Each NFL Team's Biggest Draft Bust from the Past 10 Years

Alex KayContributor IApril 25, 2022

Each NFL Team's Biggest Draft Bust from the Past 10 Years

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    Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

    Draft busts come in all different forms.

    Whether these players were plagued by injury, didn't have the skill to translate to the NFL level or had troubles away from the field, they all failed to live up to the hype in some way.

    Every team has suffered the effects of a draft bust over the past decade. Some are more painful than others in terms of the opportunity cost, but all have hindered their team's chances of success in some form or another.

    With that in mind, here is each organization's biggest bust from the 2012 to 2021 drafts.

Arizona Cardinals: QB Josh Rosen

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    No. 10 overall in 2018

    Josh Rosen made waves before he even had a chance to make his NFL debut. The UCLA product claimed that the nine players picked ahead of him were "mistakes," but he would never find a way to back that statement up.

    Rosen started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie, going 3-10 while completing a mere 55.2 percent of his passing attempts for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and 45 sacks.

    That poor performance, coupled with several other grievous missteps in the short-lived Steve Wilks era, led to a regime change the following season. With No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray coming in along with head coach Kliff Kingsbury in 2019, Arizona was clearly ready to move on from the Rosen selection.

    The Cardinals were rather fortunate that this pick wasn't a complete waste. The team was able to pry a 2019 second-rounder off the Miami Dolphins when it dumped Rosen off on the club. That selection eventually became wideout Andy Isabella (No. 62), another player who hasn’t exactly panned out in Arizona.

    Rosen went 0-3 in his three starts for the 'Phins, completing just one touchdown pass against five interceptions before his release. After failing to catch on with a team in 2020, he re-emerged on the Atlanta Falcons roster last year, throwing a pair of picks on his 11 passing attempts across four games.

Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Takkarist McKinley

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    No. 26 overall in 2017

    The Atlanta Falcons came into the 2017 draft in dire need of a pass-rusher. The team elected to trade up five slots to get the one they wanted, coughing up third- and seventh-round picks to land Takkarist McKinley at No. 26 overall.

    The decision seemed warranted when McKinley started his career with 13 sacks over his first 31 games but has since come back to haunt the club.

    McKinley fell off hard in 2019, notching just 3.5 sacks in 13 starts. He saw action in just four games in 2020, recording a single sack while continuing his concerning stretch of inconsistent play.

    Unfortunately for Atlanta, it skipped over T.J. Watt to make this selection five years ago. Watt has since become one of the most feared edge-rushers in the NFL, making a trio of All-Pro teams and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.

    The Falcons eventually parted ways with McKinley following the 2020 campaign, but not before they allegedly passed on taking a second-round pick for his services.

    McKinley landed in Cleveland last year but only saw action in 11 games. He's unsigned right now and may be on his way out of the league following three consecutive underwhelming seasons.

Baltimore Ravens: S Matt Elam

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    No. 32 overall in 2013

    The Baltimore Ravens were looking for safety Ed Reed's heir when they drafted Matt Elam at the end of the first round nine years ago.

    Instead, the Ravens ended up with a player who never even came close to replicating the Hall of Famer's production. Elam struggled for two seasons at both safety spots, never earning better than a lowly 51.0 PFF grade in that span.

    The Florida product missed the entire 2015 campaign with a torn bicep and wasn't activated off injured reserve until the latter half of 2016, appearing as a backup in nine disappointing games, ultimately earning a dismal 42.8 PFF grade.

    Baltimore moved on from the 2013 first-rounder even before his series of arrests in 2017, which ultimately spelled the end of Elam's NFL career.

Buffalo Bills: QB EJ Manuel

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    No. 16 overall in 2013

    The 2013 quarterback class was one of the more forgettable ones. Only three QBs were taken over the first two days of the draft, and only one, EJ Manuel, was selected in the first round.

    The Buffalo Bills took the Florida State signal-caller smack dab in the middle of Day 1, and it wouldn't take long for the team to regret the decision.

    Manuel got an opportunity to start as a rookie, appearing in 10 games. He threw for a disappointing 1,972 yards and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions while taking 28 sacks in those contests.

    It was clear Manuel wasn't ready to lead this franchise as a rookie, but he also failed to capitalize on the sporadic chances to prove himself in the years that followed. He went just 2-5 as a starter over the next three seasons before parting ways with the Bills.

    The Oakland Raiders kicked the tires on Manuel in 2017. He drew one start with the club, an appearance that would end up as his last before fading out of the league.

Carolina Panthers: WR Kelvin Benjamin

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    No. 28 overall in 2014

    Kelvin Benjamin looked bound for stardom as a rookie. He reeled in 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns, but it was all downhill from there for the Florida State product.

    The 6'5", 240-pound wideout would never produce at the same level again, dealing with injuries and a lack of chemistry with quarterback Cam Newton during his final two-and-a-half seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

    He missed all of the 2015 campaign after tearing his ACL in a joint practice. He returned in 2016 to score a touchdown in the season opener but only breached the 100-yard mark once during a wildly inconsistent campaign.

    Carolina eventually accepted third- and seventh-round picks from the Bills for Benjamin in 2017. Benjamin attacked Newton and his former organization following the trade, but he found little success in Buffalo and was released before the end of the 2018 season.

    After a cup of coffee with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, Benjamin was out of the league until 2021. He caught on with the New York Giants last May, attempting to fight for a tight end spot during training camp.

    Benjamin once again made headlines after calling his tryout a "hoax" and ripping head coach Joe Judge, a decision that will likely spell the end of the 31-year-old's professional football career.

Chicago Bears: WR Kevin White

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    No. 7 overall in 2015

    The Chicago Bears have made some questionable draft picks over the past decade, but the club's pick of wideout Kevin White in 2015 sticks out as particularly poor.

    After a single remarkable season at West Virginia, White surged up big boards ahead of the 2015 draft. He wasn't the first wideout off the board—that distinction went to Amari Cooper at No. 4 overall—but he followed quickly behind.

    White never ended up becoming the Brandon Marshall replacement the Bears were envisioning to fill their hole at the No. 1 WR position.

    The 6'3", 216-pound receiver suffered injuries early and often in his professional career and hardly made an impact when he was healthy.

    His best season came in 2016, when he made his NFL debut and caught 19 passes for 187 yards in four games. He landed on IR after re-aggravating a left leg injury that cost him his entire rookie year and came back the following year just to suffer another season-ending injury in the opener.

    Despite being active for a career-high nine games in 2018, White only mustered a meager four catches for 92 yards. He was out of football in 2019 before landing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and the New Orleans Saints this past season, catching just one pass for 38 yards in that span.

    Now 29 years old, it's unlikely White will be able to shed the bust label. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints for the 2022 campaign but isn't projected to be a significant contributor after spending much of 2021 on the team's practice squad.

Cincinnati Bengals: WR John Ross III

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    No. 9 overall in 2017

    The Cincinnati Bengals are fresh off making a Super Bowl appearance, but the team could have become a contender much sooner had it not made the regrettable decision to draft John Ross III.

    Ross was selected inside the top 10 of a draft that saw both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson come off the board after the Washington product

    Those quarterbacks could have significantly altered the franchise during a time when it was struggling to do anything more than sneak into the postseason and suffer early exits with Andy Dalton under center.

    Ross' contributions didn't elevate Cincinnati in any way. He barely saw the field as a rookie—an extremely rare occurrence for such a lofty draft pick—earning just one touch, a 12-yard carry that he fumbled, across three games.

    While Ross did see action in 13 games as a sophomore and scored seven times, he only caught 21 of his 58 targets for 210 yards in total. It appeared he was on his way to turning his career around in 2019 after a seven-catch, 158-yard, two-touchdown showing in the season opener, but Ross was shut down midway through the campaign because of an injury.

    After missing time as a healthy scratch several times in 2020—a year in which he participated in just three contests—Ross landed with the New York Giants as a free agent following the season.

    He failed to make an impact in the Big Apple—catching 11 balls for 224 yards and a score—in 2021 and is still looking for a new team as a free agent during the 2022 offseason.

Cleveland Browns: CB Justin Gilbert

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    No. 8 overall in 2014

    Few teams have suffered as much as the Cleveland Browns have because of their poor drafting decisions. The club is linked to several high-profile busts over the past decade, but its pair of first-rounders in 2014 are especially painful to look back on.

    That was the year the Browns selected cornerback Justin Gilbert at No. 8 overall and quarterback Johnny Manziel at No. 22 overall.

    While both picks failed miserably to live up to the hype after excellent collegiate careers, Gilbert had even less of an impact in the NFL than Johnny Football.

    Despite how early the Browns picked him, the Oklahoma State product only earned two starts as a rookie. He wasn't terrible when he got on the field that year—earning a 61.5 PFF grade and notching a pick-six—but completely fell apart the following campaign.

    Gilbert only made one start in nine games as a sophomore, allowing four of the five passes thrown his way to be completed. Cleveland brass had seen enough during the 411 defensive snaps he ultimately played for the club and dealt him to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-rounder prior to the 2016 campaign.

    The corner failed to rehabilitate his career with Pittsburgh and was out of the league entirely after three seasons, an incredibly short run that looks even worse when comparing it to the players drafted around him.

    Gilbert was the only player picked between Nos. 5 and No. 17 in 2014 who failed to make at least one Pro Bowl appearance in his career.

Dallas Cowboys: CB Morris Claiborne

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    No. 6 overall in 2012

    The Dallas Cowboys were enamored with cornerback Morris Claiborne ahead of the 2012 draft.

    Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones wasn't bothered by reports that the LSU product didn't take the Wonderlic test seriously—leaving his responses to most questions blank and scoring a four out of 50—sending the then-St. Louis Rams a second-round pick to jump up from No. 14 to secure the selection.

    Claiborne wasn't particularly awful as a rookie—starting 15 games and earning a decent 64.3 PFF grade—but his sophomore season began a string of miserable campaigns.

    Injuries limited the corner to just seven starts that year, and his short-lived return in 2014 saw him play in just four games while scoring an abysmal 38.4 PFF grade.

    The defensive back would play in 18 more games over two middling seasons with the Cowboys before landing with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2017. He lasted two years as a starter in Gang Green's secondary before finishing his career as a depth option with the Kansas City Chiefs.

    Given the cost of moving up to select him and his career contributions in Dallas, it's safe to say Claiborne was a bust and a pick the Cowboys would have liked a do-over on.

Denver Broncos: QB Paxton Lynch

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    No. 26 overall in 2016

    The Denver Broncos were fresh off a Super Bowl 50 victory heading into the 2016 draft. The team needed a new quarterback following the retirement of Peyton Manning and elected to roll the dice on Paxton Lynch.

    Despite giving up a third-round pick to move up from No. 31 and take him, the Broncos ended up with a signal-caller who made almost no impact during his two years with the club.

    Lynch failed to earn the starting job over 2015 seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian as a rookie and only saw action when replacing the injured starter. He went 1-3 in his starts over two seasons, completing just 79 of 128 passes for 792 yards and four touchdowns while coughing up four interceptions and taking 18 sacks.

    Those would end up being the only dropbacks of his entire NFL career.

    The Memphis product was eventually demoted to a third-stringer and released shortly after in 2018. He failed to catch on with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers and is now playing with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL.

Detroit Lions: CB Jeff Okudah

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    No. 3 Overall in 2020

    It may be too early to call Jeff Okudah a bust, but the clock is ticking for the cornerback to turn his career around.

    The Detroit Lions took the Ohio State product at No. 3 overall in 2020 and have yet to get much of a return on their investment.

    Okudah appeared in nine games—starting six of them—as a rookie, allowing a completion rate of 77.4 percent against while giving up 594 yards and a pair of scores. PFF graded the performance out as a 42.5, an extremely poor mark for such a high draft pick.

    He ended his 2020 season on injured reserve because of a core muscle issue and came back to start the 2021 campaign. Okudah's return lasted just one game—a contest in which he allowed a concerning three of four passes thrown at him to be completed for 109 yards and a score—before a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his season.

    There is still hope for the 23-year-old to become a quality NFL player, but injuries and poor play have him dangerously close to becoming one of the biggest draft busts in Detroit history.

Green Bay Packers: EDGE Datone Jones

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    No. 26 overall in 2013

    The Green Bay Packers wanted to form an elite pass-rushing tandem with Clay Matthews and Datone Jones after the club selected the latter in the first round of the 2013 draft.

    Unfortunately, Jones never became much of a contributor during his four seasons in Green Bay.

    While Jones was reliably available during his tenure with the Packers—playing in 59 games and starting seven—he only recorded nine sacks in total and never tallied up more sacks in a single season than the 3.5 he notched as a rookie.

    Jones couldn't get after the quarterback well or do much else of note in Titletown. He recorded just 72 tackles, seven pass defenses and one fumble recovery before the Packers let him walk as a free agent in 2017.

    The 31-year-old has been bouncing around the league since, making stops with the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders between 2017 and 2020.

    Jones tried to catch on with the Montreal Alouettes last season but was released after only two weeks. It's safe to say his NFL days are now over, and he'll be best remembered as a first-round bust for the Packers.

Houston Texans: CB Kevin Johnson

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    No. 16 overall in 2015

    Kevin Johnson once seemed well on his way to a promising NFL career.

    A mid-first round pick in 2015, the cornerback had a strong rookie season in which he played in every game and started 10 of them. He earned a decent 63.6 PFF grade and set himself up to be a key part of the Houston Texans' secondary in 2016.

    Unfortunately, a broken foot six games into the campaign ended Johnson's sophomore season early. He came back to fight for a starting position the next year, but an MCL sprain limited his availability and effectiveness.

    A serious concussion in 2018 ended the corner's season after one start and ultimately spelled the end of his career with the Texans.

    Johnson returned in 2019 as a depth option with the Buffalo Bills and spent 2020 as a spot starter with the Cleveland Browns. His PFF grade of 50.6 that year showed that Johnson was no longer the athletic and agile corner he once was, but the Tennessee Titans still gave him a shot going into 2021.

    The 29-year-old announced his retirement last June rather than competing for a roster spot in training camp, a decision that cemented Johnson as a bust who could have been much more had he been able to stay healthy.

Indianapolis Colts: OLB Bjoern Werner

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    No. 24 overall in 2013

    The Indianapolis Colts decided to take a chance on Bjoern Werner in the 2013 draft despite the Florida State product's relative inexperience with the game of football.

    The Germany native had only played two years of high school football before college. While his raw athleticism allowed him to excel at that level, he was never able to translate his upside into production as a pro.

    Werner lasted just three seasons in the NFL, recording 81 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five pass defenses, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble over 38 games, 16 of them starts.  

    The outside linebacker admitted that he was never healthy as a professional, dealing with knee, foot and shoulder ailments that limited his effectiveness.  

    The Colts had seen enough and waived Werner during the 2016 offseason. He caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars for training camp but was released prior to the campaign and officially retired in early 2017.

Jacksonville Jaguars: WR Justin Blackmon

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    No. 5 overall in 2012

    The Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to have struck gold with the selection of Justin Blackmon early in 2012.

    The Oklahoma State product had some scintillating performances in his first season, racking up a rookie-best 865 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 64 catches while appearing in all 16 games.

    Unfortunately, Blackmon appeared in just four games as a sophomore—and looked dominant during them, recording 29 catches for 415 yards and a score—before getting hit with an indefinite suspension for repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

    With multiple arrests in the years that followed, Blackmon would never find himself back on an NFL field. Now 32 years old and out of football for almost a decade, it's unlikely he ever will.

Kansas City Chiefs: EDGE Breeland Speaks

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    No. 46 overall in 2018

    The Kansas City Chiefs have done relatively well with their early draft picks over the past decade, but they completely whiffed on a top-50 pick four years ago.

    The organization was seeking a quality edge-rusher when it took Breeland Speaks in the second round back in 2018, but the Ole Miss product failed to live up to the hype in nearly every way.

    As a rookie, Speaks started four of the 16 games he appeared in but was playing in an unfamiliar position within Kansas City's 3-4 scheme. He recorded a meager 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble in what would mark his last NFL appearances.

    He came to training camp in 2019 overweight and landed on injured reserve before the season began. He was hit with a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy that year and was eventually cut before the 2020 season began.

    Multiple teams have given Speaks a shot over the past two seasons, but he has failed to stick with any for more than a few months.

    He was last seen with the Buffalo Bills back in December, when he spent five days as a member of the team's practice squad before being released.

    The edge-rusher is still looking for a new employer and may be out of the league for good if he doesn't catch on with a club soon.

Las Vegas Raiders: EDGE Clelin Ferrell

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    No. 4 overall in 2019

    Many considered the Las Vegas Raiders' selection of Clelin Ferrell in the top five of the 2019 draft to be a reach. The years that have followed the pick have only proved those skeptics right.

    Ferrell was given a starting job as a rookie but failed to produce at a level expected of such a lofty selection. He started 15 games and recorded 38 tackles with a career-high 4.5 sacks that season, earning a 62.3 PFF grade for the efforts.

    The Clemson product regressed in 2020, notching just two sacks to go along with 27 tackles in 11 starts. He hit a new low this past year when he was made a healthy scratch for the opener, earned zero starts and logged a mere 261 defensive snaps on the season.

    While Ferrell will be getting a "clean slate" with new head coach Josh McDaniels, it's looking likely his time with the Raiders will be at an end when his contract expires following the 2022 campaign barring a miraculous career turnaround.

Los Angeles Chargers: OT D.J. Fluker

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    No. 11 overall in 2013

    D.J. Fluker was supposed to be the type of rare, game-changing interior lineman who could serve as a team's anchor in the offensive trenches.

    He was coming off a standout career at Alabama, helping lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship while opening massive holes for an elite running game.

    Unfortunately for the then-San Diego Chargers, Fluker never made anywhere near that type of impact in the NFL.

    Fluker started all 59 games he was active for during his four years with the club but was inconsistent with his run blocking and a liability in pass protection.

    He allowed six sacks as a rookie and seven as a sophomore, a troubling start to a career that once held so much promise.

    Fluker earned a then-career-low 66.0 PFF grade in 2016 before the Chargers elected to let him walk in free agency.

    While Fluker would go on to play four more ho-hum years in the league—spending time with the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens—he never developed into the player the Chargers were hoping for when they spent the No. 11 pick on him nine years ago.

Los Angeles Rams: OT Greg Robinson

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    No. 2 overall in 2014

    Greg Robinson was taken No. 2 overall by the then-St. Louis Rams but lasted just three seasons with the team as its starting left tackle.

    He gave up 18 sacks and never earned higher than a 61.3 PFF grade during that three-year stint with the Rams, a massively disappointing showing for a player who appeared to be a slam-dunk prospect and was expected to give the team stability at one of the game's most important positions.

    The Rams tried moving him around the line before they eventually gave up any hope of turning Robinson into a serviceable starter, ultimately accepting a sixth-rounder from the Detroit Lions for his services in 2017.

    Robinson seemed to be on the path to rebuilding his career with the Cleveland Browns as recently as 2019, but he was arrested and charged with felony possession with intent to distribute in February, which came while he was on probation for federal drug charges in 2020.

    Factor in the opportunity cost of this decision—the Rams could have added Khalil Mack, who was drafted No. 5 that year—and you have the makings of a massive bust.   

Miami Dolphins: EDGE Dion Jordan

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    No. 3 overall in 2013

    Dion Jordan was one of the most hyped prospects in the 2013 class, buzz that led to him becoming the third overall pick by the Miami Dolphins.

    It was a regrettable choice. The edge-rusher who had accumulated 12.5 sacks during his final two seasons at Oregon would go on to record just three during his four-year stint in Miami.

    Jordan played in all 16 games during a trying rookie campaign before missing six games because of a suspension stemming from multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy as a sophomore.

    Miami was forced to go without Jordan for the entire 2015 campaign after he was hit with a season-long suspension for a third substance abuse-related strike.

    He was reinstated for the 2016 campaign, but the Dolphins elected not to activate the pass-rusher that season and cut him following a failed physical in 2017.

    Jordan went on to spend time with the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers between 2017 and 2020 but never recorded more than four sacks in a single season during that span.

    Given how high he was selected and how little he contributed, Jordan will forever be remembered as one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.  

Minnesota Vikings: WR Laquon Treadwell

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    No. 23 overall in 2016

    The Minnesota Vikings had to be excited about landing an elite receiver when they secured Laquon Treadwell seven years ago. They quickly realized they had added little more than a developmental prospect to the roster.

    Treadwell only caught one pass his entire rookie year, a hugely disappointing showing for a player who was taken in the first round. His sophomore season only saw a slight improvement, as Treadwell reeled in just 20 passes for 200 yards and failed to find the end zone for the second straight season.

    The Ole Miss product finally found paydirt in 2018 with Kirk Cousins under center but still only contributed a disappointing 302 yards and one score on what remains a career-high 35 catches.

    After falling out of favor in 2019—Treadwell caught just nine balls all year—his time with the Vikings came to an end.

    He spent 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons and posted a career-best 434 receiving yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, but it's unlikely Treadwell will ever live up to the expectations put upon him when he was picked so early in the 2016 draft.

New England Patriots: DT Dominique Easley

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    No. 29 overall in 2014

    The New England Patriots should not have been surprised that Dominique Easley, a player with major knee injuries in college, would ultimately have his NFL career derailed by knee injuries.

    Head coach Bill Belichick ignored the warning signs when he picked Easley at No. 29 overall in 2014, adding a player who suffered ACL tears in both knees during his tenure with the Florida Gators.

    The Pats attempted to ease the interior defensive linemen into their lineup, mostly deploying him as a situational pass-rusher over his first two years in the league. He saw action in 22 games during that span, recording 25 tackles and three sacks.

    Unfortunately, Easley had both of those campaigns cut short because of injury. He was eventually released following the 2015 campaign and landed with the Los Angeles Rams.

    While Easley had a career-best 3.5 sacks in 2016 while being active for all 16 games in L.A., he tore his ACL again in 2017 and missed the entire 2017 season.

    Easley gave it one more go in 2018 but lasted just three games before suffering a final knee injury that led to his retirement from football.   

New Orleans Saints: LB Stephone Anthony

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    No. 31 overall in 2015

    The Saints scooped up a late first-round pick when they traded Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 but failed to capitalize on the selection they received.

    The team used the No. 31 overall pick on Stephone Anthony, a linebacker who lasted just two seasons in the Big Easy before being dealt away.

    Anthony started all 16 games at middle linebacker as a rookie—recording a team-high 112 tackles to go with five pass defenses, two forced fumbles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery—before getting demoted as a sophomore.

    The Clemson product reportedly struggled to grasp defensive schemes and recorded a paltry 16 tackles before his season came to an end after 10 games.

    The Saints decided to take a mere fifth-rounder for Anthony in 2017, shipping him off to the Miami Dolphins, a team he never made a single start for during his two seasons on the roster.

    Anthony wound up back in New Orleans in 2019 for 12 games but drew one start and recorded only a single tackle before fading out of the league, a disappointing ending to a once-promising career.

New York Giants: CB Deandre Baker

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    No. 30 overall in 2019

    The Giants needed a cornerback in the 2019 draft and settled on Georgia's Deandre Baker. It's a decision they would certainly like a mulligan on after the events that transpired.

    Baker started 15 of the 16 games he appeared in as a rookie, giving up 850 yards and six touchdowns while allowing 61.4 percent of targets against to be completed. The corner earned an abysmal 48.4 PFF grade for his efforts.

    The Georgia product was released after that season, but the decision wasn't fully based on his subpar on-field performance.

    Baker landed on the commissioner's exempt list after being charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault. While the charges were eventually dropped, the Giants had seen enough and elected to move on.

    The 2019 first-rounder got another chance during the 2020 campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he saw action in just two games while buried on the depth chart.

    He played a bit more this past season—appearing in eight contests and starting one—but allowed a career-worst 75 percent of passes thrown his way to be completed, including one for a touchdown.

New York Jets: CB Dee Milliner

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    No. 9 overall in 2013

    The New York Jets traded away cornerback Darrelle Revis just days before the first round of the 2013 draft began, a move that helped lead the club to the selection of Dee Milliner.

    The Alabama cornerback was dominant in college but struggled to make an impact at the next level. Like many of his contemporaries in a weak 2013 class, Milliner ended up being injury-prone in the pros, but he also failed to show the skill required of an NFL cornerback when he was available.

    Milliner was benched multiple times as a rookie starter for questionable efforts and poor decision-making. While he showed some promise with a pair of picks late in the season, he failed to build on that late surge after suffering a torn Achilles that limited him to just three games as a sophomore.

    The corner limped another injury-plagued year before being released prior to the 2016 season. Milliner never earned another opportunity to play in the NFL, finishing his career with just 63 tackles, 19 passes defensed and three interceptions in 21 games.

Philadelphia Eagles: WR Jalen Reagor

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    No. 21 overall in 2020

    While it may be too early to call Jeffrey Okudah—one of the other 2020 draftees appearing on this list—a bust, the same cannot be said about Jalen Reagor.

    It's highly unlikely the Philadelphia Eagles wideout will turn things around during the 2022 season, and it's almost certain that he'll be remembered as one of the worst draft picks in franchise history.

    Reagor has been a non-factor during his two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, catching just 64 of his 111 targets for 695 yards and three touchdowns in that span.

    The addition of DeVonta Smith into the receiving corps did little to help Reagor break out last year.

    While the rookie burst out to record 64 catches for 916 yards and five scores—matching or surpassing Reagor's stats over the last two years—Reagor failed to even breach the 300-yard receiving mark despite decreased defensive attention and quality play from quarterback Jalen Hurts.

    After muffing two punts and destroying any chance of a comeback in Philly's Wild Card Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Reagor could be on his way out of town via trade before the 2022 campaign.  

    It would mark a merciful end to his time with the Eagles, the team that selected him one pick ahead of Minnesota Vikings' rising star Justin Jefferson.

Pittsburgh Steelers: EDGE Jarvis Jones

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    No. 17 overall in 2013

    The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted a game-changing pass-rusher when they selected Jarvis Jones in 2013, but the Georgia product would go on to become one of the franchise's most regrettable selections.

    There were warning signs that Jones wouldn't be a viable NFL player because of his testing numbers and spinal stenosis diagnosis, but Pittsburgh ignored them and still took the Bulldogs star midway through the first round.

    The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year only lasted four seasons in the league, recording a pedestrian six sacks across 50 games. He failed to do much of note as a rookie and couldn't bounce back despite ample opportunity during his tenure in Pittsburgh.

    Even with the severe need for edge-rushers around the league, Jones was never even able to earn another snap in the NFL after his time with the Steelers came to an end.

San Francisco: WR A.J. Jenkins

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    No. 30 overall in 2012

    The San Francisco 49ers have made some questionable first-round picks over the past decade—using a No. 3 on Solomon Thomas five years ago comes to mind—but none was more head-scratching than the A.J. Jenkins selection.

    It was a puzzling decision at the time given Jenkins' status as an unheralded prospect. The Illinois product somehow surged up San Francisco's big board and was taken on Day 1 of a draft he likely should have been a Day 2 pick at best in.

    He appeared in just three games during his short-lived 49ers career, drawing one single target that resulted in a drop.

    San Francisco's brass had seen enough after one season to move on from the pick. The team struck a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to take back Jon Baldwin in a swap of disappointing draftees.

    Jenkins fared somewhat better with the Chiefs—catching 17 passes for 223 yards—in 2013-14 before being released and landing on the Dallas Cowboys during the 2015 offseason. He failed to make the final round of cuts that year and hasn't been seen on an NFL field since.

Seattle Seahawks: RB Rashaad Penny

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    Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press

    No. 27 overall in 2018

    Rashaad Penny has displayed the elite athleticism and dynamic playmaking ability that made him a first-round pick in 2018, but not consistently enough to avoid being labeled a bust.

    The San Diego State product has dealt with a litany of injuries that have forced him to miss a slew of time during his first four seasons in the league.

    While he finally had his first impactful and healthy season in 2021, he still was only available for 10 total games, the most he was in the lineup for since his rookie year.

    Penny showed promise in some of those contests but still has meager career totals of 1,572 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns across 37 games going into the 2022 campaign.

    If the 26-year-old can finally get and stay healthy, he'll have a chance to turn his career around. The Seahawks recently elected to give him another shot, inking him to a one-year, $5.8 million deal after the promise he showed late last season.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: K Roberto Aguayo

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    Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

    No. 59 overall in 2016

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the head-scratching choice to use a second-round selection on a kicker three years ago. The fact that the team gave up third- and fourth-round picks to the Kansas City Chiefs to move up and make the pick was even more confusing to most onlookers.

    The widely criticized decision blew up in Tampa's face after Roberto Aguayo, a player who had set an NCAA record for accuracy the prior decision, missed nine of his 31 field-goal attempts and a pair of extra points as a rookie.

    He was especially abysmal from long distances, missing on his only 50-plus yarder, and hit on just 40 percent of his kicks between 40 to 49 yards.

    Aguayo didn't get another opportunity with the Buccaneers the following season. The organization cut its losses and released Aguayo during the 2017 offseason, leading him to bounce around the league trying out for various teams but never catching on with any in the years since.

Tennessee Titans: OL Isaiah Wilson

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    Nick Wass/Associated Press

    No. 29 overall in 2020

    Isaiah Wilson is one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, and the saga of the Georgia product is one Tennessee Titans fans won't soon forget.  

    Wilson began his career on the reserve/COVID-19 list after he was caught at a TSU party, where he considered jumping off a second-story balcony to evade police, according to an incident report.

    He was arrested on a DUI charge in September 2020 before going on to get activated to the roster in October. He didn't make his NFL debut until November, playing the only four snaps of his professional career in the contest.

    Wilson would go on to get suspended in December for violating team rules. He got involved in a high-speed chase and charged with felonies in January 2021 before eventually being traded to the Miami Dolphins for almost nothing in return that March.

    The 23-year-old was waived by the 'Phins after just three days because of missed workouts and being late to a physical. He signed with the New York Giants this past September and spent a few months on the practice squad before being released.

    There is still a chance Wilson can turn things around, but he has a long journey ahead after blowing his initial chance in the league.

Washington Commanders: QB Robert Griffin III

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    David Richard/Associated Press

    No. 2 overall in 2012

    Those who watched Robert Griffin III play a decade ago would have been shocked to learn he would eventually appear on a draft busts list.

    The dynamic signal-caller out of Baylor took the league by storm in year one, leading Washington to a postseason appearance while earning Pro Bowl and Rookie of the Year honors.

    Unfortunately, RGIII was never the same after suffering multiple knee injuries—including a significant one during his lone playoff start—and troubles with his coaching staff.

    Kirk Cousins, the quarterback Washington selected later in that same draft, ultimately usurped Griffin as Washington's regular starter and rendered RGIII expendable. He was released in 2016, spending time with several organizations as a backup, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020.

    While Griffin has claimed he still has a desire to play again, it's unlikely he'll get a real chance to shed the bust label at this point in his career.

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