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NFL Draft Busts

Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 16, 2008

The one thing every team fears on draft day is that they are putting all their stock in a guy that won’t pan out. It’s no secret that number one picks have busted and fourth rounders have become MVPs. Jimmy Boyd takes a look at the most notable NFL draft busts in this article and he’s not talking about the bronze ones in Canton.

Teams get in trouble, in my opinion, when they put their needs too far in front of the best available talent. Teams especially need to avoid doing this when they are picking number one. There’s nothing worse than picking a bust in that number one spot, but several teams throughout history haven’t been able to avoid the disaster.

Tim Couch

The Cleveland Browns were in desperate need of a QB, so they took Tim Couch from Kentucky with the first overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft. When I heard that they were working with him to chance the way he threw the football, I knew it was going to be a disaster.

Jeff George

Jeff George was nearly as big a bust, drafted number one by his hometown Colts in 1990. George was an Indianapolis high school football legend who as virtually run out of town after making the Colts look foolish over making him the richest rookie in league history.

Ryan Leaf

QB Ryan Leaf was selected number two overall in the 1998 NFL draft, after Peyton Manning, by the San Diego Chargers. The Colts nearly had another Jeff George on their hands, but luckily made the right decision in going with Manning. Despite Leaf’s athleticism, his time as a professional was short and marked by injuries, poor media relations, and failure. Some have considered Leaf the biggest NFL bust of all time.

Andre Wadsworth

Remember Andre Wadsworth? Neither do I. The former number three overall pick in 1998 played just one year with Arizona, had tons of injuries and hung up his cleats by the new millennium. In case you care, Wadsworth was a defensive end.

Curtis Enis

The Bears are a team with great running back tradition, but they sure couldn’t pick ‘em in the 1990’s. The Bears took Curtis Enis from Penn State with the fifth pick in the 1998 draft. Enis played three seasons and fell off the face of the planet. Rashaan Salaam and Cade McNown have also been brilliant busts from the Bears.

Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams was taken with the fifth pick a year later and while he definitely had the talent, his love for smoking mary jane took over his career. Maybe I’m just jaded that he bailed out on my Miami Dolphins.

JJ Stokes

This one really pains me because I got his autograph and was hoping to be able to say it was worth 50 bucks someday. Now, I would have to pay someone to take it off my hands. With the 10th pick in the 1995 draft, the 49ers selected J.J. Stokes. He was billed as “the next Jerry Rice.” It’s kind of like saying the next Michael Jordan. There should be a law against saying such ridiculous things.

I hope that’s enough busts to get your blood boiling if I happened to hit one that struck near the heart. Check out more of my draft coverage as I take a look at some possible 2008 busts and when the season comes sign up for my NFL picks each week to have the best chance of winning with your football betting.

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