Team-by-team: Worst NFL first-rounders In a column that appeared in the Baltimore Sun today, I gave one man's list (mine) of each NFL team's all-time worst first-round draft pick. Since some folks who read the blog don't get the paper, I thought I'd pass along that roll call here.As you go through it, you'll notice that in some cases, they were simply bad players. In others, they were bad people. And some of them just had bad, bad luck. The full list is after the jump. ? Arizona: Steve Little, K, 1978 (No. 15). A rare first-rounder as a punter and kicker, Little hit just 40 percent of his field-goal tries. Shortly after he was cut by the then- St. Louis Cardinals, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed. He died in 1999. ? Atlanta: Aundray Bruce, LB, 1988 (No. 1). A tippy-top draft selection, Bruce started well enough with 12 sacks in his first two seasons. But he regressed and spent the back end of his career as a backup with the Raiders. ? Ravens: Travis Taylor, WR, 2000 (No. 10). Actually, the Ravens have a stellar record with their first-rounders. Taylor had some OK years with the Ravens, but he just didn't live up to the Pro Bowl standard set by other first-round picks by the team. ? Buffalo: Al Cowlings, DE, 1970 (No. 5). Yes, that Al Cowlings. The Bills took him the year after they drafted his car-pool buddy, O.J. Simpson. "Bronco" Al played nine years with five teams and had zero starts. ? Carolina: Rae Carruth, WR, 1997 (No. 27). Carruth's infamy is not in a disappointing NFL career but in having orchestrated the murder of his pregnant girlfriend in 1999. He was sentenced to at least 18 years in prison. ? Chicago: Curtis Enis, RB, 1998 (No. 5). Enis was one of several highly rated but star-crossed Penn State running backs whose careers were derailed by injuries. Enis never played a full season in three years and gained fewer than 1,500 yards. ? Cincinnati: Ki-Jana Carter, RB, 1995 (No. 1). What I said about Enis goes double for Carter, another Nittany Lion. The top pick overall, he gained fewer than 1,200 yards in seven seasons with three teams. ? Cleveland: Mike Junkin, LB, 1987 (No. 5). I'm sure many Browns fans would vote for Tim Couch, but Junkin started just seven games in three seasons. The Browns also traded up 19 spots to get him giving Chip Banks to the Chargers. ? Dallas: Mike Sherrard, WR, 1986 (No. 18). Sherrard was injured so much he missed all or most of three seasons after his rookie year. His Job-like string of calamities included breaking his leg while running on the beach. ? Denver: Tommy Maddox, QB, 1992 (No. 25). You know nothing good can come of being selected as the heir to John Elway. Maddox had a couple of decent seasons with Pittsburgh, but that was long after he was run out of Denver. ? Detroit: Andre Ware, QB, 1990 (No. 7). Given the Lions' track record, this was a toughie. In a close race, Ware's six starts in four seasons get the nod. ? Green Bay: (tie) Barry Smith, WR, 1973 (No. 21) and Barty Smith, RB, 1974 (No. 12). The two Smiths might not be the worst Packers picks individually, but the symmetry is fascinating. In 1975, Barry and Barty combined for 460 yards rushing and receiving. Do you think they were even sober in that Packers' draft room? Honorable mention: Tony Mandarich. ? Houston: David Carr, QB, 2002 (No. 1). The Texans have a short draft history, but when you whiff on the No. 1 overall who is also your first pick ever, well, that's just bad karma for the franchise. ? Indianapolis: Art Schlichter, QB, 1982 (No. 4). Six starts in three seasons and a pathological gambling problem. ? Jacksonville: R. Jay Soward, WR, 2000 (No. 29). Troubled by substance abuse, he played just one season, when he had 182 yards receiving and rushing. ? Kansas City: Todd Blackledge, QB, 1983 (No. 7). Chiefs passed up both Jim Kelly and Dan Marino in the famed quarterback draft. ? Miami: Yatil Green, WR, 1997 (No. 15). Green was Mike Sherrard all over again but worse. He missed his first two seasons with injuries and, in his third year, had 18 catches for 234 yards. Period, end of career. ? Minnesota: Dimitrius Underwood, DE, 1999 (No. 29). Underwood was tormented by psychological problems. A day after he signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Vikings, he walked out of camp. He never did play for Minnesota and spent time on the rosters of Miami and Dallas. ? New England: Kenneth Sims, DT, 1982 (No. 1). An overall top pick, Sims had an eight-year career but started in only about half the games. ? New Orleans: Ricky Williams, RB, 1999 (No. 5). Yeah, I know he gained more than 3,000 yards in three seasons with the Saints, but he cost the team one entire draft class and the heart of the following one. ? New York Giants: Jarrod Bunch, RB, 1991 (No. 27). He gained just 629 yards in three seasons with the Giants but has gone on to have a decent acting career. Maybe you caught him in CSI: Miami. ~ ~ ~ ? New York Jets: Johnny "Lam" Jones, WR, 1980 (No. 2). The speed of a sprinter with the hands of a stonemason. ? Oakland: Todd Marinovich, QB, 1991 (No. 24). In the 17 years since this draft pick, the Raiders have had just six winning seasons. Coincidence? I think not. ? Philadelphia: Kevin Allen, OT, 1985 (No. 7). Started four games, which were just enough to take a couple of years off Ron Jaworski's career. Went to prison for sexual assault. ? Pittsburgh: Huey Richardson, DE, 1991 (No. 15). Richardson played like an undrafted free agent and was out of football in two years. But his fortune changed. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was scheduled to be at a business meeting on an upper floor of the World Trade Center. A visit to a clothing store in the complex delayed his trip to the elevator. He was still in the store when the first plane hit and he escaped unharmed. ? St. Louis: Lawrence Phillips, RB, 1996 (No. 6). Phillips' penchant for getting into trouble followed him from Nebraska to the pros. He lasted one season with the Rams and went through three more teams before he was gone after the 1999 season. ? San Diego: Ryan Leaf, QB, 1998 (No. 2). Mr. Charm threw for 36 interceptions and 14 touchdowns during his three-year career. ? San Francisco: Jim Druckenmiller, QB, 1997 (No. 26). The 49ers were looking for Steve Young's successor. They're still looking. ? Seattle: Jerramy Stevens, TE, 2002 (No. 28). Rick Mirer and Brian Bosworth are the popular picks, but Stevens' incredibly lengthy history of police contacts involving allegations ranging from assault to sexual assault to driving under the influence, plus dropping crucial passes in the Super Bowl, rocket him to the head of the class. ? Tampa Bay: Bo Jackson, RB, 1986 (No.1). The Buccaneers made Jackson the top pick in the draft but overlooked a little thing now called "signability." Bo sat out the season to play baseball. Tampa Bay got stiffed and, in the next draft, the Raiders took him in the seventh round. ? Tennessee: Adam "Pacman" Jones, CB, 2005 (No. 6). After Jones' numerous legal problems, the Titans agreed yesterday to trade him to the Cowboys, reportedly for a 2008 fourth-round pick and another in 2009 if Jones plays this season. ? Washington: Heath Shuler, QB, 1994 (No. 3). Small hands? Aren't they supposed to check out that stuff? But at least the North Carolina congressman didn't have to leave town for his new career. > http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spor.../post_282.html
I thought of Blair Thomas and Roger Vick before Lam Jones. Lam wasn't worthy of being the #2 pick but Thomas did less for us than Lam did.
he was a 2nd round pick. We wanted Farve but Arizona fucked us over and we couldn't move up to get him.
I think the context of the question is not which pick turned out badly, but which pick was a bad draft choice the moment the name was announced. Has to be either Roger Vick, Jeff Lageman or Kyle Brady. Roger Vick ---- because who drafts a FB. Jeff Lageman ---- he would have been available in the 3rd round. Kyle Brady ---- at the very least because Warren Sapp was still on the board. Can't really consider Blair Thomas because practically every draft expert thought back then that he should have been the 1st RB taken.
I still remember the Jets Draft blooper thing, when the commish is announcing the Jets pick..."and with the ____ pick in 1st round of the NFL Draft the New York Jets select Fullback" "OOHHHH NOOOOO!!!!" "Roger Vick", I laugh everytime I see that.
Exactly. Shows you how bad that pick was. What a classic ----- all Commissioner Pete Rozell said was the position "....fullback..." and that Jet fan yelled out "OH NO!!!!!!" He didnt even get a chance to finish "......Roger Vick, Texas A&M" So,......uhmm, yeah.........that was a bad pick.
^ It seemed as though even the commissioner was laughing at the pick inside. He had a shit eating grin on his face.
On that youtube video, you can actually see Pete Rozell trying hard not to laugh on at least 2 of those JET picks ----- Roger Vick and Jeff Lageman.
It was our first pick but the second round. We forfeited our first round pick in 1991 by taking Rob Moore in the 1990 supplemental draft. Ron Wolfe tried to move up to get Favre but missed him by a pick, then he went to Green Bay and brought him there--the same year O'Brien held out and Coslet handed the job to Nagle. So in essence we missed out on Favre twice.
How is Ron Faurot not on this list? We traded Todd to the Saints for their #1 which I think was around # 16. Faurot did not dive for a tackle in front of the Jets bench, in week 4 or 5 and never saw the field again.....
I understand we are talking about the Jets here but how about being the Colts in 1990 and taking Steve Entman with the #1 overall pick and then Quinton Coryatt with the 2nd overall pick. I think the following year they took Trev Alberts..... oh the humanity.
