The Biggest NFL Draft Busts In The Last 50 Years
The 2011 draft was full of really epic quarterbacks. It’s just a shame that the Jaguars didn’t get any of them. They missed out on Cam Newton, Von Miller, A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, and Tyron Smith when they got picked earlier. But they at least still had a crack at J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Mike Pouncey, Ryan Kerrigan, Cam Jordan, and Mark Ingram. In the end, they ended up with Blaine Gabbert. And he didn’t prove to be a particularly big asset.
The Bills had given up a first, second, and fifth round pick to get their hands on J.P. Losman. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a bit of a dud. It didn’t help that he was in the same draft as Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Turns out they could have also just waited to get Matt Schaub, a Pro Bowler, in the third round.
The Steelers passed on Marino, a hometown hero, in 1983 to get Gabe Rivera. Which is a real shame because Marino would’ve made a great acquisition alongside Terry Bradshaw. Although, Rivera didn’t exactly have a poor performance. He was driving drunk and became paralyzed in a car accident midway through his rookie season.
“Big Daddy” Wilkinson was not a great fit for the Bengals. Some say they should’ve picked Marshall Faulk first in 1994 to avoid some of the problems they felt they had to remedy at the 1995 draft.
To be fair to Ki-Jana Carter, the running back ripped up his knee in his first preseason game. He wasn’t the same since. They really could’ve picked a much worse player. And they didn’t have to trade much to move up to pick him. Of course, other teams made out with better draft picks in 1995.
The Eagles had traded their 12th pick to Tampa Bay, as well as two second-rounders in order to pick Mike Mamula. And the fact that he didn’t turn out great only adds to the disappointment. They really got duped into picking him.
Alex Leatherwood was picked for the draft a lot earlier than most others had projected. It was Mayock’s last great attempt at the draft, and it turned out Leatherwood just wasn’t the right choice. He was unable to handle the right tackle and was moved to guard. But then he was waived prior to the 2022 season.
The 49ers got a lot of “capital” for the deal with Mitchell Trubisky. But they ended up fumbling the ball when they picked Thomas and traded their third-round pick in 2017. And the Saints ended up using the pick they got to draft Pro Bowler running back Alvin Kamara.
The Bears have been having an issue with their quarterback position for a while now. And to just swap their No. 3 overall selection with the 49ers’ No, they gave them a third, fourth-rounder, plus a future third-rounder. Mitchell Trubisky was middling at best while starting for two Bears playoff team. Instead, they could’ve picked Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson.
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