Every NFL team's worst first-round pick (from Ryan Leaf to Mitch Trubisky)
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on April 20, 2024. It has since been updated with new information (read: busts)
There's no place you're more likely to find a franchise cornerstone than the first round of the NFL Draft. That makes the misses all the more painful.
The league is littered with disappointments who never quite lived up to the hype, but only a select few have the honor of a Day 1 selection and the fervor (and guaranteed money) that come with it. Some players shrink under the spotlight they've been given, whether that's due to a bad fit, weak coaching, off-field issues or just a straight-up lack of talent that everyone somehow missed.
Let's talk about those guys. These are the biggest first round draft busts for all 32 NFL teams, dating back to the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Arizona Cardinals: RB Larry Stegent (seventh overall)
Kelly Stouffer was a mess who forced his way out of the franchise without playing a single snap for the Cardinals, but at least he brought back three draft picks via trade (before ultimately being a disaster for the Seattle Seahawks). Steve Pisarkiewicz made only four starts at quarterback and compiled a 49.4 passer rating in two seasons with St. Louis. Josh Rosen was, famously, Josh Rosen.
But Stegent was a top 10 pick who injured his knee in a preseason game and had exactly one play that counted in the official NFL stat book — a 12-yard catch.
(Dis)honorable mention: QB Kelly Stouffer, QB Steve Pisarkiewicz, QB Josh Rosen
Atlanta Falcons: DB Bruce Pickens (third overall)
Year: 1991
Pickens had all the athletic ability in the world but couldn’t turn that into on-field production. He made only eight starts in two-plus seasons with the Falcons and was charged with rape in 1993 before having the charges dropped days later. Honorable mention goes to Joe Profit, the seventh overall pick in 1971 who would have the most productive stretch of his career two years later after joining the arch rival New Orleans Saints.
(Dis)honorable mention: RB Joe Profit, RB Tony Smith, WR Shawn Collins
Baltimore Ravens: QB Kyle Boller (19th overall)
Year: 2003
There have only been 30 first round picks in Ravens franchise history and most of them have been pretty good. Boller was a mid-round lottery ticket who failed to pan out but still managed to be a competent placeholder quarterback who was a contingency plan, not a starter.
(Dis)honorable mention: CB Matt Elam, WR Breshad Perriman, TE Hayden Hurst
Buffalo Bills: WR Perry Tuttle (19th overall)
Year: 1982
Tuttle had 150 catches in his four-year Clemson career — 126 more than he’d have in two seasons as a Bill. The collegiate deep threat failed to translate that game-shifting playmaking to the NFL and was out of the league after three-year career. Two-time All-Pro Mike Quick was selected by the Eagles with the very next pick before going on to have the career Buffalo hoped it would get out of Tuttle.
(Dis)honorable mention: DT Phil Dokes, RB Booker Moore, DE Erik Flowers
Carolina Panthers: WR Rae Carruth (27th overall)
Year: 1997
Carruth failed to meet his potential on the field and was sentenced to 18 years in prison after arranging the murder of a woman who was eight months pregnant with his child. He’s garbage all around.
(Dis)honorable mention: A bunch of guys who never killed a woman
Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky (second overall)
Year: 2017
It’s been several long years, and I still think about this pick every single day. Armed with a chance to change the trajectory of their moribund franchise, the Bears took Trubisky, a one-year “wonder” at North Carolina.
A player with negative pocket presence. A player who left more than a handful of deep balls short every game he played with that orange C on his helmet. A player who couldn’t decipher a basic zone defense even if you told him exactly where to throw the ball on every play.
And the rotten cherry on top? The Bears passed over Patrick Mahomes, who may be known as the best football player ever by the time his career is over, to pick Trubisky. (Note: Mahomes was second on their draft board!) That’s not merely rubbing salt in the wound for Bears fans. That’s slowly pouring a tub of it while cackling at their pain.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Kevin White, OT Stan Thomas, DE Michael Haynes
Cincinnati Bengals: QB Akili Smith (third overall)
Year: 1999
Four seasons, 17 starts and a 3-14 overall record to pair with a 5:13 touchdown:interception ratio. Gross.
(Dis)honorable mention: TE Mike Cobb (zero catches as a Bengal), WR David Verser, WR John Ross
Cleveland Browns: CB Justin Gilbert (eighth overall)
Year: 2014
There are so, so many choices here. Garbage quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden and Brady Quinn. Linebackers like Mike Junkin and Cliff Charleton, who were drafted in back-to-back years and started eight combined games for Cleveland. Craig Powell, whose NFL career consisted of two recorded tackles.
But Gilbert was an incredible talent who just couldn't put it together at the next level. Everything should have worked, it just didn't. His career was over after three seasons and one season-long suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
(Dis)honorable mention: LB Craig Powell, LB Mike Junkin, QB Brady Quinn
Dallas Cowboys: RB Bill Thomas (26th overall)
Year: 1972
Thomas was a well-built power back and blocker with a light resume; he'd run for only 935 yards and a pair of touchdowns in three seasons at Boston College. His Cowboys career lasted seven games without a single official offensive statistic.
(Dis)honorable mention: LB Billy Cannon, TE David LaFleur, LB Bobby Carpenter
Denver Broncos: DT Ted Gregory (26th overall)
Year: 1988
Wideout Marcus Nash (30th overall in 1998) had four career NFL receptions. Quarterback Paxton Lynch couldn’t outplay Trevor Siemian or Brock Osweiler for a starting role. But Gregory came into training camp with a bad knee suffered in his final game at Boston College, got hurt even more in training camp, was subsequently traded to the Saints for another first round bust (Shawn Knight) months after being drafted and played three career games in the league. Brutal.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Marcus Nash, QB Paxton Lynch, DE Jarvis Moss
Detroit Lions: WR Charles Rogers (second overall)
Year: 2003
This is a coin toss between two guys named Rogers who were top 10 picks and contributed absolutely nothing to the Lions. Charles, the second overall pick after racking up more than 2,800 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns at nearby Michigan State, had 36 catches over three seasons in the league. That’s 1,026 fewer than Andre Johnson, who was drafted with the very next selection. The picture above, for reference, is from a preseason game.
Reggie Rogers, on the other hand, was an edge rusher drafted seventh overall in 1987 who’d go on to two starts and one sack in his Detroit career.
(Dis)honorable mention: EDGE Reggie Rogers, QB Andre Ware, WR Mike Williams
Green Bay Packers: QB Rich Campbell (sixth overall)
Year: 1981
The Packers drafted a quarterback their offensive coordinator hated with a top six pick. As a result, Campbell threw 68 NFL passes in his four-year career and, incredibly, had nine of those intercepted. The next quarterback selected, albeit in the second round, was two-time Pro Bowler Neil Lomax.
(Dis)honorable mention: QB Jerry Tagge (a 3:17 career TD:INT ratio!), DE Jamal Reynolds, DT Justin Harrell, OT Derek Sherrod
Houston Texans: CB Kevin Johnson (16th overall)
Year: 2015
There aren’t any egregious misses among the 20 first round picks in Texans history. Johnson is the worst — a top 20 selection who made only 18 starts in four seasons with the team. Instead of being a difference maker on some Bill O’Brien playoff teams that couldn’t quite get over the hump he was just sort of a guy.
What stings even more? Marcus Peters and Byron Jones were the next two cornerbacks selected.
(Dis)honorable mention: OL Kenyon Green (for now), QB David Carr
Indianapolis Colts: QB Art Schlichter (fourth overall)
Year: 1982
Jim Detwiler never played a game in the pros thanks to injury. Trev Alberts was a top five pick and had fewer than 70 career tackles. But Schlichter missed a season due to a gambling suspension, went 0-6 as a starter for the Colts with a 3:11 touchdown:interception ratio and ultimately did his best work in the Arena Football League. He was a harbinger of pain.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Randy Burke, LB Trev Alberts, DT Ken Novak
Jacksonville Jaguars: WR R. Jay Soward (29th overall)
Year: 2000
Soward had 14 catches as a rookie before running afoul of the league’s substance abuse policy. He never played another regular season snap after that, but he did win a Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts later on.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Justin Blackmon, DE K'Lavon Chaisson
Kansas City Chiefs: OT Trezelle Jenkins (31st overall)
Year: 1995
Jenkins was supposed to be a blindside protecting building block. Instead he appeared in just nine games and made one start for the Chiefs over a three-year NFL career. Scott Gragg, the first tackle drafted after Jenkins, went on to play nine years as a starter on Sundays.
(Dis)honorable mention: G Brian Jozwiak, WR Sylvester Morris, WR Jonathan Baldwin
Las Vegas Raiders: CB Damon Arnette (19th overall)
Year: 2020
Congratulations, Todd Marinovich. You’re off the hook. All it took was Arnette brandishing guns and making death threats on video on top of his being a mostly ineffective cornerback. Arnette’s career lasted 13 games.
(Dis)honorable mention: QB Todd Marinovich, QB JaMarcus Russell, DE Bob Buczkowski
Los Angeles Chargers: QB Ryan Leaf (second overall)
Year: 1998
Leaf had a 39.0 passer rating as a rookie (two touchdowns, 15 interceptions). Firing every ball directly into the turf would have given him a 39.6. Things got better from there, just not by much.
(Dis)honorable mention: RB Leon Burns, WR Johnny Rodgers, WR Craig Davis
Los Angeles Rams: RB Lawrence Phillips (sixth overall)
Year: 1996
Despite incredible talent Phillips was a mess off the field and generally an awful person; he had fewer starts in two seasons as a Ram (20) than he had days spent in prison over the same span (23). Phillips had flashes of ability but averaged only 3.4 yards per carry in his NFL career.
(Dis)honorable mention: EDGE Bill Hawkins, CB Tye Hill, RB Elvis Peacock
Miami Dolphins: EDGE Dion Jordan (third overall)
Year: 2013
Yatil Green was a top 15 pick who had 18 career catches despite WR1 projections. David Overstreet was drafted with the 16th pick in 1981 and ran for only 392 yards in his career as an NFL running back. But Jordan may be the biggest disappointment.
The athletic marvel never quite put his skills together. He had just three sacks his first two seasons in the league, then missed the third due to a year-long drug suspension. He’d later catch on as a rotational edge rusher with other teams, but this was hardly the career expected of a top three pick.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Yatil Green, RB David Overstreet, EDGE Eric Kumerow
Minnesota Vikings: RB Leo Hayden (24th overall)
Year: 1971
Troy Williamson failed to meet expectations. Dimitrius Underwood struggled with mental health issues and never played a down for the Vikings. And Hayden didn’t record a single stat in his lone season as a Viking, mostly playing special teams while battling drug addiction. He could have been a difference maker on a run-heavy 11-3 team that slunk out of the playoffs without a win, so Hayden gets the nod.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Troy Williamson, DL Dimintrius Underwood, WR Laquon Treadwell
New England Patriots: RB Reggie Dupard (26th overall)
Year: 1986
Dupard was the leading rusher on a pair of 10-win SMU teams, averaging more than 1,200 rushing yards per season in his final three years with the Mustangs. He ran for 574 yards total in three years as a Patriot, averaging just 3.1 yards per handoff. Two of the next three tailbacks selected, Neal Anderson and Dalton Hilliard, went on to long and successful careers.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR N'Keal Harry, WR Hart Lee Dykes, DT Dominique Easley
New Orleans Saints: DE Shawn Knight (11th overall)
Year: 1987
Knight played three seasons in the NFL and has exactly one official statistic to his name; a fumble recovery in 1989. He clashed with Saints coaches in training camp and was traded for Ted Gregory in some incredible bust-on-bust action.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Larry Burton, EDGE Payton Turner (for now), DT Johnathan Sullivan
New York Giants: RB Rocky Thompson (18th overall)
Year: 1971
Thompson made just one start in a three-year NFL career and rushed for only 217 total yards as a Giant. Even worse, the two players selected after him were three-time Pro Bowler Jack Tatum and Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood.
(Dis)honorable mention: TE Derek Brown, RB David Wilson, CB Deandre Baker, QB Daniel Jones
New York Jets: DE Vernon Gholston (sixth overall)
Year: 2008
Gholston was an absolute monster at the combine (a 4.65-second 40 at 265 pounds) and was coming off a 14-sack season at Ohio State. That was 14 more than he’d have in his NFL career.
(Dis)honorable mention: LB Michael Taylor, DE Ron Faurot, CB Dee Milliner
Philadelphia Eagles: OT Kevin Allen (ninth overall)
Year: 1985
He made four starts as a rookie and was generally terrible. He tested positive for cocaine the following season, earned his release and was charged with rape days later. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. While he was released after 33 months never played another down in the NFL.
(Dis)honorable mention: DT Leonard Renfro, DE Jerome McDougle, EDGE Marcus Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers: DE Huey Richardson (15th overall)
Year: 1991
The Steelers allegedly panicked and landed on Richardson, a 4-3 defensive end who didn’t have a place in the team’s 3-4 alignment (Alfred Williams, who’d go on to be an All-Pro edge rusher, and had 26.5 sacks in the Bengals 3-4 setup over four seasons, was selected three picks later). Pittsburgh forced him into an inside linebacker role, which failed to pan out. He played five games as a rookie and was traded for a seventh-round pick before year two.
(Dis)honorable mention: DT Gabe Rivera (his career lasted six games, the seven players after him combined for 23 Pro Bowls), OT Jamain Stephens, QB Kenny Pickett, kinda
San Francisco 49ers: QB Trey Lance (third overall)
Year: 2021
It's stunning the 49ers have been as good as they have despite zero impact from first round picks between 2021 and 2023. That's because it cost San Francisco three Day 1 selections to trade up for Lance, who made a total of four starts in burgurdy and gold, underwhelmed, got injured and was eventually shipped to the Cowboys for a fourth round pick.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Rashaun Woods (seven NFL catches), DT Reggie McGrew, QB Jim Druckenmiller
Seattle Seahawks: QB Dan McGwire (16th overall)
Year: 1991
McGwire’s selling points were that he was huge (6-foot-8) and the brother of Oakland slugger Mark. He had a big arm and had played well enough for decent San Diego State teams in the WAC, which convinced Seattle he could be a franchise QB. This was false. His quarterback rating through his first two seasons was 23.6 and he’d start just five games in the pros. 17 picks later, the Atlanta Falcons would select Brett Favre.
(Dis)honorable mention: QB Rick Mirer, OT Chris McIntosh, LB Aaron Curry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DE Gaines Adams (fourth overall)
Year: 2007
Adams went from two-star recruit to unanimous All-American at Clemson, launching himself into top five consideration at the 2007 Draft. He played two-plus seasons for the Buccaneers and wasn’t bad by any stretch — he just wasn’t as good as you’d expect the fourth overall pick to be — especially when you consider Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, Patrick Willis and Darrelle Revis were all drafted after him in the first round. Tragically, he passed away due to cardiac arrest before his fourth season in the league.
(Dis)honorable mention: TE OJ Howard, G Ray Snell but, for the most part, the Bucs have made solid first round picks.
Tennessee Titans: OT Isaiah Wilson (29th overall)
Year: 2020
Wilson was arrested twice as a Titan and once as a Dolphin after being traded for a seventh-round pick. This all took place in roughly a seven-month span. He played in one NFL game, recording one snap.
(Dis)honorable mention: QB Jake Locker, CB Andre Woolfolk
Washington Commanders: OT Andre Johnson (30th overall)
Year: 1996
Washington drafted a left tackle who couldn’t even crack the rotation as a rookie and was cut without ever playing a snap for the team. His NFL career lasted three games — all with the Detroit Lions.
(Dis)honorable mention: WR Josh Doctson, QB Dwayne Haskins, QB Heath Shuler