The NFL draft is a crapshoot. However, it isn’t supposed to have huge risk when you are making a first-round selection. That said, some picks go bust rather than boom. These players wound up not helping their NFL teams in ways that were often unexpected.
Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals
One of the players who could turn out fine in the long run is Josh Rosen. Only, the former UCLA star won’t be doing it as an Arizona Cardinal, the team that chose him. Rosen had a rough rookie season for a team that wound up with the worst record in the league. On to Miami!
EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills
EJ Manuel spent four seasons in Buffalo and made a grand total of 17 starts, winning a half-dozen. He threw for 3,502 yards, which is an okay season — not career — for most starting quarterbacks. Dud.
Gabe Carimi, Chicago Bears
Gabe Carimi played for three teams in four seasons. He spent the first two with Chicago, which drafted the offensive lineman out of Wisconsin.
Shea McClellin, Chicago Bears
Shea McClellin spent four seasons with the Bears before joining the New England Patriots. The linebacker was a Super Bowl champ with New England before retiring due to concussions.
Kevin White, Chicago Bears
Chicago had high hopes for Kevin White, who was drafted with the seventh selection overall in 2015. His Bears career was riddled with injuries and he only caught 25 passes in three seasons. He is now an Arizona Cardinal.
Phillip Taylor, Cleveland Browns
Phillip Taylor appeared in 44 games for Cleveland. After that, the former Baylor star signed with the Broncos and Redskins and never played for either team.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
Brandon Weeden was the oldest player drafted in the first round when the Browns took him in 2012. The Oklahoma State quarterback was 28 — he played baseball for years. He spent two years in Cleveland and went 5-15 as a starter.
Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
Trent Richardson was coveted by the Browns, who traded slots with Tampa Bay to pick the Alabama RB third overall in 2012. His first year was solid, as he rushed for 950 yards. Then, the cliff. The Browns sent Richardson to the Colts in the 2013 season and everything fell apart. He played for Indy through 2014 and then was gone from the NFL despite signing at one point with the Raiders.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
A colossal disaster as Johnny Manziel and his Heisman didn’t pan out in Cleveland, or anywhere else for that matter. Manziel is currently hoping to catch on in the XFL after a short stint in the defunct AAF. A sad story.
Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns
It tells you everything when a first-round pick in 2016 has already been with four teams. Coleman caught 173 passes in three seasons at Baylor. In the NFL, he has made 61 catches.
Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos
Another Heisman winner who struggled in the NFL is Tim Tebow. The Broncos drafted the Florida star 25th overall in 2010. He spent two seasons with Denver and another with the New York Jets. He’s currently in the New York Mets’ farm system.
Paxton Lynch, Denver Broncos
Another first-round pick the Broncos used on a quarterback that did not work out. Paxton Lynch made four starts for Denver over 2016-17. He went 1-3 and that was the end of that. Lynch missed the 2018 season and has signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Nick Fairley, Detroit Lions
Nick Fairley came out of Auburn to the Detroit Lions with the 13th selection in 2011. He spent four seasons with Detroit, another with the Rams and then concluded his NFL career with the Saints in 2017.
Derek Sherrod, Green Bay Packers
Derek Sherrod’s rookie season was ruined in December of 2011 when he broke his leg. The injury cost him the 2012 season. He was on the active roster in 2013 and eventually wound up in Kansas City in 2015, but was cut in September.
Datone Jones, Green Bay Packers
Datone Jones was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in 2013 out of UCLA. He’s been with six teams, including currently on the Jaguars. Injuries have derailed his career, which has become that of a journeyman.
Bjoern Werner, Indianapolis Colts
Bjoern Werner was drafted by the Colts out of Florida State. He was beset with injuries in a career that saw him play three seasons with Indy and signing with Jacksonville but being cut in August of 2016.
Phillip Dorsett, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts thought they had a deep threat in Phillip Dorsett, who came into the league from Miami. Dorsett spent two seasons as a Colt, making 98 catches, only three for TDs. In 2017, Dorsett was traded to New England for Jacoby Brissett. He has 44 catches — and a Super Bowl ring — as a Patriot.
Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars
The first in a series of unfortunate choices by the Jaguars was Blaine Gabbert. The former Missouri star was 5-22 in three seasons in Jacksonville. He has since seen time in San Francisco, Arizona and Tennessee and has an overall mark of 13-35 as a starter.
We will, however, always have this to remember him by.
Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville Jaguars
Justin Blackmom came out of Oklahoma State with the Jaguars hoping they had chosen a franchise receiver. He played 18 games, made 93 catches before all sorts of off-field issues led to the ruination of his career.
Luke Joeckel, Jacksonville Jaguars
Luke Joeckel started in five games as a rookie and in four games in his final season in Jacksonville, which was 2016. He saw a lot of action in 2014 and ’15 but did not pan out as a tackle, whether on the left or right side.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles took all sorts of heat — on and off the field — as a Jaguar. A frequent target of critics, the quarterback was 24-49 in five seasons as a starter with the Jags. Interestingly, he did throw 103 TD passes against 75 picks, still not a great ratio. He’s now a backup in LA with the Rams.
Dante Fowler, Jacksonville Jaguars
Dante Fowler Jr. missed his entire rookie season after suffering an ACL injury on the first day of mini-camp in 2015. He wound being traded to the Rams, which proves some people can fall upward.
Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
Drafted out of LSU fourth overall, Leonard Fournette was expected to be a franchise — generational? — RB for the Jags. He did have an 1,000-yard season in 2017, his rookie year … but he only played in 13 games. In 2018, his production fell off to 439 yards in eight games. He’s also proven to be a distraction to team management. A chance to right himself but now is the time.
Jonathan Baldwin, Kansas City Chiefs
Jonathan Baldwin had 41 catches in two seasons with Kansas City before being pitched off to the San Francisco 49ers. He spent one year there and was out of the league after 2013.
Sam Bradford, St. Louis (now LA) Rams
Sam Bradford has proven to be brittle in the NFL. Not a good trait for a first overall pick in 2018. Overall, he spent five years with the Rams and went 18-30-1. Overall, as a starter, he is 34-48-1 with four teams.
Greg Robinson, Rams
Greg Robinson was drafted second overall out of Auburn by the Rams in 2014. He didn’t pan out … and has bounced to the Lions and now Cleveland Browns. His poor play did open the door for the Rams to find a spot for Rodger Saffold on the O-line and that turned out okay.
Dion Jordan, Miami Dolphins
Dion Jordan seemed to spend more time being suspended than with the Dolphins during his time in Miami from 2013-17. He moved to the Seahawks and has been suspended, again, for the first 10 games of the upcoming season.
Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings
Christian Ponder is another quarterback that did not work out in any way, shape or form. He lasted four seasons in Minnesota and actually did have a 10-win season in 2012. Other than that season, he won a grand total of four games as a starter.
Laquon Treadwell, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have Adam Thielin and Stefon Diggs. That makes up for the disaster that drafting Laquon Treadwell in the first round in 2016. Treadwell has gone from one catch as a rookie to 35, then 53. Still, coming up short. He remains a Viking but the team did not pick up his fifth-year option.
Dominique Easley, New England Patriots
The Patriots missed with Dominique Easley, out of Florida. He lasted two seasons in New England, then three with the Rams. He’s currently a free agent. Easley has only 6.5 sacks in his career.
Ereck Flowers, New York Giants
Ereck Flowers did not deliver for the Giants as a top pick in 2015 out of Miami. Picked ninth overall, Flowers was frequently the topic of critics in the Big Apple before he moved on to Jacksonville and now Washington. Something says the Giants won’t fear facing him twice this season … if he sticks with Washington.
Eli Apple, New York Giants
Eli Apple was drafted 10th overall in 2016 out of Ohio State. He made as much noise off the field as he did on it for Big Blue. Not good. Apple was dealt to New Orleans last season.
Quinton Coples, New York Jets
Quinton Coples was the Jets’ first pick — 16th overall — out of North Carolina. His play consistently decreased until he was waived in November of 2015. Coples spent a year with the Dolphins before signing and being released by the Rams in August of 2016.
Dee Milliner, New York Jets
The Jets drafted Dee Milliner ninth overall out of Alabama in 2013. He played 21 games in his first three seasons, missing 27. The Jets cut the DB in September of 2016.
Calvin Pryor, New York Jets
Calvin Pryor wound up as the 18th pick out of Louisville by the Jets in 2014. They declined his fifth year option in 2017 and dealt him to the Browns. He was cut by them after getting into a fight with teammate Ricardo Louis. The Jaguars then signed and eventually released him.
Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders
Suspensions were the main story — and headline — of the career of Rolando McClain, drafted eighth overall out of Alabama by Oakland in 2010.
Danny Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles
Danny Watkins was drafted 23rd overall by the Eagles in 2011. He did not pan out and was out of the NFL by the end of 2013. He reportedly is a firefighter in Frisco, Tx.
Marcus Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Smith was selected 26th overall by the Eagles out of Louisville. He remained with the team through the 2016 season, not being on the active roster for many of the games. He then signed with the Seahawks but was released in 2018. Smith signed with Washington, was waived and has re-signed with the team.
Artie Burns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Artie Burns has not delivered the kind of play the Steelers expected when they chose him 25th overall out of Miami in 2016. He has proven to be a weak link in the secondary and that has led to Pittsburgh deciding not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2020.
Aldon Smith, San Francisco 49ers
Aldon Smith has no business being on this list. He started off as if he would be a superstar. However, personal demons and abuse issues led to major troubles for the defensive lineman and he continues the downward spiral that has ruined a bright career.
A.J. Jenkins, San Francisco 49ers
A.J. Jenkins spent one year in San Francisco and made zero — 0 — catches. He went to Kansas City and wound up with a total of 17 catches in his career.
Reuben Foster, San Francisco 49ers
Trouble followed Reuben Foster in San Francisco. He brought it upon himself with arrests and suspensions. He was cut after a domestic violence incident last season. Washington made the controversial decision to sign the linebacker. He then blew out his ACL and LCL at a mini-camp in May.
Solomon Thomas, San Francisco 49ers
Solomon Thomas was drafted third overall out of Stanford in 2017. He has four sacks thus far in his NFL career. He has become an advocate for those suffering from depression after his sister’s suicide.
Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
Jake Locker chose football over baseball. And it didn’t work out. In four seasons as a Titan, the most games the Washington star appeared in was 11. Overall, he was 9-14 as a starter and announced his retirement in 2015, saying he no longer had the desire to play.
Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin’s first season as a Redskin had “star” all over it. The Baylor quarterback was 9-6 and looked like one of the league’s bright lights. Then, the bottom fell out. He went 5-15 over his last two seasons in Washington, then wound up in Cleveland and now is a backup in Baltimore.
