The NFL Draft takes place this week, and it's an event that can be as nerve-racking for a fan, if not more, as a game.
If your team nails a pick, it can be the difference between being mediocre and being .500 or better, or it can elevate a team to playoff contention (or keep them there). In some instances, your team picks a player that makes your team the league's best. Think Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017.
Now, do a 180 from Mahomes. A bad first-round pick can also change a franchise, and hardly in a good way. Busts are more than a wasted pick. They mean the team then must expend additional capital, be it another draft pick, a trade or a free agent signing, to improve the team. Busts are speed bumps in the pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy.
With that in mind, Rotowire brings you our NFL Draft Bust Quarter-Century Team. Utilizing Pro-Football-Reference, we found the worst first round NFL draft picks since 2000 to fill out our NFL Draft Bust Quarter-Century team. We used their DrAV statistic that assigns a weight approximate value for the player based on their time with the team who drafted them. If there was a tie in value, the player who was selected higher in the first round was deemed more worthy for the team.
NFL Draft Bust Quarter-Century Offense
Position | Player | Team | Draft Year & Pick | Draft Approximate Value |
QB | Arizona Cardinals | 2018, 1.10 | 2 | |
RB | David Wilson | New York Giants | 2012, 1.32 | 5 |
WR | Chicago Bears | 2015, 1.07 | 2 | |
WR | Rashaun Woods | San Francisco 49ers | 2004, 1.31 | 1 |
WR | A.J. Jenkins | San Francisco 49ers | 2012, 1.30 | 0 |
TE | Baltimore Ravens | 2018, 1.25 | 6 | |
OT | Marc Colombo | Chicago Bears | 2002, 1.29 | 2 |
G | Arizona Cardinals | 2013, 1.07 | 7 | |
C | Cleveland Browns | 2015, 1.19 | 6 | |
G | San Francisco 49ers | 2016, 1.28 | 5 | |
OT | Tennessee Titans | 2020, 1.29 | 0 |
When most think of a quarterback bust, they think of JaMarcus Russell, but Rosen was even worse. The former UCLA star went 3-10 as a rookie quarterback in 2018, throwing for just 2,278 yards and more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (11). He finished the season with a 24.1 QBR and then was traded to Miami a season later. He last played in 2021.
The 49ers certainly did not find the next Jerry Rice with either of their first-round picks at receiver. Looking to replace Terrell Owens, Woods had just seven receptions on 23 targets in his lone year in the NFL. He never played after his rookie season due to injuries. That's still seven more catches than Jenkins made for a team that still made the Super Bowl that season. San Francisco traded Jenkins to Kansas City in 2013 and he never played after 2014.
Some busts, though, can blossom later. Stuck behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore, Hurst was traded to Atlanta, where he caught 56 passes for 571 yards in 2020. Two years later, he helped the Bengals make it back to the AFC Championship Game.
NFL Draft Bust Quarter-Century Defense
Position | Player | Team | Draft Year & Pick | Draft Approximate Value |
DE | Jarvis Moss | Denver Broncos | 2007, 1.17 | 2 |
DT | Kentwan Balmer | San Francisco 49ers | 2008, 1.29 | 2 |
DT | Justin Harrell | Green Bay Packers | 2007, 1.16 | 2 |
DE | Aaron Maybin | Buffalo Bills | 2009, 1.11 | 2 |
LB | Miami Dolphins | 2017, 1.22 | 4 | |
LB | Philadelphia Eagles | 2014, 1.26 | 3 | |
LB | David Pollack | Cincinnati Bengals | 2005, 1.17 | 3 |
DB | Cleveland Browns | 2014, 1.08 | 3 | |
DB | Las Vegas Raiders | 2020, 1.19 | 2 | |
DB | Tennessee Titans | 2021, 1.22 | 1 | |
DB | Minnesota Vikings | 2022, 1.32 | 0 |
Injuries can turn a star player into an unfortunate bust. The Bengals used the 17th pick in 2005 to land Pollack, who was a two-time consensus All-American and winner of the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards. He finished second in sacks with the Bengals in his rookie campaign, but he broke a vertebra in the second game of his second season and never recovered.
Twenty years later, the Bengals have the 17th pick again. Will they have better fortune this time around?
Cine was the last pick in the 2022 first round, but he played in just 10 games for the Vikings over two seasons with just one tackle to show for it. He played a game for the Buffalo Bills last season.
Will you find your team's first-round pick from this year on a future version of this team, or will he help your team win the Super Bowl? The first round takes place on April 24 in Green Bay.
