NFL: Which 5 historic picks are the worst?

[Babe Ruth]

Bosworth more of a case of being overhyped and failing to live up to it. He wasn't terrible, especially compared to most of this list.
Doesn't belong here.

Agreed. His NFL play was decent, but he had debilitating injury early in his career, so he wasn't long for professional football. He was a polarizing personality, and some sportswriters were basically rooting against him, their biased coverage of Bosworth reflected that. I remember firsthand how he was dogged (endlessly) by petty media because Bo Jackson flattened him on a run play. But there was no unique shame in that, Jackson was a strong player..

 

[sigma six]

Agreed. His NFL play was decent, but he had debilitating injury early in his career, so he wasn't long for professional football. He was a polarizing personality, and some sportswriters were basically rooting against him, their biased coverage of Bosworth reflected that. I remember firsthand how he was dogged (endlessly) by petty media because Bo Jackson flattened him on a run play. But there was no unique shame in that, Jackson was a strong player..

Oddly, having crippling shoulder injuries was a thing Boz shared with the other Seahawk on the list. I wasn't familiar with Steve Niehaus's career but it only lasted a few years as it turned out, due to constant shoulder issues and being rushed back.

Between these things and what the team doctors did to Easley's kidneys it's a wonder that more guys didn't have their careers cut short. Not sure what the hell they were thinking.

 

[Hasbro]

russell's biggest problem was that he had zero motivation, not that he wasn't skilled enough

combine that with the fact that he had zero weapons and no o-line in oakland. of course he was going to fail

Raiders having the worst culture in football made it even worse.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Russell was so bad, the coaches gave him blank tapes for film study because they knew he wouldn't watch. When asked about the "film", he obviously lied and said he looked at the tapes and learned a lot....

David Diehl: Raiders Gave JaMarcus Russell Blank Tapes to See If QB Watched Film

The Oakland Raiders took some extreme measures to prove that JaMarcus Russell wasn't doing everything in his power to be a good NFL player...

bleacherreport.com

 

[Reality Check]

Mandarich was the Darko pick of the NFL. Both ended up having DECENT careers and didn't prevent their teams from winning championships. But were nowhere near what most thought they would be and were surrounded by a stacked top 5.

 

[HisIceness]

Leaf and Russell are the two that stand out the most. The others I either know next-to-nothing about or I blame their situation more on the team than the player. Tim Couch was screwed from the get-go going to the expansion Browns who were clearly going to be bad.

Anyways, I remember seeing that video of Leaf exploding on the San Diego beat-writer on SportsCenter, my dad saw it too and said something about how he's going to be out of the league in 5 years (it was actually 3). I had NFL Gameday 98 on Playstation and I remember Leaf was one of their hyped players in the games intro.

Russell, that guy was just terrible. I think Lane Kiffin was begging Al Davis not to draft him but Davis did so anyway and fired Kiffin a year later for "not developing him" or something when the guy simply wasn't any good to begin with. Probably a case where the owner should have listened to the coach but oh well.

I thought Richardson would be a game-breaker in the league. I'm not sure what his problem was (couldn't read the defense maybe?)

 

[EpochLink]

Russell was so bad, the coaches gave him blank tapes for film study because they knew he wouldn't watch. When asked about the "film", he obviously lied and said he looked at the tapes and learned a lot....

David Diehl: Raiders Gave JaMarcus Russell Blank Tapes to See If QB Watched Film

The Oakland Raiders took some extreme measures to prove that JaMarcus Russell wasn't doing everything in his power to be a good NFL player...

bleacherreport.com

Dude was just in it for the money, actually there was a short documentary on him..apparently he lost some father figures in college so it effected him mentally. No one there to tell him no, no one to motivate him..they were all in it for his money.

Don’t know what he’s up to now, whatever he’s doing I hope it benefits him for the better.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Dude was just in it for the money, actually there was a short documentary on him..apparently he lost some father figures in college so it effected him mentally. No one there to tell him no, no one to motivate him..they were all in it for his money.

Don’t know what he’s up to now, whatever he’s doing I hope it benefits him for the better.

From what I could glean, trying to hold him accountable was like an attack on his ego and perception of his own greatness. While the loss of a male figure might play some part, that nevertheless couldn't explain his behavior alone.

I mean, I had a dad who basically was dead by the time I was eight, but if someone does call me out, I usually heed the words even if they cause me discomfort because my mom wouldn't pull punches when she wanted to lay down the law.

 

[Voight]

The easy answer would be Ryan Leaf, but I’ll throw y’all a bone.

Tony Mandarich has to be one of the most disappointing picks of all time considering who was picked in the top 5 of the 1989 draft.

Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and Derrick Thomas….and he was sandwiched in that group.

One of the best QB’s of the 90’s, one of the best running backs of all time, one of the best pass rushers of all time and the all time best cornerback of all time.

Seriously. 4 hall of famers in the top 5 is crazy.

Reminds me of the 1991 NHL draft where you had Lindros, Niedermayer and Foppa within the top 6 picks.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Every USC QB after Palmer.

 

[GKJ]

One name that never gets considered is Aaron Curry, probably because there wasn't hyped to the moon given he was a linebacker, but he was taken 4th overall by Seattle in 2009, was a total stink bomb, and the draftniks pegged him as the player who was the safest pick in the draft.

 

[NJDevs26]

The Jets trading two firsts to move up for Lam Jones at #2 should be in honorable mention territory somewhere, especially since they medically red-flagged Anthony Munoz, who went #3

I would probably vote for Leaf though, not just cause of how bad he was but they moved up to get him on top of it too. Plus some people actually had him as the near-equal of Peyton lol. Rick Mirer wasn't AS bad as most of the people on the list but in terms of underperforming hype he's right up there, even Bill Walsh thought he was gonna be the next Montana.

 

[EpochLink]

The Jets trading two firsts to move up for Lam Jones at #2 should be in honorable mention territory somewhere, especially since they medically red-flagged Anthony Munoz, who went #3

I would probably vote for Leaf though, not just cause of how bad he was but they moved up to get him on top of it too. Rick Mirer wasn't AS bad as most of the people on the list but in terms of underperforming hype he's right up there, even Bill Walsh thought he was gonna be the next Montana.

Munoz became the best LT of the 80’s and probably of all time, how the Jets whiffed on Munoz is bad.

 

[LightningStorm]

The easy answer would be Ryan Leaf, but I’ll throw y’all a bone.

Tony Mandarich has to be one of the most disappointing picks of all time considering who was picked in the top 5 of the 1989 draft.

Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and Derrick Thomas….and he was sandwiched in that group.

One of the best QB’s of the 90’s, one of the best running backs of all time, one of the best pass rushers of all time and the all time best cornerback of all time.

As I said in my previous post, Mandarich, Leaf and Russell are a tier above the rest. This point you make about Mandarich is a good argument for him being above the other 2, despite them being QB's. For the Sanders, I have Barry as my #1 RB all time and like most people Deion is my GOAT CB. Thomas also had a 20 sack season. In terms of who GB turned down, that aspect of the Mandarich pick is worse than Leaf & Russell. 3 consecutive Hall of Famers picked right after that.

For the Leaf pick, Charles Woodson was picked 2 picks later. Great player and in the HOF, but not on the level of the 3 in 1989. No one had Randy Moss as a top 5 pick that draft due to legal issues.

For Russell, who the Raiders passed on for him comes close to the level of who the Packers passed on for Mandarich. The following 2 picks, Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas, were the best WR and OT of their generation. Then at #7 was Adrian Peterson, the best RB of that generation. I guess the only thing that stops them from being at the level of the 1989 class was these were best in their generation at their position players, while 1989 had the GOAT CB and arguably the GOAT RB.

So in terms of ranking the picks in terms of the players they passed on who also could've reasonably been picked in the top 2 of the 1989, 1998, and 2007 drafts, I think it's pretty clear cut:

1. Mandarich
2. Russell
3. Leaf

 

[DaaaaB's]

As I said in my previous post, Mandarich, Leaf and Russell are a tier above the rest. This point you make about Mandarich is a good argument for him being above the other 2, despite them being QB's. For the Sanders, I have Barry as my #1 RB all time and like most people Deion is my GOAT CB. Thomas also had a 20 sack season. In terms of who GB turned down, that aspect of the Mandarich pick is worse than Leaf & Russell. 3 consecutive Hall of Famers picked right after that.

For the Leaf pick, Charles Woodson was picked 2 picks later. Great player and in the HOF, but not on the level of the 3 in 1991. No one had Randy Moss as a top 5 pick that draft due to legal issues.

For Russell, who the Raiders passed on for him comes close to the level of who the Packers passed on for Mandarich. The following 2 picks, Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas, were the best WR and OT of their generation. Then at #7 was Adrian Peterson, the best RB of that generation. I guess the only thing that stops them from being at the level of the 1989 class was these were best in their generation at their position players, while 1989 had the GOAT CB and arguably the GOAT RB.

So in terms of ranking the picks in terms of the players they passed on who also could've reasonably been picked in the top 2 of the 1989, 1998, and 2007 drafts, I think it's pretty clear cut:

1. Mandarich
2. Russell
3. Leaf

I think it's close but I'd go with Russell. The group that went after him is just about as good as the ones after Mandarich. Russell went 1st overall and barely played in the league. At least Mandarich played a handful of seasons.

 

[LightningStorm]

I think it's close but I'd go with Russell. The group that went after him is just about as good as the ones after Mandarich. Russell went 1st overall and barely played in the league. At least Mandarich played a handful of seasons.

There's several angles to look at it. When thinking about it more, I actually see the biggest differences between them as things that didn't stand out as badly for one bust as they did for the other 2.

Mandarich: A bust at OT doesn't set you back the same way it does at QB. The positional element made Leaf and Russell worse busts than him.

Leaf: Basically my previous post where the players passed over to draft him were nowhere near the level of ones passed over to draft Mandarich and Russell.

Russell: He had lower expectations than the other 2, who were expected to be franchise players. Sports Illustrated deemed Mandarich the best OL prospect of all time when he was on their cover, and Leaf was debated as the #1 pick against Peyton Manning. Russell was in a weak QB class, and the Raiders were desperate for a QB. Anecdotal, but I remember a fair share of people (myself included) who were baffled that he was picked #1 at the time.

If making the biggest case for each of them being the #1 bust, here's what I'd say. Apologies for being redundant on some things.

Mandarich: All about who went after him. Arguably 2 GOATS at their position and an elite pass rusher in Thomas. Plus him being hyped up as the greatest OL prospect ever by SI.

Leaf: Played the most important position (unlike Mandarich) and had a lot more expectations than Russell. Made even worse by the Chargers trading up to draft him.

Russell: 3 players who were the best at their position in their time were drafted in the next 6 picks. Also his rookie deal was the main reason rookie salary limits were instituted in the next CBA.

I'd probably go Leaf at #1 due to his combo of position value and hype. But there's no wrong way to rank them, as different people find different things more egregious.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Y’all Don’t Know a Damn Thing About JaMarcus Russell | By JaMarcus Russell

It’s my turn to speak on it. If you wanna judge me, then judge me. But at least know where I come from first.

signature.theplayerstribune.com

Well, Russell decided to put some of his words out there. I can believe some of the stuff, mainly about the painkillers. Not all of it though.

 

[Moose Head]

How about Blackledge at #7 in 1983 with future HoFers like Jim Kelly and Dan Marino still on the board. Hell, even Eason and OBrien would have been far better choices.

The year of the QB and you pick Blackledge at 7

 

[HisIceness]

How about Blackledge at #7 in 1983 with future HoFers like Jim Kelly and Dan Marino still on the board. Hell, even Eason and OBrien would have been far better choices.

The year of the QB and you pick Blackledge at 7

Even for the non HoF/Pro Bowlers in that first round, you have guys like Willie Gault, Billy Ray Smith, James Jones, Leonard Smith, Mike Pitts, and Jim Jeffcoat who all had longer careers in the league than Blackledge.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Russell, because Al Davis was thrilled the guy could throw 60 yards while kneeling.

 

[Hasbro]

How about Blackledge at #7 in 1983 with future HoFers like Jim Kelly and Dan Marino still on the board. Hell, even Eason and OBrien would have been far better choices.

The year of the QB and you pick Blackledge at 7

In the 30 for 30 on that draft no one says anything about not wanting the HOF QBs. They're all like "I told them to draft Marino".

 

[Terry Yake]

 

[EpochLink]

Guy was flat out lazy and didn’t care, he was guaranteed money.

 

[LightningStorm]

Jamarcus, this ain't the flex you think it is.

 

[Garo]

I'll defend Russell here, because while he did suck, he ended up having one of the most important positive impacts on the league with the rookie cap.