The Raiders have had their fair share of draft busts over the years. From Robert Gallery to Fabian Washington to Darrius Heyward Bay, it’s been a rough 20 years for the Silver and Black at the NFL Draft.
But none of those “busts” compare to the one and only Jamarcus Russell. In a recent article by Doug Farrar of the Touchdown Wire, he listed each team’s biggest draft bust.
For the Raiders, Russell was listed as their biggest miss. However, that’s not where the criticism of the pick ends. Farrar calls Russell the “biggest draft bust of all time,” and it’s tough to argue. Here are his thoughts on the pick:
The Raiders took Russell first overall in 2007 based in large part on a pro day in which he turned out the lights with his throwing arm. Sadly, Russell’s arm was attached to the rest of him–he held out into the regular season, signed a six-year, $68 million contract with $31.5 million guaranteed, and proceeded to live up to none of it. He had a half-decent second season, but regressed mightily in 2009, eventually ballooned up to almost 300 pounds, and was out of the league for good after the 2009 season despite several comeback attempts.
Russell finished his career with a passer rating of 65.2 after starting just 25 games in the league. He went 7-18 as a starter, throwing a total of only 18 touchdowns. The pick of Russell is one that Raiders’ fans would soon like to forget.
