While the games are played on Sundays, rosters are made on Draft Day – and making a selection can make or break for your favorite NFL team.
However, some years, the deck is stacked against the GM’s that are calling the shots and there is just a complete lack of talent in the draft – or there are a number of notable busts at the top of the draft.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the ten worst NFL Drafts of all time!
Which NFL Drafts were perceived as the worst of all time?
10. 2009 NFL Draft
2009 was a rough year for NFL General Managers, as the draft was loaded with landmines left, right, and center.
There were, of course, some notable players like the first overall pick, the longtime Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who, after winning a Super Bowl with the Rams, has put himself on the fringe of the Hall of Fame discussion, and Clay Matthews, who Green Bay took with the 26th overall pick, it also featured some high profile busts.
And they started shortly after Detroit lucked out taking Stafford… because second overall pick by the then St. Louis Rams, Jason Smith was out of the league within three season. He couldn’t stay healthy, he could perform, all in all, just a terrible NFL player.
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He wasn’t the only major bust in the top five picks, either…Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks, was out of the NFL just one year after Smith because he completely failed to make an impact as a linebacker.
Oh, and lest we forget the Mark Sanchez experiment in New York. The Jets took him fifth overall… and yes, they made it to two AFC Titles games with him under center, but that was more in spite of Sanchez than thanks to him.
In fairness to the Jets, outside of Stafford, there really just wasn’t a lot of quarterback talent in the draft… Josh Freeman and Pat White were taken in the first and second round respectively and you could argue that neither guy had as good of a career as Brian Hoyer, who was undrafted.2009 was just a shallow talent pool across the board.
9. 1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 draft was a tough one for many NFL teams, as it netted just two Hall of Famers, but it was at its worst for teams going after top quarterbacking prospects.
In fact, the ’99 Draft will likely go down as one of the all-time bad—if not the all-time bad draft for quarterbacking talent.
Because while ’09 had Stafford to anchor the group, ’99 was littered with busts high in the draft, starting with Tim Couch, the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, who struggled with injuries and simply just wasn’t a good quarterback in the NFL.
After all, the guy lasted only five seasons in the league, which is tough to do as a top quarterback pick.
Then there was Akili Smith, the third overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, who threw only five touchdown passes in four seasons in the NFL, and Cade McNown, the 12th overall pick by the Chicago Bears, who raised the stakes lasting just two seasons as a starter and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.
Despite these failures, the draft does have Donovan McNabb to hang its hat on. He was selected second overall, and though he never was able to get over the hump into the truly elite tier of quarterbacks, there is no denying he had a successful career.
8. 2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft did manage to produce stars like Ed Reed and Dwight Freeney, and of course, second overall pick Julius Peppers, who was a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the most feared pass rushers in the game for years…
But there were some major busts at the top, enough to make it among the worst NFL drafts of all time, starting with the first overall pick by the expansion franchise Houston Texans.
Houston took quarterback David Carr out of Fresno and he was promptly ambushed his rookie season, getting sacked an NFL record 76 times, something that it seems he never fully recovered from, as he spent the rest of his career as a backup.
It wasn’t much better for the Detroit Lions either, as they took Joey Harrington third overall. He was far from consistent as a pro and was ultimately out of the NFL by 2009.
Other high-profile disappointments included Mike Williams, which Buffalo made the mistake of taking 4th overall and Ryan Sims, the 6th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, as neither guy brought a shred of value to the teams that drafted them.
7. 1991 NFL Draft
Though the 1991 Draft is notable for producing Brett Favre, one of the all-time great quarterbacks that the league has seen, when you look at the crop of prospects in totality, it was honestly one of the weaker drafts that we’ve seen.
Russell Maryland was the first overall pick that year, taken by the Dallas Cowboys, and while he was a “solid” defensive tackle, he was far from a superstar, at least in terms of what you would expect from a number one overall pick.
Second overall was Eric Turner, who unfortunately had a promising career cut short due to health issues.
In aggregate, there were just two Hall of Famers in this class. The aforementioned Favre and cornerback Aeneas Williams, who wasn’t taken until the 3rd round by the then Phoenix Cardinals.
’91 was also filled with busts…
Two on the defensive side of the ball in the top six picks with defensive end Eric Swann going to Phoenix and cornerback Bruce Pickens going to Atlanta—neither of which turned out to be worthwhile investments.
And, of course… the “Robo QB” Todd Marinovich, who was taken by the then Los Angeles Raiders 24th overall and only to have his career promptly derailed in grandiose fashion by horrendous play and, unfortunately, struggles with drug addiction.
6. 2014 NFL Draft
While this draft included stars like Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, taken fifth by the Raiders and 13th by the Rams respectively, it is also remembered for some significant busts.
In fact, the top three picks of this draft were pretty rough.
The first overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney, taken out of South Carolina by the Houston Texans, showed flashes of brilliance and has had a solid career, no doubt about it… But he didn’t make for the dynamic duo with J.J. Watt that the team was hoping and not been the model of consistency.
Then it gets worse fast. The Rams too left tackle Greg Robinson second overall, who flopped in dramatic fashion, then the Jaguars handcuffed themselves to quarterback purgatory for the next several years by taking Blake Bortles third overall.
The worst of the bunch, however, has to be Johnny Manziel, who was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns—and well, we all know how that story went! The Texas A&M star flamed out of the league in fantastic fashion, creating a huge distraction and embarrassment for the Cleveland front office.
Also Read: All 32 NFL Teams’ Best And Worst Quarterback Draft Picks in Their History
5. 2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft had some high-profile players taken like LaVar Arrington, Chris Samuels, and Jamal Lewis, all of which were Pro Bowlers and had solid NFL careers, but it lacked the true top of the line talent—with the exception of its lone Hall of Famer, Bears linebacker, Brian Urlacher.
Furthering its case as one of the worst Drafts that the league has seen, there were some serious busts as well, headlined by the ’99 Heisman Trophy winner, running back Ron Dayne out of Wisconsin, who was a disappointment for Giants fans as their 11th overall pick in the draft.
There were also some notable flops early on… Courtney Brown, the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, failed to make any sort of significant impact due to injuries and was out of the NFL by 2005. Peter Warrick, the fourth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, never lived up to his college hype, recording just 18 touchdowns in his career.
4. 1972 NFL Draft
The 1972 draft has long held the reputation for being one of the weakest draft classes that the NFL has ever seen. It lacked any real source of explosive talent and had very few players who made significant contributions, particularly to the teams that drafted them.
It started off on a bad foot with Walt Patulski getting selected with the top overall pick in the draft by the Buffalo Bills.
I’m not sure which was more pathetic, that he only lasted four seasons in the NFL or that he totaled just five sacks.
The second and third overall picks, Sherman White and Lionel Antoine, taken by the Bengals and Bears respectively had better careers than Patulski, but far cries from the kind of star talent that one would hope for at that stage in the draft.
Really, the only ones who got any sort of return on investment in the ’72 draft were the Steelers who had the good fortune of nabbing the only two Hall of Famers in the draft: running back Franco Harris and linebacker, Jack Ham—but their is a legitimate argument there that their player development was the catalyst for those picks panning out!
3. 2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 draft is notorious for the failure of its top pick, JaMarcus Russell, considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. The Raiders quarterback had zero work ethic and struggled even to maintain a healthy playing weight. He played just three seasons, throwing 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, in one of the worst careers we have ever seen from a top draft pick.
The other notable quarterback in this draft, Brady Quinn, selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns, failed to live up to the hype as well. The Notre Dame standout started just 12 games in his career.
There were a few Hall of Famers in this class, like Darrelle Revis, Patrick Willis—and higher in the draft Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas, who were taken second and third, but with the high profile QB strikeouts, it has gained a dubious reputation.
2. 2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 draft class was known for two things: a record 11 international players being taken… and its lack of impactful players.
The draft got off to a bad start with Eric Fisher, the first overall pick made by the Kansas City Chiefs. The burly offensive tackle struggled early in his career and never became the dominant force they expected, taking him as the top pick.
It wasn’t much better for the Jags, as they snagged Luke Joeckel second overall, and he was out of the NFL by 2017.
Worsening the case for this draft was the quarterbacks. EJ Manuel was the only one taken in the first round at 16—and never amounted to a legitimate starter.
It isn’t hyperbole to say that second-round pick Geno Smith was the best QB in the draft and he spent most of his career as a backup… it took him about a decade to become a consistent starter.
1. 1992 NFL Draft
Despite having rather high expectations heading into draft night, the 1992 NFL class is often cited as the worst in NFL history. For starters, it failed to produce any Hall of Famers, meaning it was completely devoid of the top-end talent that teams are after in the draft.
The Colts bore the brunt of it, as they held the top two picks and swung and missed twice in dramatic fashion.
Steve Emtman was the first overall pick taken and landed in Indy, where he was plagued by injuries and played only 18 games for the Colts over three seasons, recording a measly five sacks. Quentin Coryatt, the second overall pick, also struggled with injuries and inconsistency, managing just four sacks in his six-year career.
I don’t know how you recovered as a Colts fan from that, let alone as a member of that front office!
Even some of the success stories in that draft, like fourth overall pick, Desmond Howard, did fail to live up to the expectations coming out of college, where he was one of the top players in the nation.
David Klingler was the first quarterback off the board, taken sixth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, was another big-time bust from this draft. The University of Houston prospect struggled mightily to adjust to the NFL game. Over his six-year career, he started only 24 games, throwing 16 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.
It is hard to argue that the ’92 draft wasn’t the worst that the league has ever seen.
Also Read: The 10 Biggest NFL Draft Steals Of The Decade So Far (SINCE 2020)
