With the NFL Draft hours away, it seemed like a good time to look back on a cautious tale — that of the NFL Draft Bust.
In 1994, the Washington Redskins experienced not only the biggest bust in franchise history, but arguably in NFL history as well. We take you back to the tribulations of QB Heath Shuler.
With the No. 3 pick in the 1994 Draft, Washington selected Shuler, who finished second in Heisman voting out of Tennessee. He set nearly all of the Volunteers passing records — which would eventually be passed over by Peyton Manning — and his draft stock was soaring in 1994.
Fast forward three years, and the entire narrative had changed.
With the Redskins, Shuler won just four games in three seasons, while completing just 47.7 percent of his passes. He also threw for just 13 touchdowns, while adding 19 interceptions. Eventually, Shuler was benched and replaced by Gus Frerotte in ’94.
Somehow, Washington was able to trade Shuler to the New Orleans Saints, where his downward spiral to rock bottom continued. Shuler played his last football in 1997, and now acts as a businessman and former U.S. Representative in North Carolina.
All of this is to say that no matter who the Redskins end up taking, it is going to be a challenge for them to be a bigger bust than Shuler. Only time will tell.
