Busted: When 1st rd Picks Don't Pan Out

Akili Smith

I always believe that the only time of a year that every NFL team believes that they are a winner is when the NFL draft is held. The NFL Draft is all about optimism and potential, this is why when we look at a draft class five or ten years down the road and one player doesn't pan out as expected then people always talk about disappointment and how the NFL didn't do their homework. This is why I have decided to choose the top 15 draft busts from the past 15 years. In my book to become a bust you could not play in the league for more than 3 years after you were drafted, this is because the average NFL career is just under five seasons. Also if your career is cut short because of injuries you are not a bust since the NFL team could not see into the future. Therefore to be a bust you had to have played 3 seasons or less, had legal issues, in team disciplinary problems or were straight up stupid.

JaMarcus Russell QB 2007 1st pk Raiders- Russell size wise could have played on the defensive front seven for any team in the league and had a cannon for an arm. He was just lazy and didn't put in the time to study the playbook. Some can say the red flags were there at LSU.

Ryan Leaf QB 1998 2nd pk Chargers- Probably what magnifies this choice even more is that the Colts decided to go with Peyton Manning at #1 instead of Leaf. Leaf much like Russell was also lazy however he had more of a natural ability to play the position. He had some authority problems at Washington State. A Leaf since leaving the NFL has been arrested for a number of small crimes and last week was arrested twice.

R. Jay Soward WR 2000 29th pick Jaguars- The red flags were there when he came out of college but his upside was too much to pass up for Jacksonville. Soward could not handle the pressure of being a first round pick and only lasted one season in the league before he was suspended for substance abuse.

Marcus Nash WR 1998 30th pk Broncos- This is one of those cases where in college was a starter on a powerhouse team and put up the right numbers at the combine and in the individual workouts, he had no red flags personality wise either. On paper he was what an NFL wide receiver should be, maybe he wasn't first round talent but still good enough to cut it. Once he was drafted he just wasn't that good and was able to fool the right people, he was out of the league after two seasons, Nash ended up having a very good Arena Football League career.

Dimitrius Underwood DE 1999 29th pk Vikings- He left the team during training camp of his rookie season saying that he could not handle playing in the NFL and being a man of Christ. His mother said that he had joined a cult and they were messing with his head, he also tried to take his own life.

John Avery RB 1999 29th pk Dolphins- Much like Nash, Avery was a very good college player but his style and his size did not translate well to the pro game. He was out of the league after two seasons, he did have some success in Canada.

Rashaun Woods WR 2004 31st pk 49ers- Woods was one of the top receivers in college, great hands good speed. For whatever reason he could not get onto the field with the 49ers, he was out of the league after two seasons.

Charles Rogers WR 2003 2nd pk Lions- Rogers probably could be higher up on this list. Unlike some of the other wide receivers on this list he could play the game at the next level, the only problem was that he would rather beat women and smoke weed the play pro football.

Rae Carruth WR 1997 27th pk Panthers- Carruth’s career wasn't anything great he probably would not have been on this list except for the fact that he had conspired to have his girlfriend killed in 1999. He is expected to be released in 2018.

Trung Canidate RB 2000 31st pk Rams- This one you can't really blame Canidate, he was picked by the Rams you at that time had future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, where he got very little playing time. Trung was traded to the Redskins after two seasons but with the ‘Skins he never stepped onto the field and decided to retire.

Akili Smith QB 1999 2nd pk Bengals- Smith was the second QB taken in that great quarterback class of ‘99 that was expected to rival the class of 1983. Smith had started only one season at Oregon and was light out, but he wasn't really a proven player. He struggled with the speed and the complexity of the pro game.

Michael Haynes DT 2003 14th pk Bears- Haynes did nothing in the NFL based on his workouts and what he did in college he was first round talent but was not able to beat any of the guys who were already on the roster and after three years he was released.

Peter Warrick WR 2000 4th pk Bengals- Warrick was one of those players who at the college level is fast enough to look fat and blow by most of the defenders but not all. In the NFL the guys who make are the ones that you can not blow by in college. Same with his size, in college his size was good enough but not big enough to be drafted in the first round. When you saw his college tape you had to say how can this guy not be first round talent. He should have gone in the 3rd or 4th round. At Florida State he did have some off the field issues.

Jim Druckenmiller QB 1997 26th pk 49ers- he was supposed to be the future QB for the 49ers once Steve Young retired. He only played in a handful of games and was horrible in those. He was traded to the Dolphins and then released.

This year just like any other NFL draft has some first round busts we just don't know who they are. I feel there are a couple in this year’s group for sure. Statistically speaking one of the four quarterbacks taken in this year's draft will be a bust, same goes for one of the three running backs.
Ryan Tannehill QB Dolphins- He played more games at wide receiver in college then quarterback.
Dontari Poe DT Chiefs- Was a workout warrior however struggled against the weak competition in the Conference USA.
Bruce Irvin DE Seahawks- Is small and is a pure pass rushers. he will have trouble with most offensive tackles. Was a reach to get in the first round, would have still been available in the second round.
David Wilson RB Giants- I think he is too small and probably could have found a similar if not better running back in the second round.