With the 2024 NFL Draft now here, we decided to look at the worst first-round pick in each of the past 20 drafts. You’ll see a combination of quarterbacks throughout the list.
Meanwhile, others saw their NFL careers come to an abrupt end due to off-field issues. That includes the likes of Johnny Manziel. Without further ado, let’s get going.
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2004 NFL Draft: Robert Gallery, Oakland Raiders
The Raiders selected Gallery No. 2 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He was initially picked to play offensive tackle. But that proved to be futile with Gallery struggling in pass protection in his first three seasons with the Silver and Black. He ultimately moved inside to guard and played seven so-so seasons in Northern California. At issue here? Future Hall of Famers Larry Fitzgerald and Philip Rivers were selected immediately after Gallery.
2005: Troy Williamson, Minnesota Vikings
Troy Williamson played all of three seasons with 22 starts as a member of the Minnesota Vikings after they made him the No. 7 pick back in 2005. The South Carolina product recorded 70 receptions for 1,067 yards and just three touchdowns during that span. The largest issue for front office head Rob Brzezinski and Co. was the fact that Minnesota took Williamson over future Hall of Fame EDGE rusher DeMarcus Ware after recording a mere 39 sacks in 16 games the season prior. Ouch!
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2006 NFL Draft: Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals
How big of a bust was Matt Leinart in the 2006 NFL Draft? The former USC standout started 17 gmaes in parts of four seasons with the Cardinals after they made him the 10th pick. He threw 14 touchdowns compared to 20 interceptions. This miscue from general manager Rod Graves was elevated by a much better NFL quarterback in Jay Cutler going one pick later.
2007 NFL Draft: JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders
Before he earned the “Purple Drank” label, Russell was among the biggest NFL Draft busts of the modern era. Taken No. 1 overall by the then-Oakland Raiders, the former LSU standout started all of 25 games in three seasons with the team. He threw 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions and didn’t suit up again in the NFL after the 2009 season. The top-14 picks in this draft included four future Hall of Famers. Among them, Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas were selected right behind Russell. That’s just pathetic from a Raiders perspective.
Related: 10 worst Las Vegas Raiders draft picks of all-time, including Jamarcus Russell
2008 NFL Draft: Vernon Gholston, New York Jets
These Jets join the Raiders with some of the most-ridiculous NFL Draft picks of the modern era. That included selecting Gholston No. 6 overall out of Ohio Stat back in 2008. In three seasons with the Jets, Gholston recorded 42 tackles and exactly zero sacks from the EDGE position. The only saving grace was the fact that other EDGE rushers selected behind Gholston in 2008 such as Derrick Harvey and Lawrence Jackson were also busts.
2009 NFL Draft: Jason Smith, St. Louis Rams
The 2009 NFL Draft is interesting in that there was not a clear-cut No. 2 prospect heading into the annual event behind Matthew Stafford. Coming off a 2008 season in which they won just two games, the Rams were forced to pick at the top of the draft. They made a major mistake. Smith started all of 26 games at offensive tackle in three seasons with the team before finishing his NFL career as a member of the New York Jets in 2012. In general, this draft was among the worst in the modern history of the event.
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2010 NFL Draft: Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders
McClain’s off-field issues did him in as a member of the Oakland Raiders after the linebacker starred for Alabama. He played just parts of three seasons with the team due to major run-ins with the law. He appeared in 41 games before the Raiders ultimately moved on. While McClain would end up finishing No. 2 in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, his off-field issues led to him being out of the league by 2015.
2011 NFL Draft: Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
After starring for the Washington Huskies under center, Locker found himself as the No. 8 pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft. Boy, did he not pan out. The quarterback played four seasons in Nashville, starting 23 games while throwing 27 touchdowns compared to 22 interceptions before opting to retire. Future Hall of Famers Tyron Smith and J.J. Watt were taken immediately after him in 2011, too. Ouch!
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2012 NFL Draft: Justin Blackmon, Jacksonville Jaguars
What Justin Blackmon did at Oklahoma State is a cautionary tale of “what if?” He dominated college competition en route to being the fifth overall pick of the Jaguars in 2012. Due to substance abuse issues, Blackmon was out of the league by 2013. That included multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The only good news for Jacksonville is that the 2012 draft included other first-round busts at wide receiver such as Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright and A.J. Jenkins.
2013 NFL Draft: Dion Jordan, Miami Dolphins
Yet another player who suffered from demons off the field during his short time in the NFL, Jordan played in all of 26 games with the Dolphins due to the edge being suspended three times for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) policy. The pass rusher recorded all of three sacks during that span before finishing up his career with short stints as a member of the Seahawks, Raiders and 49ers. Selected No. 3 overall by the Dolphins, Jordan saw future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson go one pick after him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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2014 NFL Draft: Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
Noticing a theme here? Self-destructive behavior, substance abuse issues and a total lack of maturity. After winning the Heisman with Texas A&M in college, Manziel found himself as the No. 22 pick of the Browns in 2014. He played two seasons with just eight starts as a member of Cleveland. The troubled signal caller threw seven touchdowns during that span. This is yet another major cautionary tale.
2015 NFL Draft: Kevin White, Chicago Bears
If you have not seen tape of Kevin White playing college ball at West Virginia, you’re missing out. The dude was an absolute beast. It led to the wide receiver going No. 7 overall to the Chicago Bears in 2015. In a case of bad luck, injuries derailed his once-promising career. White played all of 30 games during his seven-year career, which came to an end as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2022. He caught 25 passes in three seasons with the Bears. Each player selected ahead of White in 2015 is sill active in the NFL. That’s just brutal.
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2016 NFL Draft: Paxton Lynch, Denver Broncos
This year’s draft reminds of just how fickle selecting quarterbacks can be. In fact, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was all over Lynch coming out of Memphis. He wanted to trade up. Instead, the signal caller went No. 26 to the Denver Broncos. The rest is history. Lynch started all of four games in two seasons with Denver, throwing four touchdowns. He was out of the league after that point. Reigning NFL MVP runner-up Dak Prescott went roughly 90 picks after Lynch. That’s just gross, Denver.
2017 NFL Draft: Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Quarterbacks as NFL Draft busts? Imagine that. Despite still being in the league as a veteran backup, Trubisky was just that for the Bears in 2017. He played four seasons with the team, posting a 29-21 record with 64 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. That doesn’t seem too bad, right? Well, this is until we realize Patrick Mahomes went eight picks after Chicago traded up for Trubisky at two with the San Francisco 49ers. What’s more? San Francisco used one of those picks on All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. Talk about setting back a franchise years.
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2018 NFL Draft: Sam Darnold, New York Jets
As the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft, Darnold played a mere three seasons with the New York Jets before being traded to the Carolina Panthers. All he did in those three seasons was boast a 13-25 record with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. That’s not what you expect from a top-three pick at this all-important position. What makes matters worst here is the fact that Josh Allen and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson were two other quarterbacks selected in the first round this year. A big ouch, Jets.
2019 NFL Draft: Clelin Ferrell, Oakland Raiders
A draft that saw Nick Bosa go No. 2 overall to the San Francisco 49ers also included fellow Pro Bowl edge guys Josh Allen, Rashan Gary, Brian Burns and Montez Sweat selected in the first round. Unfortunately, the Raiders saw fit to reach for Ferrell at No. 4. He put up 10 sacks in four seasons with the team. Way to miss once again, Raider Nation.
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2020 NFL Draft: Chase Young, Washington Football Team
No one was mistaking Young for fellow Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa, who went No. 2 the year before. But most were looking for him to be a Pro Bowl-caliber defender in Washington. In no way did this come to fruition. After winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, Young fell off the map. He recorded all of 6.5 sacks in parts of three more seasons with Washington before being sent packing to the 49ers in a trade. For a Washington team that was in need of a quarterback, seeing the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love go after Young has to be a bitter pill to swallow.
2021 NFL Draft: Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
We flirted with Zach Wilson here. But in terms of all-time bad NFL Draft trades, the San Francisco 49ers take the cake in a big way. They moved up from the 12th overall pick to No. 3 with the Miami Dolphins to take the small-school product. Lance ended up starting four games in two seasons with San Francisco before being shipped off to the Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season for a mere fourth-round pick. Indirectly, the Dolphins were able to acquire wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill in this trade. That’s as bad as it gets.
2022 NFL Draft: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Outside of Mr. Irrelevant in that of Brock Purdy, the 2022 NFL Draft was an absolute disaster class at quarterback. In fact, only four of the nine players selected at this position remain with their original team. However, it’s Pickett who takes the cake. Selected 20th overall, he threw 13 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions in 24 starts over two seasons with Pittsburgh before being dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the offseason. The likes of Trent McDuffie, Tyler Smith, Tyler Linderbaum and George Karlaftis III all went within 11 picks after Pickett. Each one has either made an All-Pro team or will moving forward.
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2023 NFL Draft: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Is Bryce Young a bust? No. Was he the worst first-round pick in 2023? Yes. Carolina exhausted Pro Bowl wide receiver D.J. Moore and multiple first-round picks to acquire the No. 1 pick and Young. In additon to boasting the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft stemming from the blockbuster, the Chicago Bears used one of the selections to acquire Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. They will also likely nab USC quarterback Caleb Williams at one. As for Young, he’s coming off a disastrous rookie season that saw the signal caller throw 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 16 starts. Yuck!
