The NFL Draft starts tomorrow with the first-round. Rounds two and three are on Friday, followed by rounds four, five, six, and seven on Saturday. It’s a special moment for a player who is drafted. Being drafted in the first-round doesn’t mean there will be NFL success. Let’s take a look at famous busts in the NFL draft.
It’s hard to imagine that in 1998 the Indianapolis Colts who picked first had a choice to make. They had to decide between quarterback Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. They chose Peyton Manning. The San Diego Chargers had the second pick and took Ryan Leaf. Leaf was never a great NFL quarterback. He played from 1998 to 2001. In his first year with the Chargers he threw for 1,289 yards with two touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Chargers went 5-11. In 1999 he didn’t play due to a shoulder injury. He had the most yards passing, touchdowns, and interceptions of his career in 2000. He threw for 1,883 yards with 11 touchdowns but threw 18 interceptions. San Diego ended up releasing him prior to the 2001 season. Tampa Bay picked him up but would let him go because he didn’t want to be the fourth quarterback and wouldn’t accept a low salary. The Cowboys signed him and he played in four games. He ended his career with 3,666 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, and 36 picks.
Tim Couch was the first selection by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 draft. The Browns were hoping he would be a franchise quarterback for years to come. Couch didn’t live up to expectations. He would play 5 years in the NFL, all with Cleveland. He passed for 11,131 yards but turned the ball over 67 times while throwing 64 touchdowns.
The Cincinnati Bengals held the third selection in the 1999 draft. There were many quarterbacks on the board. They could have taken Daunte Culpepper or Shaun King. They drafted Akili Smith. Smith only played four years. His best year came in 2000. He started 11 games and passed for 1,253 yards and three touchdowns. His problem was he could never hold onto the ball. He had 19 fumbles, 8 of those were recovered by the opposing team.
The Oakland Raiders had the top pick in 2007. They went with quarterback JaMarcus Russell. They were hoping he would lead the franchise. Unfortunately for them it lasted three years. In those three years Russell only passed for 4,083 yards with 18 touchdowns.
In the 2003 draft the Detroit Lions had the second overall pick. They wanted a receiver for Joey Harrington to throw the ball to. They chose Charles Rogers to be the big target for Harrington. He never became a number 1 receiver. He played three seasons, all with Detroit. In his rookie season he appeared in five games before he broke his clavicle in practice. In those five games he showed flashes of what kind of receiver he could be. He had 22 catches for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns. He broke his clavicle again in 2004 and played only one game. He was suspended for four games because he violated the NFL Substance Abuse policy in 2005. He would play in 9 games that year, only catching 1 touchdown. The Lions released him and he wouldn’t play another down in the league.
These are just a few of the biggest busts in NFL draft history. It shows that even if an athlete is drafted high, that doesn’t mean he will stay on the team or have a long NFL career.
There’s a flip side to this story line …… Many NFL greats have come out of no-where without big, big expectations. The draft is imperfect and creates interest and creates expectations. Then reality hits.
This is true. Tom Brady was a 6th round draft pick and he has won four Super Bowls. Shannon Sharpe was a 6th round Tight End won three Super Bowls. There is also the un-drafted guy such as Rod Smith. He had a great career even though he wasn’t drafted so you are right that many have come out of no-where to become great NFL players.