, “Guy simply wasn’t a first-round talent.” Ponder failed horribly in the NFL, therefore this was accurate. With Donavon McNabb as his mentor, the Vikings’ 12th overall selection had a tough rookie season in 2011.
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In his second season, the Vikings made the playoffs, and he started all 16 games, but it was all downhill from there. Ponder was never a sure thing as a starter again, and he eventually ended up as a backup quarterback. When you consider his first-round status, it’s obvious that he was a huge disappointment. “He’s married to Sam Ponder, so it’s hard to feel sorry for him,” Jerfpsnurf said.
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LaMichael James (#25)
Alonzooo21 said, “As a Ducks fan, LaMichael was my favorite college RB at the time.” “Against most of the teams he faced, he was godlike with the ball in his hands. Unfortunately, he is a complete flop in the NFL. LaMike might look excellent for a team with a strong offensive line, such as the Cowboys, but few teams have it, thus LaMike has gone away.” James was a standout at Oregon, but he struggled to adjust to the NFL.
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After topping the country in running yards in 2010, he was awarded the Doak Walker Award. This piqued interest in seeing him play in the NFL, but his performances disappointed fans. His ferocious performances in college did not transfer to the professional level. In his brief NFL career, he accomplished little noteworthy other than participate in the Niners’ Super Bowl loss to the Ravens.
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Jahvid Best (#24)
“Not a bust per per, but the man couldn’t pass NFL concussion protocol and couldn’t get well, as far as I could tell. RSeymour93 said on Reddit, “He showed talent (straight baller) in his short NFL career and was explosive in Pac 10 games (Cal under Tedford) back in the late mid-late noughties.” Best was selected by the Detroit Lions in 2010, but he suffered concussion after concussion.
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His NFL career came to an untimely end as a result of these terrible injuries. He also filed a lawsuit against the league since he had been harmed so severely. Following his retirement from football, the first-round draft choice competed in track and field for Saint Lucia in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Best had a lot of talent as a running back, but he couldn’t stay healthy.
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Colt McCoy (#23)
DalliLlama stated, “McCoy lost a national title owing to injuries.” “Badly messed up his arm. Then he arrives in Cleveland and dies before he has a chance to live. Colt would very likely be an NCAA Champion and a very strong starter if he hadn’t had that injury and had a better franchise.” Because McCoy was a third-round selection after three great years as a starter for the Longhorns, this was a fair bet.
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In his second season, the Texas quarterback started 13 games, but it was the most he could do. He went to Washington after a single season in San Francisco, where he saw play four times. He only started seven games in six seasons in the capital as his NFL career went away. Because his expectations were so high, it was a terrible way for his career to end.
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Robert Edwards is number 22.
Edwards was a talented running back before suffering a career-ending injury. “He ran for 1,115 yards with the Patriots in 1998 before blowing out his knee during an NFL rookie flag football game in Hawaii during Pro Bowl week,” Raysor said. Edwards narrowly avoided having his leg amputated below the knee after the accident, and he was warned he may never walk again.”
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The Patriots selected him as a first-round selection in 1998 after he was a star for the Georgia Bulldogs. He played a rookie flag football game after a strong season and suffered a devastating knee injury. Doctors contemplated amputating his limb, but he was fortunate to retain it. Finally, in 2002, he returned to football with the Miami Dolphins for a single season. After that, he joined the CFL.
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Isaiah Wilson (#21)
@CesarZeppalli1 tweeted, “Isaiah Wilson was a first-round selection, which I find puzzling.” “After a year, I was traded and cut. He just played a few snaps and was terrible when he did. He has a lot of problems off the field. Most significantly, he lacked the necessary character to play in the NFL. “It’s the biggest bust ever.” Wilson is a former Tennessee Titans first-round pick who came in Nashville in 2020 but only stayed for a year.
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“Isaiah Wilson reminds me of this story: “There was a high school athlete in my area who flamed out at UT,” another fan commented. ‘He’s got a million dollars worth of skill and a nickel’s worth of brains,’ it was stated. ‘I think you overvalued those brains…’ was the response. It seems appropriate.” Wilson was moved to the Miami Dolphins, but he only stayed for a week before his NFL career ended.
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Robert Griffin III, number 20
@Fishmonger Ihza commented, “RG3 was hardly a typical bust.” “He suffered a horrific knee injury and was pushed back into action for a team that wasn’t ready to compete. The guy was just on the receiving end of a freak injury.” After an amazing rookie season, the former Redskins standout was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, he suffered irreversible harm to his career due to ruptured ACLs and LCLs during his first season.
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Griffin’s position as a bust, on the other hand, is divisive among fans. Some argue that portraying him as such is unjust due of his outstanding debut season. Others, on the other hand, are more vicious. “If he was truly that talented, however, he’d have made it back,” @Sladebryantt commented. I’ve never been able to read a defense. For a year, Kyle Shanahan made him look terrific and guided him to ROTY.”
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Bernard Williams, no. 19
Ozwaldo wrote, “My guy Bernard Williams.” Bernard Williams was a 6’9″ 317-pound offensive lineman who was drafted 14th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1994 NFL Draft. He was a true colossus of a guy. He was also a huge marijuana user. Williams was suspended from the NFL after failing 15 consecutive drug tests (creating a new record). I have no sympathy for the guy.”
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Williams seemed to be one of the finest offensive lineman in the NFL as a first-round selection. In his rookie season, he started every game, and the scene was created for him to grow into an exceptional player. His anarchy off the field, on the other hand, lost him his job. For the former Georgia standout, who ended up in the CFL when the NFL banned him, it was a one-and-done situation.
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Sam Darnold (#18)
BearyPotter said, “The Jets are inept.” “You don’t trade up for a franchise quarterback and surround him with probably the weakest skill position group in the NFL, a poor offensive line, a terrible offensive coordinator, and a terrible head coach.” In a nutshell, Darnold’s stint in New York was a disaster. In 2018, the Jets selected the young quarterback with the third overall selection, but everything went wrong for him.
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While he still has time to turn his career around, Jets fans will always see him as a failure. Head coach Adam Gase had a negative impact on his career, and the rest of the team didn’t back him up. His ghost game is legendary, and Darnold’s 2020/21 season was a disaster. It wasn’t entirely his fault, but it does demonstrate the importance of having the proper components in place for a quarterback to succeed.
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Danny Watkins (#17)
MrThunderkat said, “Danny Friggin Watkins!” “I’m angrier than ever with the Eagles’ executive office. How could you miss the fact that this guy just wanted to be a firefighter?” Watkins started firefighting when he was 16 years old, and it has been a lifelong interest for him. He visited 9-11 impacted firehouses even on the weekend he joined the NFL draft. This was, in a nutshell, his first love.
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After his arrival from the CFL, the Philadelphia Eagles made him the oldest first-round selection in almost 35 years. However, it did not go over well in Philadelphia. After that, he spent a season in Miami. However, he was released at the conclusion of the season and went on to work as a full-time fireman. While this is admirable, it is clear that neither the front offices nor the supporters of the teams for which he played were pleased.
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Brock Osweiler (#16)
“I don’t feel sorry for Brock Osweiler in the least. After Peyton retired, everyone knew he was the Broncos’ starter, but he was impatient, or he wanted the money, or both. In any case, he may have been able to make a difference in Denver.” EvelPhreak’s judgment is harsh, but it is accurate. He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, but it didn’t work out for either side.
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He won the Super Bowl as Peyton Manning’s backup, but he was eager to take over as the starter. As a consequence, he relocated to Houston in search of a large windfall, but his time there was a catastrophe. He went on to become a Brown, though he never started a game. He eventually returned to the Broncos. After Paxton Lynch’s injury, they alternated between him and him. In the end, his career came to a halt. It had to be terrible for him since he had so much promise.
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David Carr is number fifteen.
Carr’s disastrous first season was well summed up by one Reddit member. “Drafted first overall by an expansion club and pushed into the starting quarterback position with no offensive line in front of him,” inspektor71 commented. “During his tenure in Houston, he was sacked 249 times. He was essentially doomed from the start. His career might have been totally different if he had been selected by a club with some components surrounding him.”
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During his time in Houston, the 2002 first overall selection took a pounding. When a player is on the receiving end of a hammering, it doesn’t matter how good they are. This will have a long-term impact on their capacity to maintain an NFL offense. Carr moved from Houston to Carolina, where he made four starts. He spent the rest of his career as a backup quarterback after that season.
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Kevin White (#14)
@MikeHigh Nick said, “Kevin White actually forgot how to be excellent and his coaches had to show him his own college video to remind him.” White was drafted very high before breaking his leg before his first training camp, thus he was already up against it. Because of his outstanding performance for West Virginia, the Bears selected him in the first round.
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Because he basically missed the first two seasons of his contract, this had a catastrophic impact on his career. It’s understandable that he lost faith in himself. Finally, in his third year, he started to make public appearances, but he broke his collarbone badly. It was a terrible way to finish his profession. As his career got off the ground or ran its course, Chicago trimmed their losses and gave up on him.
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Cadillac Williams, No. 13
Heldos said, “I’m not sure whether he’s a conventional bust, but his career always makes me melancholy.” “Extremely high expectations led to an incredibly great year for an otherwise dismal squad. Tears his patellar tendon in his right knee, returns, performs well, then tears his patellar tendon in his left knee, and that was the end of it. He had a lot of potential, and it was a shame that his career was cut short due to two basically freak injuries.”
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Williams was an outstanding athlete in addition to perhaps having the greatest name for a running back in NFL history. He was selected by the Buccaneers in 2005, but he had a horrendous injury record. In the end, he was never able to live up to his full potential, which had a detrimental effect on his legacy.
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Malik McDowell (#12)
“Malik McDowell needs to be the man,” says the narrator. The Seahawks selected him in the second round, but he later suffered brain injuries after flipping an ATV on himself. @daguro wrote, “I’ve never played a down.” Whether McDowell or Isaiah Wilson is the worst draft flop in recent years is a point of contention. Wilson did play a few snaps following the incident, but McDowell did not return to the Seattle Seahawks.
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In addition, a judge sentenced him to 11 months in jail after police found him guilty of a number of minor offenses. For the young defensive lineman, this was a heartbreaking sequence of events. But the Michigan star lacked the mindset to achieve and regain control of his life. As a consequence, he suffered a massive loss of millions of dollars.
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Heath Shuler (#11)
Sooperkool stated, “Heath Shuler: number three selection, Heisman Trophy runner-up, and SEC player of the year.” “He held out so he could get a seven-year deal for $19 million. He was only in the league for three seasons.” Shuler, the lone former congressman on our list, had a much more successful political career than he did in football. This is something that Washington supporters would agree with.
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During his tenure with the team, he was involved in a number of quarterback scandals. There were, first and foremost, high-profile contract discussions. Then, because to his bad performance, supporters argued about whether he should start for the team. The third-round selection never lived up to the hype, but he earned a lot of money. He was a Democrat who wasn’t afraid to challenge the party’s leadership.
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Daryl Washington is number ten.
“What a f**king beast he was. Nyquilisdelicious noted, “He possessed the physical tools, intellect, and raw skill to make a big impact in the NFL.” “It’s a shame his stupid a*s couldn’t quit smoking marijuana. I mean, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, who You squander a hundred million dollars on weed.” Some, on the other hand, will claim that Washington is deserving of respect. Nobody could buy him because he understood what he wanted.
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Despite this, he squandered tens of millions of dollars. Washington, a second-round selection in 2010, isn’t a failure in the conventional sense since he was a Pro Bowler. However, his drug usage had a negative impact on his career, since the NFL is not known for being lenient with offenders. Finally, in 2013, he made his last competitive outing. It was a colossal squandering of potential.
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Blaine Gabbert (nine)
Surprisingly, Gabbert won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, while serving as Tom Brady’s backup. This was a fitting conclusion to a career that had started so badly. The Jaguars selected him in the first round of the 2011 draft, but he was a complete failure. He had no protection, which was disastrous since he couldn’t assert himself. In a nutshell, it was a disaster of a first season.
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MrThunderkat said, “It’s not really his fault that the Jags underestimated him and then surrounded him with a dumpster fire of a team.” This is a valid point, but it precipitated circumstances beyond Gabbert’s control. He spent the rest of his career in the NFL, playing eight games for San Francisco in 2015. However, the 10th overall selection has a poor track record.
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Vince Young, No. 8
“As a starting quarterback, he had a 31-19 record, led a mediocre Titans club to the playoffs, won rookie of the year, was duped out of a lot of money by some unscrupulous agents, and mispent whatever money he had,” TheSheriman wrote. Young’s tenure in the NFL was a mixed bag, to say the least. He played in the league for six seasons and was named to two Pro Bowls, but that isn’t the whole tale.
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Young wasn’t a complete failure in the traditional sense. However, due of his achievements at the University of Texas, there were great expectations. It’s safe to say he never reached his full potential. Finally, he slowed down and lost his starting spot in the NFL, ending up in the CFL. Meanwhile, Young has been detained numerous times outside of the football field.
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Joey Harrington, No. 7
In Detroit, Harrington had a rough time. The GM didn’t even want him, thus it was a disaster from start to finish. For the rest of his career, he was traumatized by this event. “Joey flatly said in interviews that he was a shell of a player when he departed Detroit,” confirmed Piles of Gore. “He still has a strong local presence in Portland, and whenever he discusses his job, he comes off as sad and furious.
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Mygoodfriendbaxter commented, “He had so much promise, and the Lions simply threw the poor kid out there his first year with no O-line.” “I just kept creaming and creaming and creaming and creaming and creaming and creaming and creaming and He was in such a state of shock. You could see that if he held the ball for more than 3 seconds, his feet would start jittering and he’d toss it away. He was simply terrified of being creamed once again. It was all over when he began sobbing in the locker room.”
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JaMarcus Russell (sixth)
“Not only did he perform poorly enough to be released by a dreadful Raiders team, but he also squandered the majority of the signing bonus money he earned as the number one pick,” Jree17 observed. The Raiders lost out on Adrian Peterson, which was probably the worst aspect of the situation. With the Raiders for just three seasons, he drew more notice for his weight than for his on-field performance.
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“Many of his teammates claim he didn’t care about losing or trying in practice, and when the Raiders expressed their disappointment in him, he essentially blamed the squad for losing,” the fan added. In addition, he spent almost all of his money on Codeine. There are lots of worse players on the field, but he’s always been one for whom I have no sympathy.” One of the most damaging nicknames in NFL history is JaWalrus.
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5. Sweed Limas
Sweed was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL Draft. Sweed, a standout collegiate athlete, was one of the finest receivers available that season on paper. Injuries, on the other hand, drove him down the pecking order. When it comes to on-field performance, the wideout was inconsistent and lost an alarming amount of passes. Meanwhile, he was dealing with some serious mental health issues.
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Svenhoek86 said, “Dude had severe mental issues and sadness, and it definitely impacted his performance.” “With each drop, you could see him deteriorate. He’d probably still be a Steeler if he had the hands and mentality to catch the balls sent his way. “There are so many big open drops.” It’s terrible that Sweed had to deal with so many problems, but he did get a Super Bowl ring.
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Ki-Jana Carter is number four on the list.
Carter was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995. However, he was dealt a devastating setback on his third carry in his first preseason game. “He tore his ACL in his first preseason game…and that was the end of it. “I couldn’t fathom working so hard, going in with all those expectations…and then your career is basically gone before you can accomplish anything,” achap39 said on Reddit.
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“Ki-Jana had everything. HeyZuesHChrist concurred, “He was built like a brick building and he had 4.3 speed and the wiggle to go with it.” “You simply don’t come back from an ACL tear,” he said. Medical treatments and recuperation were not at all what they are now. It was a death sentence, and for him to do it on the first carry in his first preseason game was ridiculous.”
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Tim Couch is number three.
“It hurts to see Tim Couch as just another failed QB name on the jersey of the long list of names since he was a genuine decent QB who simply couldn’t remain on the field playing behind an o-line that was just as often injured,” Clyde drexler said. He led the Browns to their first playoff game since their return and won it. He could have done wonders for that business if he hadn’t broken down in such a short time.”
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Because he had all of those issues, the Reddit user makes a strong argument for the previous top choice. In other words, it doesn’t matter how good a rookie quarterback is if he gets a lot of sacks. Perhaps it’s unfair to label him a failure since he did assist Cleveland in reaching the playoffs in 2002. However, due to catastrophic injuries, the former first overall selection was never able to fulfill his potential.
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Ryan Leaf, No. 2
Misterlakatos recalled, “I’ll never forget the buzz leading up to the Draft and the tremendous level of expectations on Leaf to be the next great franchise quarterback.” “He was meant to rescue the Chargers,” says the narrator. The fact that this was the case is ridiculous now, but experts viewed Leaf as a future Hall of Famer. Some even thought he was a stronger long-term possibility than Peyton Manning, who was selected in the same round.
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“There was genuine discussion as to whether he could be better than Peyton Manning,” Enterprise90 said. Manning was seen as a foregone conclusion, but there was speculation that Leaf might be even better.” Leaf was only better than Manning at one thing: using drugs. Over the years, he struggled with prescription medications and lacked the mental toughness to make it in the NFL. The Chargers made a terrible decision that put the franchise back years.
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Johnny Manziel is number one.
“There is nothing the guy could do to make me like him, from his spoiled attitude to his domestic violence,” namballer99 commented. In conclusion, the Cleveland Browns’ ‘Johnny Football’ was a complete failure. His demeanor was detrimental to his chances of becoming an outstanding NFL quarterback. The renowned collegiate athlete’s adventure was ended after two seasons.
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Because of his out-of-control partying and obvious lack of dedication in any manner, the Browns terminated him as quickly as possible following his second year. The problematic signal-caller was summed succinctly by DylanR2198. “I don’t believe it would have mattered who picked Johnny if he didn’t want to be developed; he just wanted to rip lines and f**k dimes, and that’s his business, but it doesn’t deserve sympathy.” It’s harsh, but it’s accurate.
The nfl draft busts last 5 years is a blog post that shares the stories of NFL Draft Busts from fans.
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