The Biggest NFL Draft Busts of All Time, Broken Down By Position
Every April, NFL teams convince themselves they've found their franchise cornerstone. Every September, some of those cornerstones start to crack. And every few years, one of them collapses so spectacularly that it becomes shorthand for organizational failure.
I've been covering the draft for a long time, and here's what I've learned: busts come in flavors. Some guys get hurt. Some guys don't care. Some guys care too much and crumble under the pressure. Some are just bad evaluations by teams that should have known better. And a select few are such catastrophic misses that they set entire franchises back by half a decade.
What follows is every major bust in NFL Draft history, broken down by position. Each player gets a Bust Rating from 1 to 10, where 10 means "franchise-destroying catastrophe" and 6 means "first-round pick who just never panned out." I've included draft position, guaranteed money where available, career stats, and - most painfully - who the team should have picked instead.
No position produces more expensive busts than quarterback. When a team whiffs on a first-round QB, the damage radiates outward for years - the dead cap money, the wasted roster-building window, the coaching staff that gets fired, the fan base that loses hope. Here are the worst QB picks in draft history.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career Stats | $$ Guaranteed | What Went Wrong | Should Have Picked | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JaMarcus Russell | #1, 2007 | Raiders | 3 seasons. 52.1% comp, 18 TD, 23 INT | $32M | Weight ballooned past 300 lbs. Legendarily poor work ethic. Reportedly handed blank DVDs to study and returned them unwatched. Cut after 3 years. | Calvin Johnson (#2), Joe Thomas (#3), Adrian Peterson (#7) | |
| Ryan Leaf | #2, 1998 | Chargers | 4 seasons. 48.4% comp, 14 TD, 36 INT | $11.25M | Screamed at reporters. Alienated teammates. Went 4-17 as a starter. Later arrested for burglary and drug charges. The anti-Peyton Manning. | Peyton Manning went #1 (Chargers traded up past him) | |
| Akili Smith | #3, 1999 | Bengals | 4 seasons. 46.6% comp, 5 TD, 13 INT, 52.8 passer rating | $10.8M | Dead last in passer rating among 400+ attempt QBs over 20 years. Couldn't learn the playbook. The Bengals turned down the Saints' offer of ALL of their 1999 draft picks for this slot. | Ricky Williams (#5), Champ Bailey (#7), Daunte Culpepper (#11) | |
| Trey Lance | #3, 2021 | 49ers | 2 seasons (4 starts). 59.8% comp, 5 TD, 3 INT | $34.1M | 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up for him. Made 4 career starts before being traded to Dallas for a 4th-rounder. The trade cost was staggering. | Mac Jones (#15) was at least an NFL starter. Justin Fields (#11) had some moments. | |
| Zach Wilson | #2, 2021 | Jets | 3 seasons. 57.0% comp, 23 TD, 25 INT | $35.1M | Couldn't process NFL defenses. Publicly said he didn't feel responsible for the defense after a loss. Benched multiple times. Traded to Denver for a late-round pick. | 49ers took Lance at #3 - both busted. Entire top of 2021 QB class was a disaster. | |
| Johnny Manziel | #22, 2014 | Browns | 2 seasons. 57.0% comp, 7 TD, 7 INT | ~$7.5M | "Johnny Football" partied his way out of the league. Alcohol issues. Domestic violence allegations. Owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly overruled coaching staff to draft him. | Derek Carr went #36 (2nd round). Teddy Bridgewater went #32. | |
| Josh Rosen | #10, 2018 | Cardinals | 3 seasons. 54.8% comp, 12 TD, 21 INT | $17.6M | Started 13 games as a rookie, went 3-10. Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray #1 overall the very next year and traded Rosen for a 2nd-rounder. Out of the NFL by 2021. | Cardinals got it right the next year. Lamar Jackson went #32 in the same 2018 draft. | |
| Sam Bradford | #1, 2010 | Rams | 8 seasons. 62.0% comp, 78 TD, 52 INT | $50M (last pre-rookie wage scale) | The last mega-contract rookie. Never won more than 7 games in a season. Tore his ACL twice. Bounced between 4 teams. Made $130M+ career earnings despite never being elite. | Ndamukong Suh (#2), Gerald McCoy (#3) - neither was a QB though. | |
| Tim Couch | #1, 1999 | Browns | 5 seasons. 59.8% comp, 64 TD, 67 INT | $12.25M | The expansion Browns' first-ever pick. Had flashes but was destroyed behind a terrible offensive line. Never had the supporting cast. More sad than truly "bust." | Donovan McNabb (#2), Daunte Culpepper (#11), Champ Bailey (#7) | |
| David Carr | #1, 2002 | Texans | 5 seasons in HOU. 60.5% comp, 59 TD, 65 INT. Sacked 249 times. | $10.9M | Expansion team's first pick. Sacked a league-record 76 times as a rookie. Led league in sacks taken 3 of his first 4 years. The Texans ruined him. | Julius Peppers (#2), Dwight Freeney (#11). No good QB options in this class. |
The 2021 draft produced three first-round QBs: Trevor Lawrence (#1), Zach Wilson (#2), and Trey Lance (#3). Only Lawrence has survived as a starter (and he took until 2025 to look like a franchise QB). Wilson was traded to Denver. Lance was traded to Dallas for a 4th-rounder after making 4 career starts. Justin Fields (#11) was traded to Pittsburgh. The combined trade capital and guaranteed money spent on this QB class is staggering - and the return has been historically awful.
Running back busts are partially responsible for the modern NFL's reluctance to spend first-round capital on the position. Ki-Jana Carter was the last running back taken #1 overall, and his career went so badly that it effectively ended the practice. Trent Richardson sealed the deal 17 years later.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career Stats | What Went Wrong | Should Have Picked | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ki-Jana Carter | #1, 1995 | Bengals | 7 seasons. 1,144 rush yards. 3.6 YPC. Never topped 464 yards in a season. | Blew out his knee in his very first preseason game. Never recovered his explosiveness. The last RB ever taken #1 overall. | Tony Boselli (#2), Warren Sapp (#12), Derrick Brooks (#28) | |
| Trent Richardson | #3, 2012 | Browns | 3 seasons. 2,032 rush yards. 3.3 YPC career average. | Couldn't find running lanes. Browns traded him to Colts after 18 games for a 1st-rounder. Was just as bad in Indianapolis. Killed the idea of drafting RBs early. | Luke Kuechly (#9), Chandler Jones (#21), Russell Wilson (#75!) | |
| Lawrence Phillips | #6, 1996 | Rams | 3 NFL seasons. 1,453 rush yards. | Off-field issues dominated everything. Domestic violence in college. Released by Rams after 2 seasons. Later sentenced to 31 years in prison. Died in his cell in 2016. | Ray Lewis (#26), Marvin Harrison (#19), Zach Thomas (5th round) | |
| Rashard Mendenhall | #23, 2008 | Steelers | 5 seasons. 3,549 yards. 4.0 YPC. | Decent starter but not close to first-round value. Tore his ACL. Controversial tweets about 9/11 and Osama bin Laden. Retired at 26. | DeSean Jackson (#49), Ray Rice (#55), Jamaal Charles (#73) |
The Lions deserve their own wing in the WR bust hall of fame. They spent first-round picks on receivers in three consecutive drafts (2003-2005) and got Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams. Rogers is one of the biggest busts at any position. But he's not alone - receivers bust at an alarming rate because the transition from college to pro requires route-running precision that many simply never develop.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career Stats | What Went Wrong | Should Have Picked | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Rogers | #2, 2003 | Lions | 3 seasons. 36 catches, 440 yards, 4 TD total. | Broke collarbone twice. Failed multiple drug tests. Suspended. Cut after 3 seasons. Had to repay $8.5M of his signing bonus. The Lions' cursed WR era begins. | Andre Johnson (#3), Troy Polamalu (#16), Dallas Clark (#24) | |
| Justin Blackmon | #5, 2012 | Jaguars | 20 games. 34 starts. 46 rec, 865 yards as rookie then spiraled. | Multiple substance-abuse suspensions. Only played 4 games after his rookie season. Indefinitely suspended by 2013. Jags traded UP to draft him. Multiple DUI arrests. | Luke Kuechly (#9), Chandler Jones (#21), Bobby Wagner (#47) | |
| Troy Williamson | #7, 2005 | Vikings | 4 seasons. 79 catches, 939 yards, 3 TD. | Drafted to replace Randy Moss. Couldn't catch. The drop problems were devastating. Made Moss's trade look even worse. Vikings fans still haven't recovered. | DeMarcus Ware (#11), Roddy White (#27) | |
| Kevin White | #7, 2015 | Bears | 4 seasons. 25 catches, 285 yards, 0 TD. | Injuries destroyed everything. Shin fracture rookie year. Fractured fibula year 2. Never healthy enough to develop. Zero touchdowns in his career with the Bears. | Todd Gurley (#10), Melvin Gordon (#15), Landon Collins (#33) | |
| Mike Williams | #10, 2005 | Lions | 6 seasons. 155 catches, 2,050 yards, 11 TD total. | The Lions' THIRD straight first-round WR after Rogers and Roy Williams. Missed rookie year due to eligibility dispute with USC. Never developed NFL speed. | DeMarcus Ware (#11), Aaron Rodgers (#24!) |
Offensive linemen usually don't bust as spectacularly as skill players because they don't need to create - they just need to block. But when they do bust, the pick looks even worse because the position is supposed to be "safe." Tony Mandarich is the single most famous bust at any position in draft history, and it's not even close.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career | What Went Wrong | The Picks Around Him | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Mandarich | #2, 1989 | Packers | 3 seasons in GB. Moved to G. Later played 3 years in IND. | Sports Illustrated called him "The Incredible Bulk" - the greatest OT prospect ever. Turned out he was fueled by steroids. Stripped of his strength, he was average at best. Work ethic disappeared. | #1 Troy Aikman (HOF), #3 Barry Sanders (HOF), #4 Derrick Thomas (HOF), #5 Deion Sanders (HOF). Mandarich is the ONLY non-HOFer in the top 5. | |
| Kevin Allen | #9, 1985 | Eagles | 1 season. | Coach Buddy Ryan said he was only useful "if you want someone to stand around and kill the grass." Tested positive for cocaine. Released in year 2. Went to prison for sexual assault. Never played again. | Jerry Rice (#16!), Bruce Smith went #1. | |
| Jason Smith | #2, 2009 | Rams | 4 seasons. Moved from LT to RT to G. Started 24 games. | Couldn't handle NFL pass rushers. Kept getting moved to different positions. Traded to Jets for a 7th-rounder. Out of the league by age 26. | Brian Orakpo (#13), Clay Matthews (#26), Michael Crabtree (#10) | |
| Robert Gallery | #2, 2004 | Raiders | 8 seasons. Started at LT, moved to G. | The "safest pick in the draft" turned out to be a good guard but a terrible tackle. For a #2 pick, that's a major miss. The Raiders needed a franchise LT. | Sean Taylor (#5), Ben Roethlisberger (#11!) |
The top five picks of the 1989 NFL Draft produced four Pro Football Hall of Famers: Troy Aikman (#1), Barry Sanders (#3), Derrick Thomas (#4), and Deion Sanders (#5). The only non-Hall of Famer? Tony Mandarich at #2. Green Bay took him over Sanders, Thomas, and Sanders. It is widely considered the worst draft pick in NFL history relative to the talent available. Mandarich is the cautionary tale that every draft analyst references when they see a "can't-miss" prospect.
Edge rushers are the second-most valuable position in football after quarterback. When a team spends a top-10 pick on a pass rusher and gets nothing, it's devastating. Vernon Gholston's zero-sack career is the gold standard for defensive bust, but he has plenty of company.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career Stats | What Went Wrong | Should Have Picked | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Gholston | #6, 2008 | Jets | 3 seasons. 0 sacks. 0. In 37 games. | A #6 overall defensive end who recorded ZERO career sacks. Not one. Ohio State's sack record holder simply could not translate college production to the pros. The Jets cut him after 3 years. | Aqib Talib (#20), DeSean Jackson (#49), Joe Flacco (#18) | |
| Courtney Brown | #1, 2000 | Browns | 5 seasons. 17 sacks total. | The expansion Browns' second #1 pick (after Couch) was another miss. Injuries sapped his ability. Never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season. Penn State product simply broke down physically. | LaVar Arrington (#2), Jamal Lewis (#5), Brian Urlacher (#9!) | |
| Steve Emtman | #1, 1992 | Colts | 4 seasons. 11 sacks. | Washington's Outland and Lombardi Trophy winner was dominant in college but tore his ACL in his first year. Then tore his patellar tendon. Then tore the other ACL. Injuries just destroyed him. | Troy Vincent (#7), Dale Carter (#20), Robert Jones (#24) | |
| Dion Jordan | #3, 2013 | Dolphins | 5 seasons across multiple teams. 7.5 career sacks. | Multiple PED suspensions. Missed entire 2015 season due to suspension. The Dolphins traded up to #3 to get him. A catastrophic use of draft capital. | DeAndre Hopkins (#27!), Travis Kelce (#63!), Tyrann Mathieu (#69) | |
| Aundray Bruce | #1, 1988 | Falcons | 6 seasons ATL. 16 sacks with Falcons. | The first overall pick was supposed to be a franchise pass rusher. He never recorded more than 4 sacks in a season in Atlanta. Later had a decent stint with the Raiders as a LB. | Neil Smith (#2 - also underperformed early), Tim Brown (#6) |
| Player | Draft | Team | Career | What Went Wrong | Should Have Picked | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Gilbert | #8, 2014 | Browns | 2 seasons. 0 INT with Cleveland. | Zero interceptions. Couldn't learn the playbook. Effort issues. Cut after 2 years. The Browns also took Johnny Manziel at #22 in the same draft - a historic two-bust first round. | Taylor Lewan (#11), Odell Beckham Jr. (#12), Aaron Donald (#13!) | |
| Donte Whitner | #8, 2006 | Bills | 10 seasons. 1x Pro Bowl. | Not a total bust - had a decent career - but for the #8 pick, underwhelming. The Bills needed a difference-maker and got a solid-but-not-special safety. | Haloti Ngata (#12), Nick Mangold (#29) |
These are the wild cards - picks that were questionable the moment they were made. A punter in round one? A kicker the Bucs traded up for in round two? And two tight ends who represent two of the worst "who they passed on" stories in draft history.
| Player | Draft | Team | Career | What Went Wrong | Who They Passed On | Bust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Erxleben (P) | #11, 1979 | Saints | 5 seasons. 40.0 yard punt avg. 50% FG rate. | A PUNTER. Taken 11th overall. The Saints thought he could kick and punt to save a roster spot. He was bad at both. Kellen Winslow (HOF) went 2 picks later. Later convicted of fraud. | Kellen Winslow (#13, HOF TE) | |
| Roberto Aguayo (K) | #59 (2nd Rd), 2016 | Bucs | 1 season. 22-of-31 FG (71%). 26-of-31 XP. | The Bucs TRADED UP to draft a kicker in round 2. He was terrible immediately - missing 9 field goals and 5 extra points. Cut before his second season. An all-time embarrassment. | Literally anyone. Keanu Neal, Xavien Howard, Deion Jones all went later in Rd 2. | |
| Eric Ebron (TE) | #10, 2014 | Lions | 8 seasons. 1x Pro Bowl (2018 with Colts). Drop issues in DET. | Not a total career bust - had one great year in Indianapolis. But the Lions took him #10 overall instead of Aaron Donald, who became maybe the greatest defensive player ever. That makes this pick infamous. | Aaron Donald (#13). One of the most lopsided "passed on" stories in history. |
📊 Bust Rate By Position
Which positions produce the most first-round busts? Quarterback is the clear leader - roughly 40% of first-round QBs fail to become reliable starters. Running backs bust at a high rate too, which is why teams have largely stopped spending premium picks on the position. Offensive linemen are the "safest" pick but when they bust, the wasted capital stings.
💰 The Mount Rushmore of Draft Busts
If I had to carve five faces into the side of a mountain and label it "The Five Worst Draft Picks in NFL History," here's who makes the cut.
📈 First-Round Bust Rate by Decade
The rookie wage scale (introduced in the 2011 CBA) reduced the financial damage of bust picks, but it didn't reduce the frequency. Teams are still getting it wrong at roughly the same rate - they're just paying less for the mistakes.
🏊 The Franchises That Bust the Most
Some teams are just better at making terrible picks than others. The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders have combined for more first-round busts than some entire divisions. Here are the franchises with the most first-round busts since 1990.
In 2014, the Cleveland Browns used two first-round picks. With #8, they took CB Justin Gilbert (0 interceptions, cut after 2 years). With #22, they took QB Johnny Manziel (7 TD, 7 INT, out of the league after 2 years). Meanwhile, picks #12 and #13 in that draft were Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald - two of the best players of their generation. The Browns had the ammunition to draft either one and chose two players who combined for zero Pro Bowls in Cleveland.
• Pro Football Reference - Career statistics and draft history
• Spotrac - Contract and guaranteed money data
• Wikipedia - NFL Draft History
• ESPN - Draft analysis and bust rankings
• CBS Sports - Historical draft coverage
Last Updated: February 2026
