What Are The Worst Draft Picks in NFL History?

[Big Poppa Puck]

Dmitrius Underwood. 1st round pick, never even played a down in the league.


The Vikings 2005 1st round picks Troy Williamson and Erasmus James.

In fact that entire class for them was atrocious:
2nd - OL Marcus Johnson - scrub
3rd - DB Dustin Fox - Never played a snap. Hurt in camp in 05, cut on 06 cutdown day.
4th - RB Ciatrick Fason - scrub
No 5th
6th - DT CJ Mosley - best player from this draft and he was/is a journeyman and was traded after 1 year for Brooks freakin Bollinger
7th - S Adrian Ward - the other pick from the Moss trade. Never made the team.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

Vernon Gholston, New York Jets - No. 6 overall, 2008 - had 0 sacks in 45 games played with the Jets.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Akili Smith was a colossal (but predictable) bust. He completed 5 TD passes in a 4 year big league career.

Seems Smith has been largely forgotten, but my opinion, he deserves equal consideration with Russell as an unfortunate & historic first round bust.

It's become a contemporary tradition for draft 'experts' to declare any & every dual-threat, mobile quarterback (at the college level) as the new NFL game-changer.. even tho pocket passers keep winning the majority of Super Bowls.. Manning Brothers, Brady, Flacco, etc

Akili Smith was not a duel threat QB. Neither was Russell. Flacco is an underrated athlete.

Steve Young
Joe Montana
John Elway
Roger Staubach
Russell Wilson
Brett Favre
Aaron Rodgers
Ben Roethlisberger

All mobile quarterbacks that have won super bowls. Mobility doesn't have to be Mike Vick running for huge yardage.

 

[Sotty]

Post this video:

That "Oh Noooo!" at 0:38sec is hilarious

 

[Hockeyfan02]

Russell definitely had talent. He wasn't wrong to claim otherwise. Elway-like was a bit far though

So did Leaf but neither had their head on straight. Listening to Leaf's interviews on Dan Patrick the last couple of months, if he was mentally stable and clean like he is now back then he might've fulfilled his potential.

 

[missingmika]

It's Tony Mandarich. This is the top 5 of that draft:

1. Aikman - HOF
2. Mandarich - Not HOF
3. Barry Sanders - HOF
4. Derrick Thomas - HOF
5. Deion Sanders - HOF

One of those players does not belong.

Mandarich had 3 bad years with the Packers, was out of football for 4 years, then had 3 years with the Colts after going through rehab.

What's worse and puts him over the top. The 1988 Packers roster featured running backs: Brent Fullwood (483 yards rushing), Keith Woodside (195 yards rushing), and Larry Mason (194 yards rushing).

In 19 games vs the Packers, Sanders had 2,059 yards rushing.

 

[Voight]

Joey Harrington. 3rd overall, 2002, Detroit Lions. But , as you read below, it wasn't all his "fault."

Harrington was first given the label of "Savior" by fans and media in Detroit - then deemed a "bust" when he did not meet high expectations. Many speculate that his premature start in the NFL, along with lack of surrounding talent, poor coaching, and questionable offensive lines have affected his performance severely. Many other quarterbacks, such as Tim Couch and David Carr, were also drafted highly and eventually lost their starting jobs.

In 2005, NFL analyst and Hall Of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman wrote that Harrington "can still be a really good quarterback in this league," and does not deserve the blame for what happened in Detroit: "The focus on Joey's play has given every other player a hall pass, and that's not right."

Phil Simms, a CBS Sports analyst and Super Bowl MVP, said in 2006 that Harrington got a bad rap in Detroit. "I am not a Joey Harrington basher," "The quarterback can't overcome bad coaching and bad players." Former Miami Dolphins quarterback and television analyst Dan Marino said that he did not believe that Harrington had the necessary pieces around him in Detroit to be successful, but that he might be OK in a different place.

When Lions head coach Steve Mariucci was fired by general manager Matt Millen, Lions cornerback Dré Bly told Rich Eisen in an NFL Total Access interview that he blamed Harrington for the dismissal of Mariucci. Bly later apologized to the Lions, but not to Harrington.

Some fingers were also pointed at the Lions' management and coaching staff. Jeff Garcia publicly questioned the Lions' front office, saying on WXYT that "You start to question whether the organization has the people in place who can go about making the proper selections." Howie Long, analyst for FOX Sports said that Matt Millen made a mistake by drafting Harrington, and then again in the offseason before the 2005 season by signing Garcia instead of Brad Johnson.

 

[Daz28]

The Tom Cousineau had to be the worst by circumstance. He quit when he didn't get picked up at the airport his first day. He was basically a Bill for about 12 minutes.

 

[thestonedkoala]

What about Cade McNown?

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Brandon Weeden and Chris Weinke need to be in this discussion. Old dudes getting drafted in the 1st lol.

 

[ChiGuySez]

What about Cade McNown?

Cade McClown. Hes right up there at the top. Bears have a long list.

 

[GKJ]

Brandon Weeden and Chris Weinke need to be in this discussion. Old dudes getting drafted in the 1st lol.

Wasn't Weinke a 4th rounder or something?

 

[DyerMaker66*]

It's become a contemporary tradition for draft 'experts' to declare any & every dual-threat, mobile quarterback (at the college level) as the new NFL game-changer.. even tho pocket passers keep winning the majority of Super Bowls.. Manning Brothers, Brady, Flacco, etc

I blame that on NFL teams not knowing how to use a running QB.

Is Alex Smith seen as a bad 1st overall?

 

[DaveG]

Wasn't Weinke a 4th rounder or something?

Yes.

Brandon Weeden going in the first was just flat out clownshoes level laughable though... or basically par for the course for the Browns org.

I blame that on NFL teams not knowing how to use a running QB.

Is Alex Smith seen as a bad 1st overall?

Definitely isn't seen as a good one, but he's not a truly bad #1. I think a lot of the stigma has to do with A.A.Ron going at 24.

 

[Hasbro]

2/37 2009 Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest simultaneously in the discussion of worst draft pick and worst trade in Broncos history. McDaniels coveted Alphonso so much he swapped a 1st round pick even up to draft him which Seattle used to take Earl Thomas. Smith can't even break into the line up as a nickle and gets traded for junk at the beginning of next season.

 

[m9]

I actually kind of liked Alphonso Smith as a prospect at the time, but yeah that one sure didn't work out.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Jason Smith for the Rams has to be fairly high on the list. Granted the rest of the 1st round wasn't too much better, but still. AND it was before the rookie cap, so the dude was a bust and got PAID.

 

[GKJ]

Yes.

Brandon Weeden going in the first was just flat out clownshoes level laughable though... or basically par for the course for the Browns org.

That was another one literally everyone saw coming, but it only takes one team to love you.

 

[Roughneck]

I get that he's an all-pro kicker that is still with the team so there are definitely worse picks out there, but was anybody else going to take Janikowski in the first round?

 

[Hasbro]

I get that he's an all-pro kicker that is still with the team so there are definitely worse picks out there, but was anybody else going to take Janikowski in the first round?

Nope and it drove off Gruden too.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Jim Druckenmiller was such a black mark on Bill Walsh. He was so bad.

 

[Reality Check]

It's Tony Mandarich. This is the top 5 of that draft:

1. Aikman - HOF
2. Mandarich - Not HOF
3. Barry Sanders - HOF
4. Derrick Thomas - HOF
5. Deion Sanders - HOF

One of those players does not belong.

Mandarich had 3 bad years with the Packers, was out of football for 4 years, then had 3 years with the Colts after going through rehab.

What's worse and puts him over the top. The 1988 Packers roster featured running backs: Brent Fullwood (483 yards rushing), Keith Woodside (195 yards rushing), and Larry Mason (194 yards rushing).

In 19 games vs the Packers, Sanders had 2,059 yards rushing.

It's the NFL version of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Mandarich revived his career and at least became respectable on the same level as say Kwame Brown. But he is still a bust.

Ki-Jana Carter I would give a slight pass due to be injured in his first preseason game. Unless you're Greg Oden, you can't really predict something like that to happen.

Cleveland taking Tim Couch and Courtney Brown, in back-to-back years at #1 is horrendous though.

 

[GKJ]

Carter didn't even make it to pre-season did he? I thought that was training camp.

Tim Couch was another one I didn't get. In fact both of those guys. In that time, Penn Staters were always huge busts.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Tim Couch is another dude who got thrown onto an expansion team and suffered injuries. He did take the Browns to the playoffs and married a playmate so I'm sure he's ok with life. I think he calls SEC games now.

 

[missingmika]

It's the NFL version of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Mandarich revived his career and at least became respectable on the same level as say Kwame Brown. But he is still a bust.

Ki-Jana Carter I would give a slight pass due to be injured in his first preseason game. Unless you're Greg Oden, you can't really predict something like that to happen.

Cleveland taking Tim Couch and Courtney Brown, in back-to-back years at #1 is horrendous though.

Yes on Mandarich....if you say his career started with the Colts...it's still a really bad career. 2/3 years after being 2 overall that's still terrible.