Every NFL Team's Worst First-Round Draft Pick Since 2011

NFL teams often miss with their first-round picks. Here are the selections all 32 squads around the league wish they could have back over the past 10 years.

NFL Draft Busts
Complex Original

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NFL Draft Busts

The 2021 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and the excitement is building for the three-day event. Fans and pundits will be in bliss as this year’s rookie class finds out where they’ll begin their careers. But every team has a slew of bad picks they’d love to have back. It’s not a knock on anyone. Drafting is hard and not every first-round pick is going to work out. It’s math. 

Sometimes a pick doesn’t work out due to poor scheme or culture fit and a player does well elsewhere. Other times it’s about reaching for an individual over another, and seeing the other player blossom while their own pick flounders. Rarely are any two situations the exact same and it’s easy to second-guess with hindsight.

We’ve found the worst first-round draft pick for every team along with the runner-up since the 2011 draft class. Even the best franchises miss because the draft is a gamble and football isn’t easy to project. 

Arizona Cardinals - Robert Nkemdiche (2016)

Robert Nkemdiche Cardinals Seahawks 2018

Atlanta Falcons - Takkarist McKinley (2017)

Takk McKinley

Baltimore Ravens - Breshad Perriman (2015)

Breshad Perriman

Buffalo Bills - EJ Manuel (2013)

EJ Manuel Bills Jets 2017

Carolina Panthers - Vernon Butler (2016)

Vernon Butler

Chicago Bears - Mitchell Trubisky (2017)

Bill Streicher

Cincinnati Bengals - John Ross (2017)

John Ross Bengals Browns 2019

Cleveland Browns - Johnny Manziel (2014)

This is Johnny Manziel while he was still with the Browns.

Dallas Cowboys - Bruce Carter (2011)

Bruce Carter

Denver Broncos - Paxton Lynch (2016)

Paxton Lynch Broncos 2018

Detroit Lions - Jarrad Davis (2017)

Jarrad Davis

Green Bay Packers - Jordan Love (2020)

Jordan Love Packers Saints 2020

Houston Texans - Kevin Johnson (2015)

Kevin Johnson

Indianapolis Colts - Bjoern Werner (2013)

Bjoern Werner Colts WTF 2014

Jacksonville Jaguars - Blake Bortles (2014)

Blake Bortles Jaguars Texans 2018

Kansas City Chiefs - Jonathan Baldwin (2011)

Jonathan Baldwin Chiefs Preseason 2011

Las Vegas Raiders - Gareon Conley (2017)

Gareon Conley

Los Angeles Chargers - D.J. Fluker (2013)

DJ Fluker

Los Angeles Rams - Greg Robinson (2014)

Greg Robinson Rams Jets 2016

Miami Dolphins - Dion Jordan (2013)

Dion Jordan Dolphins 2016

Minnesota Vikings - Christian Ponder (2011)

Christian Ponder Vikings Lions 2011

New England Patriots - N'Keal Harry (2019)

N'Keal Harry Patriots Dolphins 2020

New Orleans Saints - Stephone Anthony (2015)

Stephone Anthony Saints Cardinals 2019

New York Giants - Deandre Baker (2019)

Deandre Baker Giants Eagles 2019

New York Jets - Dee Milliner (2013)

Dee Milliner

Philadelphia Eagles - Danny Watkins (2011)

Danny Watkins Eagles Cardinals 2011

Pittsburgh Steelers - Jarvis Jones (2013)

Jarvis Jones Steelers Browns 2016

Runner-Up: Artie Burns (2016)

The 2013 class was one of the worst in recent memory and the Steelers were another team to fall victim to overdrafting a bad player. Jones was a stiff, linear edge-rusher who never had a chance at being more than a rotational piece in the NFL. His production at Georgia clearly came from physicality and scheme, yet the Steelers still selected him 17th overall over Kyle Long, Desmond Trufant, and Xavier Rhodes. 

The Steelers switched their strategy to get more athletic players shortly after the Jones debacle, but their 2016 pick of Artie Burns was misguided. Burns wasn’t twitched-up enough in short-area, and was burned as a limited cornerback who could only run downhill fast. He quickly washed out as a depth piece. 

San Francisco 49ers - Solomon Thomas (2017)

Solomon Thomas 49ers 2017

Seattle Seahawks - Rashaad Penny (2018)

Rashaad Penny

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Vernon Hargreaves (2016)

Vernon Hargreaves

Tennessee Titans - Isaiah Wilson (2020)

Isaiah Wilson Titans 2020

Washington Football Team - Dwayne Haskins (2019)

Dwayne Haskins

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