With the NFL Draft scheduled to take place in late April, many teams will be taking a chance on a young twenty-something-year-old in hopes that they’ll be the missing piece that will one day carry that team to a Lombardi Trophy. For every Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes, there is a Ryan Leif and Akili Smith, players that didn’t quite live up to the hype and were labeled busts and in some cases may have set the franchise back a few seasons.
As a Browns fan, I love the Draft. It fills me with hope; but also as a Browns fan, I have seen my fair share of busts, which made me curious as to other franchises’ biggest Draft Day Blunders. So, following this year’s draft order, I will be diving deep into different franchises’ Draft Histories and give you my opinion on who they are. With that being said… THE CINCINNATI BENGALS ARE ON THE CLOCK!
*Que the Draft Jingle that plays when the pick is in*
Bengals: Ki-Jana Carter. I know I just referenced former QB Akili Smith, but Ki-Jana Carter was a superstar in the making. The Penn State running back was the hands down No.1 overall pick in 1995; any team (except for the Panthers) would’ve drafted him. He had just gotten off a 1,539 yard rushing season with 23 touchdowns to top it off. He averaged 7.8 yards a carry at Penn State. Of course, like many teams, the Bengals inquired about a trade to the then expansion team Carolina Panthers, who unfortunately for the Bengals, accepted said trade. The Bengals then went on to draft Ki-Jana Carter, and after just three plays into his rookie PRE-SEASON, he suffered a knee injury and never lived up to the hype. At least the Bengals didn’t trade up to draft Akili Smith, who was a 3rd overall pick and not a NUMBER 1 overall pick.
Washington: Heath Shuler. The jury is still out on Dwayne Haskins, and whether you like it or not, RG3 did have success in Washington, individual and team wise. Heath Shuler was drafted third overall as the Heisman Trophy runner up in 1994. He was coming off an impressive 1993 season and Washington was in desperate need of a QB at the time. After just 19 appearances, he threw just only 13 touchdowns with a crippling 19 interceptions. Yikes.
Lions: Reggie Rogers. Performance and ability aren’t the only things that make a player a bust. In a lot of cases it’s maturity, aptitude, and character. In the case of Reggie Rogers, he was drafted No. 7 overall as a Defensive Tackle in 1987. He had one sack in eleven games in his professional resume. Due to that, and a prison sentence he served, he was released in two seasons.
Giants: Cedric Jones. For a team that is historic for having some of the greatest defensive linemen (Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, etc.), the Giants whiffed big in 1996, selecting Cedric Jones 5th overall. He totaled 15 sacks in a five year career. What really stings, though, about the Giants selection is that instead of Cedric Jones being selected they could have drafted Eddie George, Terry Glenn, Brain Dawkins, Terelle Owens, Marvin Harrison, or RAY LEWIS.
Dolphins: Pat White. Now looking back at the Dolphins past Draft history, they’ve made quite a few blunders. The one that stuck out to me, though, was the 2009 44th Overall selection of Pat White. After a very impressive career at WVU and an outstanding performance at the 2009 NFL Draft Combine, Pat White was drafted to the Dolphins. That’s it. This has nothing to do with his performance, though he didn’t exactly impress when he did play; the Dolphins drafted Pat White for the sole purpose of being a part of the Wild Cat formation. He had just FIVE pass attempts. Why would you draft a player that high, especially a QB, for FIVE pass attempts and to run the Wild Cat sometimes? The blame falls on the organization, not the player here.
Chargers: Ryan Leif. The Chargers gave a King’s ransom to trade up to the No. 2 pick and acquire Ryan Leif as their potential franchise QB. Many scouts thought that he'd be that franchise player because of his arm, but the major thing that ended his career before it ever began was his maturity. If you don’t know his story, look it up.
Carolina Panthers: Jimmy Clausen. He was a second round pick drafted 48th overall in 2010. What makes Jimmy Clausen such a head scratcher is that he was treated as the Carolina Panthers franchise QB going forward. Clausen started a total of 10 games, throwing 9 interceptions and only three touchdowns. What makes Jimmy Clasuen’s tenure as the Panthers franchise QB even more of a head scratcher is that they then drafted their eventual franchise QB, Cam Newton, in the very next draft No. 1 overall; Jimmy Clausen never threw another pass for them.
Arizona Cardinals: Matt Leinart. Once regarded as a “Gift From Heaven” by former Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green, the 2004 Heisman Trophy Winner was drafted by the Cardinals No. 10 overall and predicted to be the franchise for years to come. His first couple of seasons in ‘06 and ‘07 would be cut short due to injuries; he was eventually replaced by veteran QB and former Super Bowl Champion Kurt Warner. Matt Leinart was eventually cut by the Cardinals in 2010.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Luke Joeckel. It’s extremely hard to draft offensive linemen in the NFL, especially nowadays when you have defensive guys like Myles Garrett, the Bosa Brothers, the Watt brothers, and Khalil Mack. Most teams will actually trade down in the draft when selecting lineman because it’s such a risky choice. That strategy went out the window in the extremely lackluster 2013 NFL draft when two linemen went No. 1 (Eric Fisher to the Chiefs) and of course Luke Joeckel who went No. 2 overall. Upon arriving in Jacksonville he was switched from Left Tackle to Right Tackle, but then was switched back to Left Tackle before having a season ending injury after Kendall Langford rolled up into his leg. After poor performance, the Jaguars decided to not pick up his fifth year option.
Cleveland Browns: Corey Coleman. I know. There is a plethora of QBs and some defensive talent that may be deserving of this spot, but for some reason none hurt more then Corey Coleman. He was selected 15th overall by the Browns in 2016. To be honest, I had no clue who the guy was, but all the “draft experts” praised this pick. They praised his speed and vertical ability. I will personally say, I think speed is such an overrated ability in the NFL, because in the NFL EVERYBODY IS FAST. Especially nowadays! What hurt the most is we had the No. 2 pick in that draft and could have drafted Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliot, Jalen Ramsey, Ronnie Stanley, heck even Carson Wentz. But we decided to take the Eagles 8th overall, to then trade that to the Titans and go down to 15 and draft Corey Coleman, who couldn’t catch a cold in today’s pandemic even if he tried! He’s the reason the Browns went 0-16 in 2017, in my opinion.
New York Jets: Vernon Gholston/Dee Milliner: Now I know I said I’d pick the ultimate bust or draft day decision that I believe was a franchise's biggest woe, but the New York Jets selections of Vernon Gholston and Dee Milliner were major cases of “you just never know.” Vernon Gholston was coming off a tremendous college career at Ohio State; the Jets selected him 6th overall in 2008. He was hoped to be the answer to the Jets pass rushing woes, but was instead out of the league in three seasons without recording a sack. Dee Milliner, however, was poised to be NFL legend Darelle Revis’s replacement as they had just traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All signs pointed to Dee Milliner being that guy after a great career at Alabama (Roll Tide!), so the Jets drafted him No. 9 in the 2013 (yikes) NFL Draft. His health and playing style didn’t translate and he only played in 21 games. Vernon Gholston and Dee Milliner were the right choices at the time, but when it comes to the NFL Draft, you just never know.
Raiders: Todd Marinovich. I know people will say Ja’Marcus Russell, but I fucking love Ja’Marucs Russell, and he at least had a longer career and won 7 games. Todd, on the other hand, went 3-5 and had a very troubling story dealing with his father and trying to live up to the hype; it was ultimately his substance abuse that led him to bust status. He was the 24th overall selection in the 1991 NFL draft and was supposed to be the next Ken Stabler, but unfortunately that didn’t pan out.
Colts: 1983 Drafting of John Elway. Crazy right? An NFL Hall of Famer? Exactly. When the Indianapolis Colts drafted John Elway No. 1 overall in 1983, that was a big problem... for John Elway. John Elway refused to play for the Indianapolis Colts and threatened to play for the New York Yankees (MLB) if they didn’t trade him to another team. The Colts went on to trade John Elway to the Denver Broncos, leaving the Colts with a wasted No.1 overall draft pick. This wasn’t a player bust, it was a front office draft day decision bust.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston. If they had drafted Marcus Mariota, like they should’ve in 2015, they’d probably would’ve won at least one Super Bowl by now, or at minimum made the playoffs every year. They also wouldn’t be in the position of signing Tom Brady as their “savior.” At least Mariota took his pitiful Titans teams to the playoffs multiple times and won. Jameis Winston is an interesting case; he threw for over 4,000 yards in 3 of his 5 seasons in the NFL and even threw for 30 TDs in his last season with the Buccaneers, but the guy must be a baker, because he loves giving the opponents turnovers. In fact, his first NFL pass he threw a pick six to the Titans. How ironic. In his latest season he had 30 turnovers. Wow. Despite all that, Jameis Winston failed to lead the Bucs to even a playoff appearance, which is mind blowing when you’ve had the wide receiver, tight end, and running back talent Jameis has had. He may have had some individual success but oof, this is tough.
Denver Broncos: Ted Gregory. This might actually be one of the more funny draft bust stories as it deals with alleged catfishing. Denver in 1988 drafted Ted Gregory 6th overall. Upon Gregory’s arrival to Denver, they noticed that the DT/NT from Syracuse may have allegedly lied about his 6’1 height; they estimated him to be around 5’9. The not so funny part of this story is that he suffered knee injuries and was traded during his rookie season training camp and only ever played three games.
Falcons: Jamaal Anderson. Only starting one year in college can be a major question mark for any NFL hopeful. Jamaal Anderson was in that exact situation, as he only started one season for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but that didn’t deter the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 from drafting him 8th overall. In four seasons he only recorded 4.5 sacks and 105 tackles; he was eventually cut by the Falcons in 2011.
Cowboys: Bobby Carpenter. When Bill Parcells goes to bat for you and influences a franchise like the Dallas Cowboys to draft you as the 18th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, you best not disappoint. Bobby Carpenter unfortunately did. He was unable to establish a starting role while in Dallas. He was even in an episode of the hit HBO show “Hard Knocks,” and it didn’t go well.
Steelers: Antonio Brown.
Bears: Kevin White. The Bears needed a wide receiver in 2015, and in the 2015 NFL Draft two wide outs were predicted to be top 10 picks and have productive NFL futures. The Oakland Raiders drafted Amari Cooper 4th overall, which left Chicago with the next logical choice of drafting Kevin White. Even I thought Kevin White would be a great target. Unfortunately, injuries plagued his time with the Bears and he wasn’t on the team past 2018.
Los Angeles Rams: Greg Robinson. The Rams needed to address their offensive line going into the 2014 NFL Draft. Offensive tackle was the main concern. This draft was especially loaded with offensive tackle talent like Taylor Lewan, Jake Matthews, and Ja’Waun James. The Rams decided to draft Greg Robinson instead with the 2nd overall pick, and he came into training camp overweight; the rest is history. It failed miserably and he was off the team by 2017. Just recently, after a stint with the Cleveland Browns, he was jailed in El Paso County, Texas, for having possession of 156.9 lbs. of marijuana.
Eagles: Jay Berwanger. I’ll be honest, I had to look this one up. I couldn’t think of anyone off the top of my head that was a major bust for the Eagles besides Nelson Agholor. I did some research and was pleasantly surprised by the man who is credited as the first ever pick in NFL Draft history, Jay Berwagner. In the first ever draft, the Eagles used the first ever No.1 overall pick to draft him; the real kicker is he never played for the Eagles. After a contract dispute, he decided to pursue his Olympic aspirations and opted not to play for the Eagles. How ironic is that?
Bills: EJ Manuel. Drafted 16th overall in 2013 (yikes), EJ Manuel was a top five QB… in an incredibly weak QB class, let alone Draft class. He was the only QB drafted in round 1 that year, and the Bills even traded down to draft him. Which begs the question, why did they even draft a QB that year? He ended up playing 10 games in his rookie season throwing 11 TDs, 9 INTs, and just under 2,000 yards. Manuel went on to start the 2014 season, but after going 2-2 in the first four games, he was benched in favor of veteran Kyle Orton. After 2014, EJ Manuel saw very limited playing time for the Bills. His final appearance was 2016 in which he threw 9 of 20 for only 86 yards and was eventually benched by rookie QB Cardale Jones.
Patriots: Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez’s playing ability was bar none and during his playing years he was viewed as one of the NFL’s top Tight Ends. He wasn’t even a high draft pick; he was drafted 113th overall in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. However, the reason he is a bust has nothing to do with his playing ability; it’s everything else that labels him one. The Patriots decision to draft a player who scored a 1 out of 10 on the “social maturity” test is a complete head scratcher and a horrendous decision. If you aren’t familiar with the story of Aaron Hernandez, simply look it up or watch the Netflix documentary “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.” This draft day decision will go down as one of the biggest mistakes the Patriots have made in their draft day history.
Saints: Jonathan Sullivan. In 2003 the Saints had not one, but two first round picks. They gave both of those picks up to move to the 6th pick in the draft and take Jonathan Sullivan. Jonathan Sullivan would only produce 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in THREE SEASONS. He was traded to the Patriots and quickly cut.
Vikings: Dimitrious Underwood. The 29th overall selection in the 1999 NFL Draft will probably go down as their biggest draft day mistake. Underwood had the size and physical ability to be a star, but unfortunately, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which crippeled his NFL career. He never played a down for the Minnesota Vikings.
Texans: David Carr. I will say this was definitely a front office blunder rather than a player production problem. I think under other circumstances than what David Carr was dealt, he could’ve probably had a long prosperous career. Though, in 2002 the Houston Texans were entering the NFL as an expansion team and wanted to come out swinging, and what better way than to draft your franchise QB in your first ever draft No. 1 overall without playing a couple seasons first to see where you're at? David Carr was essentially thrown to the wolves with little to no development and little to no help. Again, this was a front office plunder, not a player problem.
Seahawks: 1985 NFL Draft. How can a whole NFL Draft be that bad. Well, considering that their most valuable pick would be a 7th rounder, and that Owen Gill of Iowa didn’t even play for the Seahawks. Danny Greene, never played in the NFL, and Tony Davis. Ouch.
Ravens: Kyle Boller. After a draft day phone call went awry with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Ravens were left in a state of desperation in the 2003 NFL Draft. The Ravens traded up to the 19th selection in the NFL Draft to select a QB with a strong arm but accuracy issues. That QB would be Kyle Boller. His Ravens tenure was anything but good; he threw for 45 TDs and 44 INTs, with a 20-22 win-loss record. He lasted five seasons as a Raven, and is often blamed by Ravens fans for wasting Ed Reed and Ray Lewis’s prime seasons.
Titans: Jake Locker. Cam Newton was going to go No. 1 in the 2011 NFL Draft to the QB needy Carolina Panthers no matter what; I don’t care what anyone says. With Cam Newton off the board, that left the QB needy Titans with the options of Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Terelle Pryor, or Blaine Gabbert. The Titans decided to go with the guy a few “draft experts” rated as the clear No. 1 pick in the 2011 Draft, Jake Locker. In four seasons Locker played in 30 games (23 starts), had a 57.5% completion rate, threw for 4,697 yards, and went 9-14 in his starts. He also only had 27 TDs and threw 22 INTs to his stat sheet. He would retire after the 2014-2015 NFL season in 2015 right before the draft.
Packers: Tony Mandarich. The Green Bay Packers were in need of an Offensive Tackle in the 1988 NFL Draft, and Tony Mandarich, the man known as “The Incredible Bulk,” was the hands down choice. The Green Bay Packers would then use their No. 2 overall pick to select Tony. He only started 31 games for the Packers. Post concussive symptoms and a thyroid problem may have caused him not to live up to his potential. He admitted to using steroids while at Michigan State years later in a ESPN documentary called “Mandarich.”
49ers: Rueben Foster. Foster was drafted 31st overall in 2017 after a pretty stellar career at Alabama. Injury, unfortunately, caused his rookie career to be a stop and go ordeal, but legal troubles led to his dismissal from the 49ers just a season later.
Chiefs: Ryan Sims. Drafted 6th overall in 2003, Sims had a lot of momentum coming into the NFL, mostly due to his teammate Julius Peppers and the UNC defense that year, but Ryan Sims was a valued draft prospect. He played a total of 74 games and only recorded 54 tackles, 5 sacks, and 1 interception. He was then traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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