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It's that time of year. With the 2017 NFL Draft just days away, we look back before looking ahead. We've previously written about , so naturally it's time to look at the biggest NFL Draft busts. More NFL Draft Most teams have several candidates, but -- and this is important for our purposes here -- we only looked at players drafted since 1995. Many Ozzie Newsome Jersey of these decisions had lasting effects on the organizations. For every and who lived up to the franchise-quarterback hype, there was Ryan Leaf and Robert Griffin III. If nothing else, this exercise reinforces the old clich: The draft is as much art as science. , QB, 10th overall, 2006einart was considered the next can't-mi s prospect, a sure-fire franchise quarterback whose lack of physical tools were exposed in the NFL. Taken seven picks after , and just before , Leinart lasted four years in Arizona and started 17 games, going 7-10. After stints in Houston and Oakland, he was out of the league by 2013. Jamaal Anderson, DE, eighth overall, 2007:It must pain the to look back on this pick. They pa sed up , and to take Anderson, who played four seasons in Atlanta and only recorded 4.5 sacks. He last played in an NFL game in 2012. , S, 32nd overall, 2013:Kyle Boller was also in the running here, and while he struggled to become the quarterback then-coach Brian Billick envisioned, he contributed way more to the ' organization than Elam, who never came close to replacing the irreplacable Ed Reed. He started 26 games in his first two seasons, logging a single interception. Elam and the Ravens chose not to re-sign him. T. J. Carrie Jersey , DE, 11th overall, 2009:Maybin was listed at just 237 pounds, and he never developed into the pa s-rushing force the had hoped. He played two seasons in Buffalo and started only once. He didn't record a sack with the Bills, but had six with the in 2011, his next-to-last year in the league. Rae Carruth, WR, 27th overall, 1997:Taken one pick before Trevor Pryce, Carruth lasted just three seasons in the NFL. He had 62 receptions and four touchdowns. He is in prison after he was found guilty of conspiracy to murder the mother of his unborn child in 1999. Cade McNown, QB, 12th overall, 1999:McNown was sandwiched between two other busts -- Curtis Enis, taken fifth overall in 1998, and David Terrell, taken eighth overall in 2001. He lasted two seasons, starting 15 games and winning just three times. Ki-Jana Carter, RB, first overall, 1995:It might be unfair to call Carter a bust, but he was certainly unlucky. He suffered a serious knee injury on the third carry of his first preseason game and mi sed all of 1995. In 1998, he was limited to just one game because of a wrist injury, and a year later, he played in three games before a dislocated knee ended his season. In four years with the , Carter rushed for more than 100 yards exactly one time. , CB, eighth overall, 2014:There are myriad candidates for this honor but Gilbert is one of the most disappointing draft picks in recent team history. It's easy to overlook just how bad Gilbert was because he was in the same draft cla s as . But where Manziel showed promise, there was little indication that Gilbert was interested in becoming a good football player. He started three games in two years before the dumped him on the for a late-round pick. Gilbert saw Rashard Higgins Jersey little playing time in Pittsburgh, and when he was released in the offseason, former teammate tweeted this: If you don't like football, it doesn't matter how talented you are, your star will burn out quick. Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) , CB, sixth overall, 2012:The traded their second-round pick to move up and grab Claiborne, who at the time was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the draft. Instead, he has struggled with consistency and health, and after five up-and-down years in Dallas, Claiborne signed a one-year deal with the Jets this offseason. Alphonso Smith, CB, 37th overall, 2009:This pick embodies all that was wrong with the Josh McDaniels era. Smith was a smallish, undersized cornerback who was in Denver for just one season before he was traded to the . Compounding matters: The gave up a 2010 first-round pick to get Smith and that pick would turn out to be . Charles Rogers, WR, second overall, 2003:Rogers showed glimpses of potential as a rookie, hauling in 22 pa ses for 243 yards and three touchdowns in five games. But a broken collarbone limited him to 10 games over the next two seasons, including just one appearance in 2004. He Jim Brown Jersey played his last NFL down in 2005 and has battled substance-abuse i sues in recent years. , DT, 16th overall, 2007:Taken right after Darrelle Revis and , Harrell was hampered by injuries throughout his brief career. He started two games in parts of three seasons and never recorded a sack. , DT, 16th overall, 2005:The hope was that Johnson would bolster the ' defensive line but it never happened. Drafted right after Pro Bowl linebackers and , Johnson struggled to be a disruptive force as a pa s rusher. In four seasons in Houston, he had just two sacks. , DE, 24th overall, 2013: As was the case for much of his tenure, general manager Ryan Grigson's decision to take Werner proved to be the wrong one. Werner had 6.5 sacks over three seasons as a part-timer. Names still available when he was selected: , and . , QB, 10th overall, 2011:The Jags traded up six spots to take Gabbert, who po se sed all the physical tools you look for in a franchise quarterback but struggled to put it all together. He looked gun shy as a rookie, which is understandable given the state of the franchise at the time. In three seasons, Gabbert was 5-22 before the mercifully traded him to San Francisco. , the team's 2005 first-round pick, was also a consideration here. Jon Baldwin, WR, Ray-Ray Armstrong Jersey 26th overall, 2011:Baldwin lasted just two years in Kansas City, and the thought so little of him that they shipped him to San Francisco for the ' draft bust, wideout . Before the '11 draft, Bill Belichick compared Baldwin to . Hey, even geniuses make mistakes. Ryan Leaf, QB, second overall, 1998eaf was never was comfortable in the spotlight in San Diego. He was 4-17 in two seasons with the and by 2002 he was out of the league. Leaf, who for years struggled with substance abuse and spent time in jail,. Lawrence Phillips, RB, sixth overall, 1996:A star at the University of , Phillips had off-field troubles that plagued him throughout his NFL career and beyond. He played in just 25 NFL games with three different teams. In 1996, the thought so much of his potential that they traded then-starter Jerome Bettis to the Steelers. Bettis retir |
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