The 25 Biggest Draft Fails in NFL History

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Year: 2009

Is it too early to consider someone drafted in 2009 a bust? We like Mark Sanchez, he appears to be a dude who can goof around and take a joke, but as a football player he appears to be regressing horribly. He's more known for a "butt fumble," then any sort of positive contribution he's made for his club.

He did reach the AFC Conference Championship twice in his first two seasons as a Jet (that was due largely to their defense) but in this past season he sucked. Mark threw 13 TDs, 18 INTs, and 14 fumbles (8 lost), and  his quarterback rating was above just one other starter (Matt Cassel). That's what we mean by regression. No matter if you've written off Sanchez or still believe he can make an impact in this league, don't be shocked if the Jets select a replacement in this year's draft.

Year: 2006

Matt Leinart could've come out of USC for the 2005 Draft. He won the Heisman Trophy that year, and by many accounts, would've been the top overall pick. Instead he opted to stay for his senior season, take one class (ballroom dancing) and lose the National Championship 41-38, to fellow future bust Vince Young. In the 2006 Draft, Leinart went 10th overall to the Arizona Cardinals and lost his job to a guy everyone thought was a has-been, Kurt Warner. Leinart sat on the sideline to watch Iron Kurt narrowly lose 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. And he still can't get a starting gig. He's now playing back-up for Terrelle Pryor of all people.

Year: 1999

The third overall pick of the 1999 Draft was used wasted on Akili Smith, a quarterback out of Oregon. Seven of the next eight draft choices became Pro Bowlers, including two-time All-Pro QB Daunte Culpepper.

In his four year Bengal career, Smith threw five total touchdowns and in 2000 alone fumbled fourteen times. Akili's greatest contribution to the organization of Cincinnati may have been helping them secure top four draft selections for three of the four seasons he called the city home.

Year: 1999

In 1999, Tim Couch was selected ahead of Donovan McNabb. Couch was the first selection of the rebirth of the Cleveland Browns franchise. After five lackluster seasons, with three last place finishes and zero playoff games, Couch went out as depressingly as the franchise's post-Otto Graham quarterback carousel. He was benched for Kelly Holcomb.

Year: 2003

In 2003, the Minnesota Vikings were slated to have the No. 7 overall pick. They fell two slots to No. 9 where they selected DT Kevin Williams whom they claimed was the player they wanted all along. The Vikings failed to make  a trade with the Baltimore Ravens and were forced to skip two spots (the Jaguars selected Byron Leftwich and the Panthers selected Jordan Gross) which is not the type of shit you'd wanna hear as Minnesota fan a year after they went 6-10.

Year: 2004

Maybe winning a championship with Craig Krenzel at quarterback gave him a big head because in 2004, at the age of 20, Maurice Clarett thought he was ready to take an NFL-sized pounding. It started when Clarett was suspended by the Buckeyes for the 2003 season (for filing a BS police report). He sued to be a part of the NFL Draft (rules dictate that a player must be three years removed from high school to be eligible for the NFL) and he originally won his lawsuit but it was reversed on appeal.

It's all moot because he turned out to be a lousy NFL prospect anyway. At the '05 Combine he ran a 4.72 and a 4.82, the third slowest time among all running backs who participated. He completely sucked at Denver's training camp (that'll happen when you haven't practiced in over a year) and weighed almost 250 lbs (that'll happen when you eat a lot). He never played a down in the NFL. Unfortunately like many on this list he dabbled in a little bit of law-breaking and served some time. All told, there's been an awful lot of discussion about a guy who only played one year on the national stage.

Year: 2000

Coming out of Penn State, Courtney Brown was often compared to all-time sack leader Bruce Smith. The year after the Browns chose Tim Couch they took Courtney Brown as their No. 1 overall selection (which is actually pretty indicative of how that Tim Couch choice was working out). Brown was an absolute beast in college and had a pretty good rookie season to boot, but in his next year he missed 11 games which was an ominous warning for his career. In his last three seasons as a member of the Browns he missed 22 games culminating in a two week season in 2004 before going on injured reserve. He played one more season, for the Denver Broncos, and was placed on IR by October. A little over a year later he was cut.

Years: 1991 & 1993

1991: Dan McGwire, brother of Mark, is still the tallest QB in the history of the NFL at 6'8". Mark threw for over 7,500 yards in two seasons at San Diego State so the Seahawks took him with the 16th overall pick. Within a year he was backing up professional nobodies Kelly Stouffer (who was the sixth overall pick in 1987) and Stan Gelbaugh (who played for four teams in 1991 alone, two of which were in Europe). In 1992, after the Seahawks went 2-14 they realized it was time to go in a different direction again, which led to....

1993: "The next Joe Montana" Rick Mirer out of Notre Dame with the second overall pick. Mirer was decent in his rookie year; however, by seasons three and four it was evident that he threw with the precision of a monkey chucking feces, but lacked the composure. In four seasons with Seattle, he had 41 TDs and 56 INTs. Worse yet, there was no market for Mirer. The Chicago Bears used this to their advantage by trading their first round draft pick for him. In three starts for Chicago, Mirer threw six picks and no touchdowns. Over the next seven seasons he threw a total of nine TDs as a middling backup, and ended his career 24-44 as a starter.

Year: 1991

The Nebraska product never lived up to his last name. After being selected third overall in 1991 by the Atlanta Falcons, Bruce Pickens finished his career with two interceptions. He also tried to sue them over his holdout prior to his rookie season and showed up to camp out of shape. Pickens was heralded for his athleticism, but coming out of JuCo he was overwhelmed by the superior talent around him and never panned out. After bouncing around to the Packers, Chiefs, and Raiders, he was out of the league all together by 1995.

Year: 1999

Ricky Williams wasn't a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. But in 1999, the New Orleans Saints, in a plan spearheaded by head coach Mike Ditka, traded all of their 1999 picks and their first and third round choices in 2000 to take Williams No. 5 overall.

Before Ricky ever played a down in the NFL, the two posed for one of the most bizarre photo shoots in sports history to hype Ditka's decision. It didn't take long to realize the payoff, the Saints went 3-13 and Mike Ditka got fired. Ricky ended up playing a mere three seasons in the Bayou before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. He never lived up to the trade (a near impossible task) because he discoverd a girl named Mary Jane, and unfortunately there was no word on whether or not the two ever consummated their magazine cover.

Year: 2011

What do you do to the man at the center of a lockout for your favorite way to spend a Sunday? You boo him mercilessly right to his face. Here at Complex we think a better protest would've been staying at home instead of waiting in a long line to attend an event for a league that has locked the fans out (which, of course, Goodell is in charge of) but like our favorite comment board trolls like to constantly remind us, what do we know?

Year: 1983

"With the first pick in the 1983 Draft the Baltimore Colts select, John Elway from Stanford University." And with that John Elway never played a down in America's Comeback City (or Bodymore if you're more pessimistic). A year later they moved to Indy where they reside to this day (sorry, we have to assume not everyone's a football fan).

Unable to compromise in private, Elway publicly stated his very real option of becoming a New York Yankee, thus completely fucking the Colts. Eventually, they traded him to Denver for Northwestern offensive lineman Chris Hinton who became a six-time Pro Bowler for Indianapolis. Elway went on to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and finally after 15 years led the Broncos to two consecutive championships.

The Colts, on the other hand, drafted Jeff George No. 1 overall in 1990 (we all know how that turned out) but then made up for all their failures by taking Peyton Manning No. 1 overall in 1998. In the end, Elway's message was clear: if you're good at something, you can do whatever you want. Someone in the Manning family was listening.  

Years: 1995, 1998, 2004

In 1995, the Bears chose Heisman winning Colorado Buffalo, Rashaan Salaam with the 21st overall pick. Over three years in the Windy City backfield, Salaam was plagued by several injuries, had problems with weed, and most importantly lost 11 fumbles in 20 starts. 

In 1998, the Bears tried again and chose Curtis Enis out of Happy Valley (Penn State) with the fifth overall pick. In 36 contests, Enis scored six total touchdowns (zero his rookie season) and averaged less than 42 yards per game. In 456 carries in the NFL, he had only one 20-yard rush.

In 2004, the Bears took Cedric Benson with the fourth overall pick out of Texas. That season he missed the entire training camp due to a contract holdout which led to him backing up veteran Thomas Jones. In 2007, the Bears made him the feature back and promptly finished last in the NFL in rushing. He was eventually replaced by "the bad" Adrian Peterson. He then had two "alcohol-related" arrests in the span of roughly a month. During Week 7 of 2009, as a member of the Bengals, Benson got his "revenge" by rushing for a career high 189 yards against the team that drafted him, gave him millions of dollars, and a couple of chances to stop driving drunk. Who says real life doesn't have fairy tale endings? 

Year: 2005

Picture yourself getting your hopes up for Prom and then getting rejected (probably not that hard), having to sit around on national TV without a date, and then after going 24th overall (which is only bad when you expect to go in the top 10) your career is constantly put on hold for a wishy washy old man who can't make up his mind. After finding out that Rodgers was also a JuCo transfer who received little interest from D-1 programs, we realize how all this (probably) contributed to the former MVP's complex to strap on the championship belt every time he makes a big play.

Year: 2002

The first player ever chosen by the expansion Houston Texans franchise is still to this day their biggest disappointment. That's not to say it's all Carr's fault, he had an offensive line with more holes in it than a New York City street, taking 76 sacks during his rookie season causing 21 fumbles. He's traumatized to this very day, looking like a deer in headlights whenever he's under center.

Year: 1996

Selected by the Rams with the sixth overall pick out of Nebraska is another college stud who has become synonymous with the word bust. St. Louis traded Jerome Bettis (who made the Pro Bowl in 1996 and is still number six on the all-time rushing list) on Draft day to make room for Phillips. They then gave up on him midway through his second season in St. Louis because he couldn't behave himself. When you average 3.5 yards a carry and have run-ins with the law, you become expendable. 

So how about Phillips' post-Rams career? He played two games for the Miami Dolphins before he plead no contest to assaulting a woman at a nightclub. After that he went to Barcelona and dominated European football which got him another chance in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. A little over half way into his first season in San Fran, Phillips refused to practice and mocked coaches—you can guess where this is going—they cut him without allowing him to set foot on the field again.

After a long and tumultuous career we'd like to tell you Phillips is rehabilitated and was humbled by all he threw away. But, well, that would be lying. If you want to know where the Lawrence Phillips saga currently stands, it's right here.

Year: 1987

Technically "The Boz" went in the supplemental draft, but the two-time consensus All-American and Butkus Award winner came packed with a ridiculous amount of hype. Bosworth got booted off the Oklahoma Sooners for wearing a shirt that protested the NCAA who suspended him for the 1987 Orange Bowl due to steroid use. Then, before the Draft, Bosworth wrote letters to several organizations (notably the Colts and Bills) informing them that he wouldn't suit up for their clubs.

When the Seahawks chose him and then signed him to the largest rookie contract in history (at that point), he tried to sue the NFL so he could wear his college number (44). Over his career, Bosworth started half his team's games and was forced to retire in Week 3 of 1989 (his third season) because he had the shoulders of "a 60 year old."

His most notable game came on Monday Night Football in 1987 when he, as a rookie, promised to contain Bo Jackson (also a rookie). Jackson ran for a still standing MNF-record 221 yards (including a 91 yard TD run), had a receiving touchdown and "ran over" Bosworth at the goal line for another score. You be the judge.

Year: 1999

In 1999, the first three selections in the Draft were quarterbacks. No 1. was Tim Couch (already mentioned) and No. 3 was Akili Smith (already mentioned). Sandwiched between the two was Syracuse product Donovan McNabb, the only player out of the three who was booed. McNabb went on to make six Pro Bowls (including five straight), led Philly to four consecutive NFC Championship games, one Super Bowl, the Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, was the NFC Player of the Year in 2004, and finished his career with a 2-to-1 TD to interception ratio. All we can say is: good call Philadelphia, you booed a future Hall of Famer.

Year: 1995

Penn State running backs drafted in the top five had a tough time adjusting to the NFL in the '90s (see Curtis Enis and Blair Thomas). But none was more of a letdown then Kijana Carter. In Carter's final (Junior) season at Penn State he ran for 1,539 yards. For that they gave him (at the time) the largest contract ever for an NFL rookie. In his four-year career with the Bengals he didn't rush for half of his college total.

Now like a lot of players in NFL bust history, Carter struggled with injuries. On the third carry of his first preseason game he tore a muscle ligament in his knee. But it probably doesn't give the Bengals, or their fans, any comfort when five of the next seven players drafted became Pro Bowlers.

Year: 1992

It's always a bummer to blow the top overall pick, but blowing the top two overall picks is Matt Millen-esque. First overall pick Steve Emtman was a DT out of Washington who finished all three of his seasons with the Colts on the injured reserve list. It was back in an era where they laid carpet over concrete, called it AstroTurf and tackled each other on top of it. In his NFL career he blew out his knee, tore his patellar tendon (in his other knee, which at the time no NFL player had ever come back from) and suffered a bulging disk in his neck which caused nerve damage.

The second overall pick was linebacker Quentin Coryatt out of Texas A&M. Coryatt was a resounding success compared to Emtman but unfortunately that's not the measure of a solid number two pick. Coryatt played seven seasons with the Colts concluding in 1998 where he spent the entire season on the injured reserve list. He retired a season later after one year with the Cowboys. In a rare opportunity where Indy possessed the top two picks they grabbed two non-factors. Their decisions sting even more when you realize eight defensive Pro Bowlers were drafted in the first round that year. On the lighter side their first choice in the second round was cornerback Ashley Ambrose who became an All-Pro himself, just not with the Colts.  

Year: 1989

Coming out of East Lansing (Michigan State), Sports Illustrated called Tony Mandarich "the best offensive lineman prospect ever" and slapped him on their cover. Getting that type of muscle definition at that size is incredible, so much so that you might suspect that it was chemically altered. Well, turns out it was. 

Mandarich went to Green Bay No. 2 overall, one slot after Troy Aikman and immediately before Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. Not only are those other four guys not on this list but they're also enshrined in Canton.

Three years after the 1989 Draft, the Packers cut Tony. Sports Illustrated then labeled him "The NFL's Incredible Bust." Thus a lesson was learned: the SI cover giveth and the SI cover knocketh down a peg.

Year: 1986

In 1986, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson. It was a fucking blunder because Bo never signed with the Bucs, opting instead to toil long bus rides, low pay and crappy food in baseball's minor leagues by signing with the Kansas City Royals. It may sound like a puzzling move since it's really hard to improve your draft stock from No. 1 overall. But according to Bo himself in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary You Don't Know Bo, he refused to play for the Buccaneers because he thought they made him intentionally ineligible to play baseball so that he wouldn't be tempted to play in the MLB over the NFL. Worked like a charm.

Year: 2002, 2003, & 2005

Matt Millen's legendarily bad tenure saw seven straight losing seasons and laid the foundation for the team that went 0-16 in year one of the Post-Millen era. His draft choices became a national punchline amongst football aficionados, Google search it if you want to see for yourself (or Bing search if you don't want to be spied on). Here were three of his more dubious first round selections:

Joey Harrington (Oregon), was the third overall pick of the 2002 Draft. His numbers were very pedestrian but he was 18-37 in his Lions career as a starter. 

Charles Rogers (Michigan St.) was the No. 2 overall pick in 2003. He played 15 games in his NFL career (starting nine of them), averaged less than 30 yards a game and scored four career touchdowns. After he was cut in 2006 he generated little interest due to his 4.8 forty time.

Mike Williams (USC) was the 10th overall pick in 2005. After he also challenged the NFL eligibility rule (a la Maurice Clarett) he sat a year before the Lions chose him. He was 6'5" 241 lbs and ran a 4.5 forty (that's how you get that interest). In two seasons in Detroit he had 37 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns. After that, he was traded to the Raiders with Josh McCown for a fourth round pick. 

In fairness to Millen, he did snatch up Megatron (Calvin Johnson) with the No. 2 overall pick in 2007. We're sure it took some balls to take another shot at a wideout, and it probably scared the hell out of Calvin Johnson when he found out Matt Millen believed in him, but at least the man redeemed himself a little at the end.

Year: 1998

Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? This was a dilemma back in 1998. Luckily the Colts made the right decision and drafted a quarterback who topped Johnny Unitas as the greatest in franchise history. The Chargers, however, were left with dick in the most figurative sense. Leaf's most notable highlight (including those on the field) came when he erupted on a reporter after a tough game in Kansas City. Now as Manning continues to climb in the record books; Leaf unfortunately spends his life dealing with revolving legal problems and seeing where he places atop bust lists every year around this time.

Year: 2007

Technically he can still do something about it. He's still only 27 years old. But JaMarcus edges out Leaf as our No. 1 choice because he was, well, the number one choice. For once Leaf is thankful for being chosen No. 2 or at least he would if he hadn't stopped giving a shit about these lists 15 years ago. Russell robbed the Raiders of $61 million. He was lazy, liked jewelry a little too much, and got caught up making Lean. He's currently trying to make a comeback.