These players represent dreams dashed, hopes shattered, and wasted hype. Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we’re counting down our picks for the 20 biggest busts from the NFL draft.
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00:00It was horrific, it was bad. Nothing like the Johnny football we saw at Texas A&M.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20
00:08biggest busts from the NFL Draft. These players represent dreams dashed, hopes
00:14shattered, and wasted hype. No athlete is an athlete with the intention of being a
00:19bust. Number 20, Deion Jordan, Miami Dolphins. Two years ago Deion Jordan was
00:27the third pick overall in the NFL Draft by the Dolphins, and tonight he has been
00:31suspended again. The Miami Dolphins struck gold in 1983 with their draft pick
00:37of Dan Marino, one of the best quarterbacks in football history. They've
00:41had a mixed record ever since. Exactly 30 years later, the Dolphins thought they'd
00:46hit the jackpot again with defensive end Deion Jordan. The man was a tackling
00:51machine in Oregon, and despite a shoulder injury in his last year, Miami had high
00:55hopes. They drafted him at number three. After a lackluster rookie season with
01:00only 26 tackles, he struggled with performance enhancing substances. He
01:05faced multiple suspensions over the following years and bounced around the
01:08league. His time in the NFL ended after the 2020 season. You can say that he is
01:14definitely the biggest draft bust the Dolphins have ever had, unfortunately.
01:17Number 19, Kevin White, Chicago Bears. Oh yeah, Kevin White, 25 receptions. Yeah, that was a
01:25bad one, you're right. There was a lot of buzz around West Virginia wide receiver
01:29Kevin White before the 2015 draft. The Chicago Bears ultimately picked him up
01:34with the seventh overall draft pick in the first round. They were eager to see
01:38him racking up touchdowns in yardage and signed White to a four-year, 15 million
01:42dollar deal. Unfortunately, the Bears placed a bad bet. White ended up missing
01:47his entire rookie season. He spent his first three seasons hounded by leg and
01:51shoulder injuries. He moved first to the Cardinals, then to the 49ers and Saints.
01:56At the end of the 2022 season, the Saints cut White from their practice squad. He
02:02never caught a single touchdown in the NFL regular season. Seems like you've had
02:06a couple of times, a couple of opportunities to kind of blow some guys
02:10up on some returns and there have been fair catches. You know, is that
02:13kind of disappointing when you when you do all that work and you get down there
02:16and the guy didn't give you a chance? A little bit, yeah. Number 18, Vernon
02:22Golston, New York Jets. They got Vernon Golston. He played three seasons with the
02:26New York Jets. You know how many sacks he had? Zero. After some modest success in the 2000s,
02:32the New York Jets have had a run of bad luck. As of 2023, they have the longest
02:38playoff drought. They haven't made the playoffs since 2010. In 2008, they were
02:43hoping to build a tough defense around Vernon Golston, a defensive end from Ohio
02:47State. In college, he was a sack factory, tying the school record twice. His stats
02:53at the combine impressed the heck out of the Jets and they snagged him in the
02:57first round at number six. Golston netted 21 million dollars in guaranteed money.
03:02Unfortunately, he couldn't adapt to the outside linebacker position in the Jets
03:06defensive scheme. He only played one whole season, recorded a handful of
03:10tackles, and didn't get a single sack. So you gotta say Vernon Golston. He was a
03:14biggest bust ever and he made 18 million dollars doing nothing. Number 17, Jason
03:20Smith, St. Louis Rams. At the 2009 draft, the St. Louis Rams are looking for a
03:27keystone player for their offensive line. After the combine, they set their eyes on
03:31Jason Smith out of Baylor. You know, obviously I come in as a guy that wants
03:35to be a part of a team and wants to do my part and do whatever it is that Coach
03:39Facts has for us to do and, you know, you can't do that from the house. He was an
03:42all Big 12 player and co-MVP for the Baylor Bears. His combine was impressive.
03:48Smith proved to be shockingly fast for a big man. The Rams grabbed Smith at number
03:53two. They gave him a massive deal. Smith's six-year contract was worth around 61
03:58million dollars. Over half of that was guaranteed. In November, Smith suffered a
04:03terrible concussion. The following year, he lost his starter spot to a rookie.
04:07After a few less than memorable years, the Rams traded Smith away. Everything
04:12that's happening to me as far as, I think the word is demoted. It's demoted to
04:17where I'm looking for. That's the word. Demoted to the twos or not working with the
04:23starters. I mean, that's great. Number 16, Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals. He was
04:29called Chosen Rosen when he showed up and was handed the keys to the kingdom
04:33as a freshman at UCLA. Josh Rosen was the star QB for the UCLA Bruins. Rosen
04:39was an NCAA phenom, setting the UCLA single-season passing record. As a
04:44freshman, Rosen was both an All-American and a Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player
04:49of the Year. His future looked bright and in 2018, he was drafted 10th overall by
04:54the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately for Rosen, quarterback wasn't Arizona's only
04:59weak spot on offense. His squad's performance was abysmal and Rosen
05:04threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Between 2019 and 2023, Rosen floated
05:10through the league as a backup quarterback and a member of practice
05:13squads. He had pit stops in Miami, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Cleveland
05:19before getting cut by the Vikings in January 2023. Well, that didn't sit well
05:25with former wide receiver Steve Smith from NFL Network who ripped the
05:29quarterback saying, quote, when things don't go your way you're going to cry in
05:33the corner. Number 15, Matt Leinert, Arizona Cardinals. To get drafted there
05:39was one thing, but like showed a lot of promise and then that second year I was
05:44coming off the injury so I didn't really have a good offseason. Matt Leinert
05:47earned national prominence as one of two great quarterbacks in the incredible
05:522005 Rose Bowl. He helmed the USC Trojans against Vince Young and the Texas
05:57Longhorns. Both were subsequently drafted into the NFL. Leinert was picked up at
06:02number 10 by the Arizona Cardinals. Their plan was to have him back up veteran
06:06Super Bowl champ Kurt Warner to learn from a master. Leinert played with the
06:10Cardinals between 2006 and 2009, starting in only 17 games. Of those, the Cardinals
06:17only won seven. When Warner left the cards in 2010, the Heisman Trophy winner
06:22lost the job to Derrick Anderson. Before retiring in 2013, Leinert played in only
06:28four games, two for Houston and two for Oakland. I was screwed from day one. I
06:33felt like, and again I didn't help myself at times, but like there was
06:37nothing I could do right. Number 14, David Klingler, Cincinnati Bengals.
06:42Klingler, 36 out of 57, 510 yards against the Bulldog defense, no
06:47interceptions, nine touchdowns. The Cincinnati Bengals were briefly a force
06:52to be reckoned with at the end of the 1980s. They had recently lost to San
06:56Francisco in the Super Bowl. By the end of the 1990s, the page had turned. An
07:01aging boomer Esiason was struggling in the back half of his career. They won
07:05only three games in 1991 and the Bengals were looking to the future with their
07:09high draft pick. At the time, David Klingler was breaking records left and
07:13right at the University of Houston. He threw a record-breaking 11 touchdowns
07:17against Eastern Washington. Cincinnati eagerly burned their first-round pick on
07:22the budding superstar. Unfortunately, of his 24 starts with the Bengals, they won
07:27only four games. I played fairly well today but not great. I feel like there's
07:34still room for improvement. Number 13, Justin Gilbert, Cleveland Browns.
07:39The Cleveland Browns have a long, depressing history. Since they moved to
07:50Baltimore to become the Ravens and after they were reconstituted as a new team,
07:53the Browns have struggled. The new Browns have a long, sordid history of draft pick
07:58disappointments. In 2014, they burned their eighth overall pick on a
08:03cornerback named Justin Gilbert. Gilbert was the defensive MVP of the 2012
08:08Fiesta Bowl and a solid kickoff returner for the OSU Cowboys. The guy was
08:13perceived to be both the defensive and special teams threats. Two picks for the
08:17price of one. He netted exactly one interception and one defensive touchdown
08:22in his three years in the NFL. Well, it's not there so far for the Cleveland
08:26Browns. I mean, he can't even get on the football field for this football team. He
08:29was suspended for the 2017 season for substance abuse violations and never
08:34returned. Number 12, Steve Emtman, Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis Colts
08:40first choice is Steve Emtman, defensive end, University of Washington. The
08:46Indianapolis Colts of the early 1990s desperately needed to shore up their
08:50poorest defensive line. Enter Steve Emtman, a guy who won the Heisman as a
08:56junior. With Emtman anchoring their defense, the Washington Huskies secured a
09:00Rose Bowl victory. He seemed like the answer to all of Indy's prayers, so they
09:04snatched him up in the 1992 draft. Unlike many draft busts, Emtman wasn't a
09:10college titan turned professional dud. He was plagued by serious injuries. He
09:24blew out a knee in both of his first two seasons and suffered a serious neck
09:28injury in his third. Many football observers blamed the hard AstroTurf
09:32surface for his injuries. His career woes are credited with the NFL's
09:36transition from turf to grass fields. Number 11, Heath Shuler, Washington.
09:43Washington beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Facing a
09:51resurgent NFC East, they spent the next few years struggling to keep their team
09:55in fighting shape. They were searching for a new franchise quarterback in the
09:591994 draft. Their gaze turned towards the Tennessee Volunteers. Young Heath Shuler
10:05was absolutely decimating records. Most analysts considered him a guaranteed
10:10game-changer, as did Shuler. After Washington eagerly snapped him up, Shuler
10:15was a training campaign as his agent negotiated a hefty contract. When the
10:20season began, the college hotshot floundered in the pros. In his eight
10:24rookie starts, Shuler threw 12 interceptions and lost all but one game.
10:29That's when you turn around at the end of the game you think, is it possible for
10:33me to ever complete another ball to an offensive guy ever again?
10:37Number 10, Isaiah Wilson, Tennessee Titans. The Tennessee Titans select Isaiah
10:44Wilson. Unlike many infamous busts, Isaiah Wilson barely made the
10:54first-round cut of the 2020 NFL draft. He was a second-team All-SEC offensive
11:00tackle out of Georgia. Tennessee had high hopes for Wilson, but his rookie year was
11:05an absolute mess. First, he was arrested for a DUI in September of 2020. Then, he
11:10spent most of the season oscillating between active status and the reserve
11:14COVID-19 list. He also served a one-game suspension for violating team rules. He
11:20played exactly one snap in his rookie year before getting traded to the
11:24Dolphins. He was waived by Miami exactly three days later for missing a mandatory
11:29physical and skipping team workouts. This guy was traded, I think it was like last
11:34week, to the Miami Dolphins and the Dolphins only kept him for three days.
11:41The New York Giants also cut him from their practice squad in 2022. Number 9,
11:47Lawrence Phillips, St. Louis Rams. Despite serious questions about his character, the
11:53St. Louis Rams took a chance on Phillips. The St. Louis Rams took a tremendous risk
11:58with Lawrence Phillips in the 1996 NFL draft. On one hand, the running back was a
12:04star. As a freshman, he came off the bench and ran for 137 yards against UCLA, the
12:10reigning Pac-10 champions. He also crested 180 yards in the 1994 Orange Bowl,
12:16but Phillips was also arrested for assault. In his first year in the NFL,
12:20Phillips was arrested three times and fined by the Rams almost 30 times. In the
12:26pros, his numbers were lackluster. Phillips also bears the dubious honor of
12:30missing the block that may have saved the career of 49er legend Steve Young.
12:34After retirement, Phillips was arrested for running three people over with his
12:38car. He was sentenced to a 31-year term for multiple assaults. He then killed a
12:43cellmate and ultimately died in prison. Number 8, Andre Ware, Detroit Lions. One
12:51of the sad truths about the NFL is it took far too long to see black
12:55quarterbacks every Sunday. In 1990, Andre Ware had a chance to follow in the
13:00footsteps of greats like Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham. Ware had a cannon
13:04for an arm. While a junior at Houston, he set 27 NCAA records. There were concerns
13:10he was too unseasoned to handle the faster pace of the NFL. Despite running
13:15his college offense in the pros, the Heisman Trophy winner was lost in
13:20familiar territory. The Lions drafted Ware over the objections of their
13:24scouting coordinator, who resigned in protest. The coordinator was right. Over
13:29his brief time with the Lions, Ware only started six games. He stayed close to the
13:34game after his retirement from the pros. Today, Ware is a television fixture for
13:38college football fans. Number 7, Akeely Smith, Cincinnati
13:46Bengals. Akeely Smith is an interesting figure in football history. Six
13:58years before entering the NFL, Smith was actually drafted by MLB's Pittsburgh
14:03Pirates. He spent three years with their farm teams before heading to Oregon for
14:07college. As a senior, he averaged almost three touchdowns per game. His per attempt
14:12passing yards were the best in the NCAA. Still, 1999 was a big draft year for
14:18quarterbacks, and analysts had their doubts. He only really had one season as
14:23a starter under his belt. The Bengals rolled the dice and paid the price.
14:27Literally, Smith held out for weeks until he got a signing bonus of almost 11
14:31million dollars. In four seasons, Smith only started in 17 games and fumbled in
14:37most of them.
14:42And it's recovered by Cincinnati. Number 6, Brian Bosworth, Seattle Seahawks. Coming
14:50out of the University of Oklahoma, Brian Bosworth was arguably the most hyped
14:55player in college history. Any boomers and Gen Xers out there know all about
15:00the Bos. As a linebacker with Oklahoma, Brian Bosworth won the Dick Butkus Award
15:05and was a twice-named unanimous All-American. But that success came with
15:09a large serving of controversy. The Bos was a nationally known bad boy who also
15:14tested positive for steroids. In 1987, the two-time Butkus Award winner was kicked
15:19off Oklahoma's team for failing a drug test. The Seahawks needed a tougher
15:24defense, so they gave him a shot despite his letter of disinterest. His career
15:28started off well enough, but a shoulder injury ended it in less than three
15:32seasons. Bosworth spent the 90s starring in cheesy action films. Number 5, Charles
15:40Rodgers, Detroit Lions. There are few draft picks regretted more deeply by
15:49Lions fans than Charles Rodgers. A local Michigan boy, Rodgers flew like a
15:53lightning bolt as a receiver for the Spartans. He was poised to be the best
15:57offensive weapon wielded by the Lions since Barry Sanders. He had an amazing
16:02start in his first five games as a rookie. He looked like he could eventually
16:06become the next Randy Moss. It all came crashing down when a hit during practice
16:10broke his clavicle. The following year, he broke his clavicle again only three
16:15games into the season. He played one final in lackluster season before being
16:20released and retiring. Get to the bus first, then call it a bus. I mean, how many
16:25people been a number two draft pick? Bro, I got there. I did that. Number 4, Tony
16:32Mandrich, Green Bay Packers. Everybody says, oh, he was the ultimate bust. Well, in
16:37Green Bay, yeah, you could probably say that. In the NFL, a truly great offensive
16:41lineman is worth his weight in gold. Michigan State's offensive tackle, Tony
16:46Mandrich, was valued at more than a few bricks. Sports Illustrated called
16:50Mandrich the incredible bulk. He was a tremendous block of muscle and
16:54shockingly quick on his feet. A few hyperbolic scouts called him the best
16:59offensive line prospect ever. The Packers grabbed him at number two overall. What
17:04didn't go wrong? He was a problem on and off the field with a bad attitude and
17:09substance use disorder. Suspicions of steroid use spread further when
17:13Mandrich showed up in Green Bay, 15 pounds lighter than his college playing
17:18weight. After taking two years off to get sober, he finished his career with
17:22three halfway decent seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Number three, Johnny
17:28Manziel, Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns select Johnny Manziel, quarterback
17:35of Texas A&M.
17:37Where to begin with Johnny football? At Texas A&M, the baby-faced quarterback
17:44reached unusual levels of fame for a college player. He was a Heisman winner
17:49with impressive numbers. Still, sports fans were a little shocked when he
17:53announced he would go pro two years early. The buzz around Manziel was as
17:58electric as it was ubiquitous. Every sports prognosticator from coast to
18:02coast saw him as a top five pick. His fame-seeking left the league
18:06unimpressed. With his stock dropping to number 22 on draft day, his play, when
18:12he saw any field time, was as atrocious as his attitude. A nagging elbow injury
18:17and domestic violence allegations ended his NFL career after only two seasons.
18:22One of the biggest busts in NFL history. Tiny, selfish, undisciplined, immature.
18:29Number two, Ryan Leaf, San Diego Chargers. I remember the next day as
18:34well when Leaf came in from an all-nighter in Vegas, which should have
18:37been a red flag at the time. The Chargers have never won a Super Bowl while in San
18:41Diego. In the late 1990s, they hoped to change that. They and the Colts were both
18:46vying for the number one draft pick in 1998. They each saw a future in a young
18:51Tennessee volunteer named Peyton Manning. The Colts lost their final game in 1997,
18:56so Manning was theirs. The rest is history. The Chargers placed their hopes
19:01in Ryan Leaf. The media barely saw a difference between the two, so the
19:06Chargers were confident that Leaf would give them a bold new future. What they
19:09got was a quarterback who threw two touchdowns and 15 interceptions his
19:13rookie year. He faded into obscurity after playing in only three seasons.
19:18I thought somewhere along the line he'd just come in to somebody, the coach,
19:22somebody say, you know what, I've screwed up, but it never happened.
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19:41Number one, Jarmarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders.
19:45Being drafted number one is so much that they want you to do, you know, in the
19:50snap of a finger. It didn't happen that way.
19:53Close observers of the NFL will tell you that Jarmarcus Russell is a
19:57cautionary tale about how character matters. There's no doubt at all that
20:01the man had talent. At six foot six inches, 260 pounds, he was a big
20:06athletic quarterback with thunder in his arm. Analyst Mel Kuyper once
20:11compared the LSU star to John Elway. The Raiders nabbed him at number three,
20:15paid him over $31 million guaranteed, and then the troubles began. He came
20:20into camp 30 pounds overweight. He clearly cared more about the money than
20:24the job. His partying and laziness got in the way of his talent. In a meager
20:2925 starts, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and fumbled more than
20:34both. Do you consider yourself the biggest bust in NFL draft history? When
20:41you look at it that way, I say I must have been the best to be the biggest.
20:47Did we fumble the ball with any of our picks? Tackle the problem with your
20:50worst draft picks in the comments below.
20:53Johnny Manziel rises the future of Cleveland football. Now he will soon
20:57leave as an embarrassment.
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