The Minnesota Vikings made Adrian Peterson the seventh pick in the 2007 NFL Draft after a great career at Oklahoma. Makes one wonder what the first six teams were thinking that year and what has happened to the players chosen before Peterson. Two of the picks worked out while four did not.
6. Washington: LaRon Landry
Washington drafted DB LaRon Landry out of LSU. Landry played five seasons in Washington, appearing in 64 games and starting them all. He then went to the Jets for a season and Indianapolis for the next two. Landry made one Pro Bowl (2012) and had six career picks. He had numerous suspensions toward the end of his career. In November of 2015, Landry received an indefinite suspension for his third PED violation. Landry was nicknamed “Iron Man” in Washington for his physique, which apparently had outside help if you consider his bans.
5. Arizona: Levi Brown
Levi Brown spent almost all of his six-plus year career as a Cardinal. He played one game with the Steelers in 2013. The 6-foot-6, 323-pound tackle from Penn State started 79 games. Touchdown Wire colleague Doug Farrar rated Brown as the Cardinals’ biggest draft bust: Brown gave up 55 sacks and 302 pressures from his rookie season through 2013. He also racked up 37 penalties and became one of the least effective offensive linemen of his generation. Brown has earned three degrees from Penn State. At one point, he worked as an intern at a law firms, and he worked with another company on human resource practices. His Twitter profile says he is currently a Behavioral Finance specialist.
4. Tampa Bay: Gaines Adams
Gaines Adams (far left) played two-plus seasons for Tampa after being selected out of Clemson. He played in 47 games over three seasons with the Bucs and Bears. Adams had 67 tackles, including 13.5 sacks. Tragically, he passed away in 2010 at the age of 26. Adams had an enlarged heart and that was believed to be the culprit in his early death. “Today is a tragic day,” Jon Gruden, who drafted Adams as the Buccaneers’ coach, said at the time of his death. “Gaines was an impressive kid with such a tremendous future in front of him. He was a great teammate and well-liked by our coaches and all those who had the opportunity to be around him in Tampa.”
3. Cleveland: Joe Thomas
The Browns got a gem in Joe Thomas, an offensive lineman from Wisconsin. Thomas played every down for Cleveland over the first 10-plus years of his career before suffering an injury. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro. He has transitioned into broadcast and sports media.
2. Detroit: Calvin Johnson
The Lions wound up with one of the all-time great wide receivers in Calvin Johnson from Georgia Tech in the second slot. Johnson played all nine seasons in Detroit, making 731 grabs for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns. He retired at age 30 in March of 2016. Johnson recently was in the news, partnering with Harvard to research the benefits of medical marijuana in the areas of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more commonly known as CTE, and the management of pain. Johnson co-owns the cannabis company Primitive.
1. Oakland: JaMarcus Russell
The Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell out of LSU and he turned out to be one of the worst first overall picks in any sport. He was 7-18 as a starter in three seasons. As of last year, Russell was assisting the footaball team at his high school in Alabama. “It’s special to come back to my school (Williamson High in Mobile, AL) where it all started for me,” Russell told AL.com. “It’s a different generation now. I went to school with some of the parents of these kids. So that’s a neat part of it from that side of things.
“I never thought I would want to do this, but it just came to my heart,” Russell added. “There comes a time in your life when you have done so many things, and you just want to give back. Right now, the best thing for me is to continue to help my community thrive in any way I can.”
