Are these the biggest NFL draft busts ever?

The NFL draft can be impossible to predict at times, with fans, players, and scouts often getting evaluations wildly wrong despite their best efforts. Let's take a look at some of the biggest busts in NFL draft history.

Is it far too early to call Bryce Young a bust? Yes, but for the purposes of this lists, and with the context of who was picked after him (C.J. Stroud), we're going to anyway. Young was thrown into the fire in Carolina during his rookie year, so don't write him off yet.

As much an example of bad processes as anything, the Eagles were blown away by Mamula’s athletic testing, which for the time was incredibly impressive. Mamula is by no means the worst player on this list, but given his 7th overall selection, his production never lived up to the hype, and is an eternal poster boy for how not to draft players.

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Jamarcus Russell was the prospect in 2007, coming off a National Championship at LSU and with prototypical size, there was no doubting his talent. Russell started his career in the league by skipping training camp until he had a contract arranged. This did little to ingratiate himself with the head coach at the time, Lane Kiffin, who refused to name him as a day-one starter. Unfortunately for Russell, it never got any better and he was released and out of the league within three years.

Young was another with a National Championship under his belt coming out of college, defeating the all-conquering USC team with one of the most iconic plays in college football history. A threat with his arm or with his legs, Young seemed destined to be a star at the NFL level. Unfortunately, despite a relatively impressive start, he could never quite crack it in the pros, with his career only lasting six years.

Ryan Leaf was supposed to be a franchise quarterback, able to lead San Diego out of the doldrums and make them a competitive force in the AFC, unfortunately, this never transpired and the player taken just one pick ahead of him – Peyton Manning – will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the position.

Another player whose career will be compared to the pick following their's, Reagor was selected just before Justin Jefferson – who made the Pro Bowl his rookie year – but after being selected by the Eagles, Reagor just couldn’t get anything going. Now in Minnesota with Jefferson, he has a chance to turn his career around, but this seems unlikely.

Bortles remains a bit of a cult hero amongst NFL fans, but this certainly wasn’t due to his on-field performances. The Jaguars were desperate for a franchise quarterback and selected Bortles at third overall ahead of players like Odell Beckham jr, Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack. Despite a year or two of solid play, Bortles could never make it stick and was out of the league before he was 30.

Tim Crouch was taken one place before Donovan McNabb, who’s career included five NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl loss so it was always going to be tough to outshine him. Crouch struggled as much with staying healthy as he did with his actual play, but when your own fans are booing you and calling for your benching, it’s often a sign of poor play.

Rogers’ story is incredibly sad, following injuries early in his career, he developed a serious opioid addiction that would plague him for the rest of his life. Rogers was a Consensus All-American in 2002, and was rightly taken high in the draft, but attitude issues, suspensions and injuries led to inconsistent playing time and he was out of the league within three years.

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Rosen was seen by many as the top QB prospect in the 2018 draft, a polished prospect with high football IQ and a chance to become a star in the NFL. The Cardinals traded up 5 spots to draft Rosen who struggled from the outset, taking over the starting job in week 4 of his rookie season and going 3-10. Traded to the Dolphins after one season in Arizona, Rosen’s career petered out quietly.

After winning the Heisman Trophy and being absolutely dominant in his college career, Manziel was certainly talented enough to have success in the NFL. After being drafted 22nd overall in the draft, with the supposed recommendation of a homeless man being the deciding vote in the Browns organization, Johnny Football was never able to recreate his college success. After leaving the NFL, Manziel has bounced around the CFL and some indoor leagues, not quite what the Browns were hoping for.

White was an incredible player out of West Virginia, catching nearly 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year. With pre-draft comparisons to Dez Bryant, White looked set to be a threat on the outside for years to come. His first thre years in the league were all plagued by injury and he could never establish himself as the player many expected him to be.

Dion Jordan was part of some of the most exciting Oregon teams ever assembled whilst in college, with Chip Kelly’s high-flying offense and athletes all over the defense, Jordan was able to stand out as a do-it-all edge defender. Selected third overall, the Dolphins expected Jordan to be a cornerstone of their defense for years to come, but inconsistent play and substance abuse issues meant this never transpired.

Blackmon was absolutely dominant during his time at Oklahoma State, with over 3,500 yards and 40 TDs, he was every bit the star receiver in the making. The Jaguars were desperate for star power and thought they had their man after a very solid rookie season with over 850 yards and 5 TDs, including a 236-yard game against the Houston Texans. A string of DUIs and substance abuse charges led to an incredibly rapid downfall, as covered by ESPN at the time, only lasting one more year in the league.

Richardson was a big part of one of the most dominant college football teams of all time, winning two National Championships and rushing for nearly 1,700 yards in his junior year. Selected number three overall, the Browns were hoping for instant impact, this never quite happened for Richardson, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry in the NFL, he is now playing pro ball in Mexico.

Another two-time National Champ, Leinart was every bit the superstar quarterback in college, putting up monster numbers and winning a Heisman Trophy to boot. Selected with the 10th overall pick, the Cardinals thought they had a transformative player on their hands, but unfortunately for them and Leinart, it didn’t work out, ultimately releasing him after four seasons.

The Boz, as he was known in college, was never one to shy away from the spotlight during his playing career, unfortunately for him, controversy was never far behind. Following a steroid suspension and a controversial t-shirt stunt, Bosworth was forced into the 1987 draft where he was selected by the Seahawks. His pro career never took off and he was forced to retire after two years with serious shoulder injuries.

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