Remembering the Biggest Draft Busts in NFL History

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Brady Quinn

2007 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 22nd Pick
Brady Quinn left Notre Dame after a stellar four-year career with the Fighting Irish, and prospects were high for Quinn coming into the NFL, with many eyeing the potential for a franchise QB. Unfortunately, things didn’t go that way.

Quinn floundered in Cleveland after being selected 22nd overall. To their credit, the Browns did select future Pro Bowler OT Joe Thomas with their No. 3 pick, but passed on such notable names as Joe Staley, Greg Olsen, Steve Smith, and Brandon Meriweather, just to name a few, to draft Quinn.

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JaMarcus Russell

2007 Draft: Oakland Raiders; First Round, 1st Pick
He’s probably one of the most infamous names in pro football. JaMarcus Russell was the first overall selection of the 2007 draft after a dominant college career, and hopes that he would become the Raiders’ new franchise quarterback were high, but Russell failed … epically.

After holding out during contract negotiations before his rookie season, Russell finally made his first start in the last game of the regular season in 2007. He was the starter in 2008 and 2009 for the team, but inconsistent play and rumors of a poor work ethic dogged his career — photos of a pudgy, overweight Russell surfaced, which didn’t help his cause. Russell was released by the Raiders after the 2009 season and has never played another down.

Russell is considered one of the — if not the ultimate — worst draft busts in history. It’s hard to fault the Raiders for taking him in a draft that didn’t have great depth at the QB position, but the Raiders could have taken Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, Darrelle Revis, or Patrick Willis, just to name a few future Pro Bowlers.

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Tony Mandarich

1989 Draft: Green Bay Packers; First Round, 2nd Pick
Pegged as one of the best offensive lineman coming out of college, Tony Mandarich was selected second overall by the Packers in 1989. However, apparently an attitude problem, likely stemming from drug-related issues, resulted in the lineman being swiftly cut from the team after just three seasons. The Colts picked him up, but he stayed on the team just two years before falling out of the league.

Now, we’re sure the Packers were looking to fill a need, but when looking at that draft, it’s hard to wonder what could have been. Directly after Mandarich was drafted, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, and Deion Sanders were selected, all of whom are now Hall of Famers.

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Courtney Brown

2000 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 1st Pick
For the 2000 draft, the leaderboard was loaded with defensive talent and the Browns — who also had the No. 1 pick the year before (see slide 16) — used this first-round pick to nab Courtney Brown, a defensive end out of Penn State. A promising start with the franchise would be cut short, however.

After a promising rookie season, Brown suffered an injury his second year and played just five games. In the next three years, he would play just 26 games with the Browns before being cut. The Browns missed out on LaVar Arrington, Brian Urlacher (Hall of Famer), Shaun Ellis, and John Abraham, all of whom made Pro Bowl throughout their careers. Of course, the 2000 draft also is notorious for being the year that Tom Brady was drafted 199th overall.

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Tim Tebow

2010 Draft: Denver Broncos; First Round, 22nd Pick
Tim Tebow is arguably one of the most successful college football players of all time, but coming into the NFL there were concerns about his passing accuracy, Many front office executives questioned his prospects for the pros. Turns out they were right.

“Tebow magic” became real in the 2011 campaign, and the young QB was able to lift his team into the playoffs and one of the most memorable overtime moments in league history. But Tebow’s penchant for late-game heroics couldn’t overcome his inconsistency, and he flamed out within a couple of years. Tebow’s athletic dreams aren’t dashed quite yet, as he’s found some success playing baseball in the New York Mets’ farm system.

Still, the Broncos missed out on a plethora of talent in the draft behind Tebow, including Rob Gronkowski, Golden Tate, Jimmy Graham, and NaVorro Bowman.

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Ki-Jana Carter

1995 Draft: Cincinnati Bengals; First Round, 1st Pick
The Bengals traded up to land the No. 1 pick in the 1995 draft and used it to select Penn State prospect Ki-Jana Carter. The team signed the young star to a (at the time) record contract, but shortly into his professional career, things took a drastic turn.

On just his third run from scrimmage in his first preseason game, Carter tore his ACL. He missed the entire rest of the season. His career was plagued by injuries over the next five years, and Carter was never able to live up to his potential.

The draft is notable in that it would produce two Hall of Fame runners in Curtis Martin and Terrell Davis, though many other teams passed on them as well, so it’s hard to fault the Bengals completely.

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Vince Young

2006 Draft: Tennessee Titans; First Round, 3rd Pick
After shining in probably the most memorable college championship in history, Vince Young entered the NFL as one of the biggest draft prospects in history. The Titans drafted him third overall despite concerns over his throwing motion, and the “Wonderlic” standardized test used to measure a player’s ability to learn the complexities of an NFL playbook. It seemed the fears were unwarranted … at first.

Young played well his rookie year, securing NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and making the Pro Bowl. The following year, he helped lead the team to a sixth seed in the playoffs, but in the first game of the 2008 season, Young injured his knee and was eventually replaced as the starter by Kerry Collins, not winning the starting job back until midway through the 2009 season. But Young would never show the promise of his college career and would eventually flame out of both the NFL and Canadian Football League.

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Rae Carruth

1997 Draft: Carolina Panthers; First Round, 27th Pick
Rae Carruth wasn’t necessarily the most highly coveted wide receiver in the 1997 draft, but the Panthers filled a need with the big target by drafting him at 27 overall. Despite having Kerry Collins at the helm, Carruth floundered in his three years on the team, amassing just 62 catches and four TDs. It was a real life “bust” that would solidify his draft bust status, though.

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Kevin Kolb


2007 Draft: Philadelphia Eagles; Second Round, 36th Pick
With the Hall of Fame-worthy career of Donovan McNabb looking as if it was winding to a close, the Eagles attempted to get a new QB under McNabb’s tutelage with their pick of Kevin Kolb in 2007. Kolb played backup to McNabb, but could never land the starting role. He was traded to the Cardinals and then the Buffalo Bills.

Unfortunately, Kolb’s career was cut short after suffering three massive concussions. He retired at just 29 years old and says he still hears ringing like “someone shooting a shotgun right next to my ear, every second of every day.” Yikes.

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Charles Rogers


2003 Draft: Detroit Lions; First Round, 2nd Pick
With the second pick in the 2003 draft, the Detroit Lions hoped to bring in a dynamic playmaker and target for the previous year’s first-round pick, Joey Harrington. Michigan State’s Charles Rogers offered just what the Lions wanted.

But luck wouldn’t be on Rogers’ side. He broke his clavicle (collarbone) five games into his rookie season, ending his season. Three plays into the 2004 season, Rogers broke his other clavicle. Then in 2005, Rogers was suspended four games for his third substance abuse violation. The Lions released him that year, and no other team would touch the toxic player. It’s too bad the Lions chose Rogers, as the Houston Texans picked Pro Bowler Andre Johnson with the very next pick

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Andre Ware

1990 Draft: Detroit Lions; First Round, 7th pick
Andre Ware brought home the Heisman Trophy in 1989, but like many Heisman winners, Ware learned that the game of football is very different in the NFL.

Ware never moved up from a supporting position as backup to QBs Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer in Detroit. The Lions cut him, and Ware went north to play in the Canadian Football League, and then NFL Europe for a year before finally giving up.

Today, Ware serves as an analyst for ESPN and the Houston Texans Radio Network.

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Vernon Gholston

2008 Draft: New York Jets; First Round, 6th Pick
With their first-round pick in the 2008 draft, the Jets were hoping to snag a cornerstone on defense in securing feared pass rusher Vernon Gholston, but things didn’t pan out that way.

Gholston recorded just eight assisted and five solo tackles in his rookie year — and zero sacks. The next two years would not be much better, and Gholston was out of the league by 2010. Considering the Jets could have landed Jerod Mayo, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, or Aqib Talib in the first round, Gholston stands out as a major all-time bust.

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Johnny Manziel

2014 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 22nd Pick
One of the most recent draft, let us say, dumpster fires, was Johnny Manziel, the famed Texas A&M quarterback drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft.

Prior to the draft, Manziel had a reputation, which was likely why he dropped down to the 22nd pick. Manziel’s father, Paul, summed it up for everyone nicely: “[Johnny’s] a druggie. It’s not a secret that he’s a druggie.”

“Johnny Football” crashed and burned out of Cleveland by 2016, which must be frustrating for Browns fans, considering that when they drafted Manziel, both QBs Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr were still on the board. Both have gone on to make Pro Bowl appearances.

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Brian Bosworth

1987 Draft: Seattle Seahawks; First Round, Supplemental Pick
With their supplemental pick (held after the official draft but before the season began), the Seahawks used their additional first-round pick on what many thought could be the next great linebacker in the league, Oklahoma’s Brian Bosworth.

Unfortunately, Bosworth would succumb to the failings of steroid use, as well as (maybe) bad genetics. Bosworth suffered a shoulder injury in 1988 that effectively ended his career.

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Aaron Curry

2009 Draft: Seattle Seahawks; First Round, 4th Pick
When it comes to the draft, there often are many unknowns that organizations have to weigh for each player. In the 2009 draft, most analysts said the safest pick in the draft was linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest.

But Curry never lived up to his potential for a team that usually drafts very well. Curry stayed just three seasons with the ‘Hawks after significantly falling off in his third year. And if you want to know what could have been, just imagine if the Legion of Boom had drafted either Brian Cushing or Clay Matthews instead, both still available in the draft at the time. Yikes…