Remembering the Biggest Draft Busts in NFL History

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Tim Couch

1999 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 1st Pick
The 1999 NFL draft was loaded with QB talent, with five taken in the first 12 picks. As the Browns often do, they chose the absolute worst of the bunch.

Cleveland selected Tim Couch with their No. 1 pick. Couch lasted a measly five seasons with the Browns before being cut. The Packers and Jaguars would bring him onto the practice squad, but Couch never saw another down in the NFL. And those other QBs the Browns had access to? Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper were both in the draft that year. Sorry to bring that up, Browns fans.

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Todd Marinovich

1991 Draft: Los Angeles Raiders; First Round, 24th Pick
Despite warnings, the Los Angeles Raiders took a chance on USC prospect Todd Marinovich when they drafted him 24th overall in the 1991 draft. But those warnings quickly came to light.

Marinovich plummeted out of the league by May 1993 after several drug-related offenses, which transferred to real life; he’s been arrested on narcotics charges many times since his NFL days.

Marinovich is particularly notable as the Raiders selected him for the QB position when, nine spots later, the Atlanta Falcons took a “little-known” guy named Brett Favre.

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Rick Mirer

1993 Draft: Seattle Seahawks; First Round, 2nd Pick
Following the storied career of Joe Montana through Notre Dame and the NFL, the Seahawks were hoping lightning would strike twice when they grabbed Notre Dame QB Rick Mirer with the second overall pick. But Mirer could never match “Joe Cool.”

After a promising start, Mirer flamed out of Seattle after his fourth season. He would spend the rest of his NFL career bouncing around to six different teams over eight seasons. Nowadays, Mirer runs a popular Napa Valley winery.

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Paul Posluszny

While not everyone would consider Posluszny a bust, he only lasted four years in Buffalo before leaving after failing to negotiate a new contract. Posluszny stated he “felt he was not in their plans” and moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars. One other player taken in same draft was Marshal Yanda. Despite being taken a whole round later by the Ravens, he spent his entire 13 year career in Baltimore, was named in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, and helped them win a Superbowl. We bet the Bills wish they would have taken him instead.

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Heath Shuler

1994 Draft: Washington Redskins; First Round, 3rd Pick
Heath Shuler came into the 1994 draft with a lot riding on the pick. Washington hoped Shuler would be a franchise QB. But the pick would turn out to be a disaster for the ‘Skins.

Shuler failed to play well and was eventually succeeded in his rookie year by fellow rookie Gus Frerotte. The QB controversy would persist into Shuler’s second year, and in his third year he would be benched for Frerotte.

After brief stints in New Orleans and Oakland, Shuler retired. In 2007, he ran and won for U.S. Congress, becoming North Carolina’s 11th District representative.

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Steve Emtman

1992 Draft: Indianapolis Colts; First Round, 1st Pick
When looking at the 1992 NFL draft, one might not know where to start when it comes to player potential. The draft has no current Hall of Famers, and the list of Pro Bowlers from that year isn’t particularly impressive. Still, the Colts thought they had a defensive stalwart when they picked Steve Emtman first overall. But while Emtman was impressive in college, the NFL beat him down. The defensive end played just 18 games in three years with the Colts, unable to shake the injury bug. Mediocre stints in Miami and Washington would be pit stops before Emtman left the league after the 1997 season.

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Ryan Leaf

1998 Draft: San Diego Chargers; First Round, 2nd Pick
He is perhaps the most infamous draft bust in NFL history, but it’s hard to put all the blame on the Chargers. Both San Diego and the Indianapolis Colts were in need of QBs, and it just so happened that two highly qualified young men were entering the draft. The Colts took Peyton Manning (have you ever heard of him?), leaving the Chargers with the next obvious choice of Leaf. Analysts didn’t worry much. Both players were pegged as future stars.

Leaf’s rookie season, however, was marred with erratic play and a poor attitude. Leaf was benched by early November. He’d miss the entire 1999 season after suffering a shoulder labral tear, and the 2000 season was again filled with bad play and even worse behavior — including an incident in which it appears Leaf lied about a hand injury so he could skip practice to go play golf instead. San Diego released Leaf after the 2000 season. The Buccaneers and Cowboys attempted to use Leaf in 2001, but he was released by both and never set foot on a football field again.

Leaf’s personal life also was tainted by allegations of substance abuse. However, maybe he’s finally turned over a new leaf. He’s currently working as a program ambassador for a drug recovery community center.

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Jason Smith

2009 Draft: St. Louis Rams; First Round, 2nd Pick
Looking to solidify their offensive line, the Rams took tackle Jason Smith with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft. The undersized Baylor product couldn’t keep up with the pace of the NFL game and was injury-prone, and he only lasted three seasons with St. Louis before the Rams shipped him to the Jets. Smith was cut by New York (twice) and New Orleans and was out of the league by 2013. During his brief career, Smith only started 26 games and never made a Pro Bowl.

Who could the Rams have had instead? Pro Bowlers Brian Orakpo, Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Cushing, Jeremy Maclin, Clay Matthews, and LeSean McCoy, among many others.

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Robert Griffin III

2012 Draft: Washington Redskins; First Round, 2nd Pick
Another Baylor star, the quarterback (pictured on the ground after getting sacked) initially made the Redskins look like geniuses for taking him second overall. In his rookie season, Robert Griffin III was voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. It looked as if he was going to be a superstar for years to come. That, unfortunately, was not to be.

The Heisman Trophy winner was hampered by repeated knee injuries and called out his coach, Mike Shanahan. In 2016, the Redskins cut Griffin, and he was cut by the Browns a year later. In 2018, he became the Baltimore Ravens’ third-string quarterback.

The Redskins missed out on such Pro Bowlers as Luke Kuechly, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, Doug Martin, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and T.Y. Hilton.

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Dion Jordan

2013 Draft: Miami Dolphins; First Round, 3rd Pick
Defensive end Dion Jordan has been self-destructive since being drafted third overall by the Dolphins. In April 2015, the Oregon alum was suspended for the entire season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy a third time. His suspension lasted 15 months, and after failing a physical, the Dolphins cut him in 2017.

Jordan, who was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks n 2018, only started three games in his NFL career to this point.

Had the Dolphins passed on Jordan, they could have taken Pro Bowlers Sheldon Richardson, Kyle Long, DeAndre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, or Le’Veon Bell.

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Trent Richardson


2012 Draft: Cleveland Browns; First Round, 3rd Pick
Another poor pick by the Cleveland Browns (shocking!), the star running back out of Alabama was massively hyped following a stellar college career. He had a quality rookie season, scoring 11 touchdowns, but just 17 games into his Browns tenure he was shipped to the Indianapolis Colts. He wasn’t much of a factor in two seasons in Indy, and the Colts waived him in 2015. He last played an NFL snap in 2014, after which he was released by the Raiders and Ravens. (He never saw the field for either team.) Richardson then went to play in the Canadian Football League.

Taken after Richardson in the 2012 draft? We went over this already, but we’ll refresh your memory: Pro Bowlers Luke Kuechly, Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, and T. Y. Hilton, just to name a few.

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Cedric Benson

2005 Draft: Chicago Bears; First Round, 4th Pick
Running back Cedric Benson never lived up to his fourth-pick hype in Chicago, and later said that he was miserable during his time with the Bears. He had some success with the Bengals, amassing 1,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons, but he never made a Pro Bowl and wasn’t one of the top backs in the league. (Something you’d expect from a Top 5 pick.) More disappointing than his play on the field, however, were his actions off it. During his career, Benson was arrested four times — from driving while intoxicated to reportedly punching a bartender — and has been arrested twice more since he last played in 2012.

With that fourth overall pick, the Bears could have taken DeMarcus Ware, Aaron Rodgers, Roddy White, Frank Gore, or Justin Tuck.

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Dee Milliner

2013 Draft: New York Jets; First Round, 9th Pick

This isn’t the first, nor the last, time the New York Jets have appeared on our list, but picking Alabama corner Dee Milliner with the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft is one of the franchise’s biggest blunders. Milliner was benched three times during his rookie season for issues related to his play. From there, he dealt with numerous injuries that further ate into his playing time. Over the course of 3 seasons, Milliner appeared in only 21 games. The Jets released the cornerback in 2016, and he hasn’t appeared in the NFL since.

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Sam Bradford

2010 Draft: St. Louis Rams; First Round, 1st Pick

When the St. Louis Rams picked Sam Bradford with the first pick in the 2010 draft, the franchise was counting on the Oklahoma quarterback to bring back the glory days of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” Things started well for Bradford, who won the NFL’s offensive Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. However, inconsistent play would hamper Bradford’s next several seasons, before a devastating knee injury ended his time in St. Louis in 2014. Bradford went on to slightly more successful stints in Philadelphia and Minnesota, however he continued to suffer from a myriad of injury woes. The former Heisman Trophy winner last appeared in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. He was ineffective in two starts, before being released in November of that year. While Bradford had a more successful career than many of the others on this last, his career definitely failed to live up to the expectations of being a #1 draft pick.

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Akili Smith

1999 Draft: Cincinnati Bengals; First Round, 3rd Pick

The Bengals pinned the hopes of their franchise on Akili Smith, taking the quarterback third in the 1999 NFL Draft, and turning down a massive trade offer from the New Orleans Saints to do so. Like most decisions the Bengals have made in their history, the move backfired spectacularly. Smith started a grand total of 17 games for the Bengals between 1999 and 2002 before being cut in 2003. Smith played in Canada for several years, but never played another down in the NFL.