Remembering the Biggest Draft Busts in NFL History

[01dragonslayer]

Rick Mirer

1993 Draft: Seattle Seahawks; First Round, 2nd Pick​

Following the storied career of Joe Montana through Notre Dame and the NFL, the Seahawks were hoping lightning would strike twice when they grabbed Notre Dame QB Rick Mirer with the second overall pick. But Mirer could never match “Joe Cool.”
After a promising start, Mirer flamed out of Seattle after his fourth season. He would spend the rest of his NFL career bouncing around to six different teams over eight seasons. Nowadays, Mirer runs a popular Napa Valley winery.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Paul Posluszny


While not everyone would consider Posluszny a bust, he only lasted four years in Buffalo before leaving after failing to negotiate a new contract. Posluszny stated he “felt he was not in their plans” and moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars. One other player taken in same draft was Marshal Yanda. Despite being taken a whole round later by the Ravens, he spent his entire 13 year career in Baltimore, was named in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, and helped them win a Superbowl. We bet the Bills wish they would have taken him instead.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Heath Shuler

https://platform-cdn.sharethrough.com/privacy-policy?language=EN

1994 Draft: Washington Redskins; First Round, 3rd Pick​

Heath Shuler came into the 1994 draft with a lot riding on the pick. Washington hoped Shuler would be a franchise QB. But the pick would turn out to be a disaster for the ‘Skins.
Shuler failed to play well and was eventually succeeded in his rookie year by fellow rookie Gus Frerotte. The QB controversy would persist into Shuler’s second year, and in his third year he would be benched for Frerotte.
After brief stints in New Orleans and Oakland, Shuler retired. In 2007, he ran and won for U.S. Congress, becoming North Carolina’s 11th District representative.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Steve Emtman

1992 Draft: Indianapolis Colts; First Round, 1st Pick​

When looking at the 1992 NFL draft, one might not know where to start when it comes to player potential. The draft has no current Hall of Famers, and the list of Pro Bowlers from that year isn’t particularly impressive. Still, the Colts thought they had a defensive stalwart when they picked Steve Emtman first overall. But while Emtman was impressive in college, the NFL beat him down. The defensive end played just 18 games in three years with the Colts, unable to shake the injury bug. Mediocre stints in Miami and Washington would be pit stops before Emtman left the league after the 1997 season.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Ryan Leaf


https://platform-cdn.sharethrough.com/privacy-policy?language=EN

1998 Draft: San Diego Chargers; First Round, 2nd Pick​

He is perhaps the most infamous draft bust in NFL history, but it’s hard to put all the blame on the Chargers. Both San Diego and the Indianapolis Colts were in need of QBs, and it just so happened that two highly qualified young men were entering the draft. The Colts took Peyton Manning (have you ever heard of him?), leaving the Chargers with the next obvious choice of Leaf. Analysts didn’t worry much. Both players were pegged as future stars.
Leaf’s rookie season, however, was marred with erratic play and a poor attitude. Leaf was benched by early November. He’d miss the entire 1999 season after suffering a shoulder labral tear, and the 2000 season was again filled with bad play and even worse behavior — including an incident in which it appears Leaf lied about a hand injury so he could skip practice to go play golf instead. San Diego released Leaf after the 2000 season. The Buccaneers and Cowboys attempted to use Leaf in 2001, but he was released by both and never set foot on a football field again.
Leaf’s personal life also was tainted by allegations of substance abuse. However, maybe he’s finally turned over a new leaf. He’s currently working as a program ambassador for a drug recovery community center.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Jason Smith

2009 Draft: St. Louis Rams; First Round, 2nd Pick​

Looking to solidify their offensive line, the Rams took tackle Jason Smith with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft. The undersized Baylor product couldn’t keep up with the pace of the NFL game and was injury-prone, and he only lasted three seasons with St. Louis before the Rams shipped him to the Jets. Smith was cut by New York (twice) and New Orleans and was out of the league by 2013. During his brief career, Smith only started 26 games and never made a Pro Bowl.
Who could the Rams have had instead? Pro Bowlers Brian Orakpo, Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Cushing, Jeremy Maclin, Clay Matthews, and LeSean McCoy, among many others.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Robert Griffin III

2012 Draft: Washington Redskins; First Round, 2nd Pick​

Another Baylor star, the quarterback (pictured on the ground after getting sacked) initially made the Redskins look like geniuses for taking him second overall. In his rookie season, Robert Griffin III was voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. It looked as if he was going to be a superstar for years to come. That, unfortunately, was not to be.
The Heisman Trophy winner was hampered by repeated knee injuries and called out his coach, Mike Shanahan. In 2016, the Redskins cut Griffin, and he was cut by the Browns a year later. In 2018, he became the Baltimore Ravens’ third-string quarterback.
The Redskins missed out on such Pro Bowlers as Luke Kuechly, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, Doug Martin, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and T.Y. Hilton.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Dion Jordan

2013 Draft: Miami Dolphins; First Round, 3rd Pick​

Defensive end Dion Jordan has been self-destructive since being drafted third overall by the Dolphins. In April 2015, the Oregon alum was suspended for the entire season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy a third time. His suspension lasted 15 months, and after failing a physical, the Dolphins cut him in 2017.
Jordan, who was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks n 2018, only started three games in his NFL career to this point.
Had the Dolphins passed on Jordan, they could have taken Pro Bowlers Sheldon Richardson, Kyle Long, DeAndre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, or Le’Veon Bell.

 

[Jinko]

I am such a football nerd. I could go one by one on each guy. Rick Mier couldn't throw to left. Dion Jordan, steroid rumors in college.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Trent Richardson

2012 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 3rd Pick​

Another poor pick by the Cleveland Browns (shocking!), the star running back out of Alabama was massively hyped following a stellar college career. He had a quality rookie season, scoring 11 touchdowns, but just 17 games into his Browns tenure he was shipped to the Indianapolis Colts. He wasn’t much of a factor in two seasons in Indy, and the Colts waived him in 2015. He last played an NFL snap in 2014, after which he was released by the Raiders and Ravens. (He never saw the field for either team.) Richardson then went to play in the Canadian Football League.
Taken after Richardson in the 2012 draft? We went over this already, but we’ll refresh your memory: Pro Bowlers Luke Kuechly, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and T. Y. Hilton, just to name a few.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Cedric Benson

2005 Draft: Chicago Bears; First Round, 4th Pick​

Running back Cedric Benson never lived up to his fourth-pick hype in Chicago, and later said that he was miserable during his time with the Bears. He had some success with the Bengals, amassing 1,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons, but he never made a Pro Bowl and wasn’t one of the top backs in the league. (Something you’d expect from a Top 5 pick.) More disappointing than his play on the field, however, were his actions off it. During his career, Benson was arrested four times — from driving while intoxicated to reportedly punching a bartender — and has been arrested twice more since he last played in 2012.
With that fourth overall pick, the Bears could have taken DeMarcus Ware, Aaron Rodgers, Roddy White, Frank Gore, or Justin Tuck.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Dee Milliner


2013 Draft: New York Jets; First Round, 9th Pick
This isn’t the first, nor the last, time the New York Jets have appeared on our list, but picking Alabama corner Dee Milliner with the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft is one of the franchise’s biggest blunders. Milliner was benched three times during his rookie season for issues related to his play. From there, he dealt with numerous injuries that further ate into his playing time. Over the course of 3 seasons, Milliner appeared in only 21 games. The Jets released the cornerback in 2016, and he hasn’t appeared in the NFL since.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Sam Bradford


2010 Draft: St. Louis Rams; First Round, 1st Pick
When the St. Louis Rams picked Sam Bradford with the first pick in the 2010 draft, the franchise was counting on the Oklahoma quarterback to bring back the glory days of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Things started well for Bradford, who won the NFL’s offensive Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. However, inconsistent play would hamper Bradford’s next several seasons, before a devastating knee injury ended his time in St. Louis in 2014. Bradford went on to slightly more successful stints in Philadelphia and Minnesota, however he continued to suffer from a myriad of injury woes. The former Heisman Trophy winner last appeared in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. He was ineffective in two starts, before being released in November of that year. While Bradford had a more successful career than many of the others on this last, his career definitely failed to live up to the expectations of being a #1 draft pick.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Akili Smith


1999 Draft: Cincinnati Bengals; First Round, 3rd Pick
The Bengals pinned the hopes of their franchise on Akili Smith, taking the quarterback third in the 1999 NFL Draft, and turning down a massive trade offer from the New Orleans Saints to do so. Like most decisions the Bengals have made in their history, the move backfired spectacularly. Smith started a grand total of 17 games for the Bengals between 1999 and 2002 before being cut in 2003. Smith played in Canada for several years, but never played another down in the NFL.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Matt Leinart


2006 Draft: Arizona Cardinals; First Round, 10th Pick
Matt Leinart was a superstar in college, quarterbacking the USC Trojans during one of the most dominant runs in college football history. However, Leinart’s college success didn’t transfer to the pros. He spent his time in the pros as a journeyman backup, and left the Cardinals wondering what else they could have done with that first round pick.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Marcus Mariota


2015 Draft: Tennessee Titans; First Round, 2nd Pick
Heading into the 2015 NFL draft, the debate among most NFL experts was who would go first: Florida State QB Jameis Winston or Oregon QB Marcus Mariota. In the end, Winston was chosen first by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which in-turn led to the Tennessee Titans taking Mariota second. The quarterback wasn’t terrible over the course of his first four seasons, but he wasn’t spectacular either. In 2019, Mariota was benched for former Dolphins signal caller Ryan Tannehill.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Maurice Clarett


2005 Draft: Denver Broncos; Third Round, 101st Pick
While Maurice Clarett wasn’t drafted all that high, he belongs on this list thanks to his initial college career. In 2002, a then-freshman Clarett led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and National Championship, tallying 1,237 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Clarett’s year was so good that some were already prognosticating that he would go on to be a first round draft pick. However, a series of incidents – including alleged academic improprieties – ended Clarett’s Ohio State career in 2003. Denver took a chance on drafting Clarett in 2005, however he was cut before the preseason began. Clarett never played a snap for the Broncos, or any other NFL team. Clarett would encounter problems with the law following his aborted football career, before turning his life around.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Paxton Lynch


2016 Draft: Denver Broncos; First Round, 26th Pick
Coming into the 2016 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos were defending Super Bowl Champions and looking to replace the just-retired Peyton Manning. Their solution was to select Memphis QB Paxton Lynch with the 26th overall pick. The choice, to put it nicely, didn’t work out. Lynch started a grand total of four games in two years for the Broncos. He was released in 2018, and has served as practice squad player and backup for the Seahawks and Steelers since.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Mark Sanchez


https://platform-cdn.sharethrough.com/privacy-policy?language=EN
2009 Draft: New York Jets; First Round, 5th Pick
Mark Sanchez’s career in the NFL is truly a tale of two careers. If one only looks at his first two years in the league, they’d be hard-pressed to call him a bust. The former USC QB led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010 (for just the second and third times in their history), defeating Phillip Rivers, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady in playoff games. However, Sanchez’s career took a dramatic turn in the following years. He was hampered by injuries and erratic play, and became the butt of national jokes thanks to a rather awkward fumble in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Patriots in 2012. The Jets released Sanchez in 2014, and he bounced between the Eagles, Cowboys, Broncos, Bears, and Redskins over the next five years before retiring in 2019.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Christian Hackenberg


2016 Draft: New York Jets; Second Round, 50th Pick
Despite all we said about Mark Sanchez’s later tenure with the Jets, at least he actually played for the team. In 2016, the Jets selected Christian Hackenberg with the 50th overall pick in the draft, played him in the preseason… and proceeded to not play him a single snap in 2016. The following season Hackenberg played in the preseason again, and was technically active for several games as the team’s backup QB, but once again never made it into a game. The Jets then drafted Sam Darnold and traded Hackenberg to the Raiders. Hackenberg never played a down for Oakland, or Philadelphia, or Cincinnati (each of whom had him on the practice squad) and is currently out of the NFL.