Every player selected in the NFL Draft is filled with anticipation and dreams of a successful career in professional football. Sadly, not everyone lives up to those expectations. Here are 10 players who, despite their potential, fell short of greatness and earned a place in the conversation for the biggest draft busts in NFL history.
Who Is the Worst NFL Draft Bust of All Time?
1) JaMarcus Russell, QB, Oakland Raiders (2007 – No. 1 overall pick)
Scouting college prospects has evolved considerably over the past 15+ years. It’s hard to imagine anyone taking this title away from LSU’s Jamarcus Russell.
Ahead of the 2007 NFL Draft, the buzz surrounding JaMarcus Russell was nothing short of unprecedented. In most years, there tends to be a frontrunner for the top pick, but there are usually a few names floated as potential alternatives.
Not in 2007.
Russell was an undeniable choice for the No. 1 spot, celebrated as one of the greatest quarterback prospects in history. He represented a new generation of quarterbacks, ready to change the game in the NFL.
True to expectations, the Raiders selected him first overall. However, as we’ve learned, excelling in the NFL requires more than just raw talent.
Russell’s first hiccup occurred before he even officially entered the league. Technically, getting drafted is not when a prospect becomes an NFL player. That doesn’t happen until he signs his rookie contract.
Not only did Russell take his sweet time to sign on the dotted line, but the dispute lasted so long that he missed training camp. It doesn’t matter how innately talented a player is, missing training camp as a rookie is not good.
When a quarterback is picked first overall, the expectation is that he’ll step onto the field as an immediate starter. Since the year 2000, 17 quarterbacks have been chosen for that top spot, and every one of them kicked off the season as a starter — every one, that is, except for Russell.
During his rookie year, Russell started just one game, and his performance was troubling, as he recorded twice as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (2). Things did get slightly better in his second year, where he managed to throw 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Still, with a completion rate of only 53.8%, he fell short of the standards typically held for a first overall pick.
By 2009, his struggles deepened, as his completion percentage tumbled to 48.8%. He ended the season with a dismal three touchdowns and 11 interceptions, marking a low point in his career.
At this point, Russell is most well-known for his vendetta against watching game film. Reportedly, Raiders coaches were so sure he never watched film that they gave him blank tapes to watch and then asked him about them. Russell told them what he saw on film, which, had he actually watched, would’ve been nothing.
To add insult to insult, immediately after the Raiders took Russell, the Lions took Calvin Johnson, who I have ranked as the second-greatest wide receiver of all time. With the third pick, the Browns took Joe Thomas, who, like Megatron, is also in the Hall of Fame.
It’s likely that we’ll see more No. 1 overall picks struggle in the NFL, but it’s hard to imagine anyone having a more disappointing career than Russell.
Remaining Top 10 Biggest NFL Draft Busts of All Time
2) Ryan Leaf, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (1998 – No. 2 Overall)
The most fascinating part of the top draft busts of all time is the threshold for busting when a player goes first overall is pretty low.
For example, 2018’s Baker Mayfield hasn’t come close to meeting the expectations of being the top pick in the NFL Draft. But he’s still in the league and undoubtedly one of the 32 best quarterbacks walking the planet.
He’s not a franchise-changing QB, but he’s a starter that a team can compete with. With that said, Mayfield clearly hasn’t lived up to the standard of being the first selection.
In 1998, there was a decent discussion about whether Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning deserved to be the top pick in the NFL Draft. It was a bit like the more recent debate between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, where, deep down, everyone knew who would come out on top. Still, it sparked some conversations.
When multiple highly-rated quarterbacks are in the mix, choosing the right one is crucial. However, that wasn’t quite the scenario in 1998. The difference between Manning and Leaf was so substantial that it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a larger gap between the first and second picks in any draft again.
Given the state of both franchises, these two were always going to be the top two picks. The Chargers did not have a choice — they were left to take whichever quarterback the Colts didn’t. They were destined to fail.
Leaf’s debut season in the NFL is often considered one of the most disappointing for a quarterback. It’s hard to imagine anyone outdoing his level of struggle. Completing just 45.3% of his passes, he averaged just 128.6 yards per game.
In his ten starts, Leaf threw a mere two touchdowns, but on the flip side, he tossed the ball to opposing players an astonishing 15 times. That means one out of every 16.3 passes he attempted ended up in the hands of a defensive player instead of his own team.
After sitting out the entire 1999 season, he made a return in 2000, but the results were similarly lackluster. By 2001, the Chargers decided to move on, putting an end to the Leaf experiment.
Leaf latched on with the Cowboys for one year. They took a shot. It didn’t work, and they let him go after the season. Leaf never played football again.
The most amazing part of Russell and Leaf’s careers is that each only lasted for three seasons. To go from top-two selections to out of the NFL in three short seasons is something we may never see again.
3) Trent Richardson, RB, Cleveland Browns (2012 – No. 3 Overall)
Although Russell is pretty much locked into the top spot, Trent Richardson sure makes a strong case for consideration. It’s noteworthy in a sad way that he’s become a monumental draft bust. In fact, Richardson stands out as the only player to be a first-round bust not once, but twice.
It’s already baffling enough that the Browns used the third overall pick on a running back. Looking solely at the draft choices available, one might think they were cornered after Luck and Griffin went 1-2. But instead of making a wise choice, the Browns decided to select one of the least successful running backs in NFL history — and they actually traded up to do it.
As a rookie, the former Alabama RB ran for a mere 950 rushing yards on 267 attempts. Nothing about his debut season suggested he was anything more than a replacement-level talent, at best (we now know he was far, far worse). Somehow, despite being woefully inefficient, Richardson was voted 73rd on the NFL Top 100 list.
Two games into his sophomore season, the Browns had seen enough. After just 105 yards on 31 carries, Cleveland stole the Colts’ 2014 first-round pick. In a true “pay it forward” but in the worst way possible scenario, the Browns wound up using that pick in a package to trade up for Johnny Manziel, solidifying both teams wasting a first-round pick on Richardson.
During his time with the Colts, Richardson suited up for 29 games, racking up 977 rushing yards on 316 carries. By the end of his career, he totaled 2,032 rushing yards across 614 attempts, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Considering that two first-round draft picks were invested in him over three years, it’s hard to envision two bigger disappointments than his tenure. Yet here we are.
4) Akili Smith, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (1999 – No. 3 Overall)
Before we get to Akili Smith, let’s give an honorable mention to this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Tim Couch. He narrowly missed this list solely because he was at least below average over five NFL seasons. The same cannot be said about Smith.
Smith was undoubtedly a prodigy – a quarterback like no other we had encountered at that time. He was expected to revolutionize the NFL in a manner similar to what Michael Vick would achieve just two years later. Unfortunately, Smith never found his rhythm at the professional level.
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Smith played just four NFL seasons. He started 17 games, winning only three, with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In his career, he completed 46.6% of his passes.
The stark contrast between Smith’s career and the achievements of the other top 10 players from the 1999 draft class only highlights his struggles. Among that group, two have already earned their spots in the Hall of Fame, while another five have showcased their talents by making the Pro Bowl at least once throughout their careers.
Essentially, it was difficult to miss in Round 1 of the 1999 NFL Draft, but the Bengals found one of the two busts.
5) Vernon Gholston, DE, New York Jets (2008 – No. 6 Overall)
If you look closely, you’ll find that Vernon Gholston is the lowest-drafted player on this list. One could certainly argue that being selected in the top five sets the bar for identifying the biggest draft busts of all time. Yet, Gholston’s case stands out in its own way.
For fans of the New York Jets, 2008 was quite the year. There was so much hype surrounding this team. Brett Favre unretired to join the franchise, and Gholston was going to be the anchor of New York’s defensive line for the next decade.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out so well for this colossal NFL Draft bust.
Gholston played three years for the Jets, amassing 42 tackles and just a single QB hit. He did not record a sack in his 45 games played and was out of the league after the 2010 season at just 24 years old.
6) Justin Blackmon, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2012 – No. 5 Overall)
Nine years after Charles Rogers, the Jaguars selected a wide receiver similarly touted with a near-identical career path.
Justin Blackmon was seen as the next football sensation. Following in the footsteps of Dez Bryant at Oklahoma State, he was labeled as a future star. The expectation was that he would seamlessly transition to the NFL and shine, but things didn’t quite go as planned.
In his rookie season, Blackmon displayed impressive talent, racking up 64 receptions for 865 yards and five touchdowns. Everything pointed to him fulfilling the lofty predictions surrounding his career.
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Blackmon is a different bust than all the other players on this list. For the other nine guys, the NFL misevaluated their talent. None of them were good enough to play professional football. Blackmon, meanwhile, had all the talent in the world. In another universe, he could’ve been a perennial Pro Bowler. Unfortunately, that’s not how it played out.
Before his rookie season kicked off, Blackmon found himself in legal trouble with a DUI arrest. While he had a solid first year in the league, 2013 proved to be rocky. He faced a four-game suspension for breaching the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and shortly after, he dealt with an injury. Just a few weeks after making his comeback, during the team’s bye week, he again violated the substance abuse policy.
Ahead of the 2014 season, Blackmon had more run-ins with the law. In 2015, he was denied reinstatement by the NFL, effectively ending his career.
7) Charles Rogers, WR, Detroit Lions (2003 – No. 2 Overall)
In 2003, the Lions were set on selecting a receiver with the second overall pick. There were two standout options in the class — Charles Rogers and Andre Johnson. Johnson went on to achieve a Hall of Fame career as one of the best wideouts of the 2000s, but the Lions chose the local favorite in Rogers, a Michigan native who had starred in high school and played at Michigan State.
Rogers played just three professional seasons, totaling a mere 15 games. In those games, he caught an unfathomably low 36 of 84 targets for 440 yards and four touchdowns.
Rogers had some struggles off the field and violated the league’s substance abuse policy. He tragically died in 2019 due to liver failure at the age of 38.
8) Tony Mandarich, OT, Green Bay Packers (1989 – No. 2 Overall)
There are two positions where a team should never be criticized for taking a shot: quarterback and offensive line.
But that doesn’t mean a guy like Tony Mandarich is immune to bust lists, given how his career panned out.
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The buzz around Mandarich was undeniably palpable. If social media existed during that time, it likely would’ve exploded over him. He earned the nickname “The Incredible Bulk,” which might just be one of the best monikers ever. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite live up to it.
At one point, Sports Illustrated hailed him as the greatest offensive line prospect of all time, but his NFL career was short-lived, ending after just three seasons. He did attempt a comeback five years later at the age of 30, but it was just as disappointing as his first stint. He managed to hang on for another three years before finally calling it quits for good.
9) Ki-Jana Carter, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (1995 – No. 1 Overall)
The 1990s marked a distinct period in football, as more value was placed on running backs. Even though rookies were handled with much more care back then, it’s hard to justify Ki-Jana Carter only getting 91 carries in his first year.
Out of all the names on this list, Carter actually had the longest career. Although he was never anything resembling a starting-caliber running back, he did hang around the league for a total of seven seasons across nine years.
Carter’s entire career essentially amounted to one very good season. He totaled 319 carries for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns in seven seasons, cementing himself as one of the biggest draft busts of all time.
10) Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets (2021 – No. 2 Overall)
In just three short years, Wilson cemented himself as one of the 10 worst picks in the history of the NFL Draft.
Through two seasons, Wilson started 22 games. In an era where every decent quarterback is well over 60%, he posted a 55.2% completion percentage. This performance led to him losing his job in favor of 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
As fate would have it, Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into the 2023 season, thrusting Wilson back into the starting role. In what will likely go down as his last chance to prove himself, Wilson couldn’t have been worse.
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He did manage to complete 60.1% of his passes, but Wilson threw eight touchdowns against seven interceptions across 12 games. If we count the offseason, Wilson was technically benched three different times in 2023. Wilson was on the Broncos’ roster in 2024, but he never saw the field. Now, he’s on the Dolphins backing up Tua Tagovailoa. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if he never started another NFL game.
