Worst NFL Draft Picks

A list of the 40 worst NFL Draft Picks in the last 10 years. The NFL Draft isn't an exact science, with some teams wishing they could go back time and draft a different player.

The 40 Worst NFL Draft Picks of the Last 10 Years
By Duffysports
40. Byron Hanspard	RB	Atlanta Falcons	41 overall (2nd round) 1997
Hanspard won the Doak Walker award as a senior at Texas Tech back in the days when the Red Raiders recognized the position of running back. A pure speed back, Hanspard was drafted ahead of Corey Dillon and Duce Staley, which in retrospect proved to be huge mistakes. Atlanta lucked out because former seventh-round pick Jamal Anderson turned into a superstar, so Hanspard’s disappointing transition to the NFL didn’t affect his team much.
39. Rod Gardner	WR	Washington Redskins	15 overall (1st round) 2001
The Skins have been looking to add size to their receiving corps ever since Gardner flopped. A big, physical target out of Clemson, Gardner’s lack of speed ultimately doomed a once-promising career. He had a career-high 1,006 yards receiving in his second season, but quickly faded and has since been a member of the Packers, Panthers, and Chiefs.
38. Rae Carruth	WR	Carolina Panthers	27 overall (1st round) 1997
To an extent, the Panthers got unlucky with this pick, but Carruth is an example of why teams need to do extensive character checks before drafting a player. Carruth flashed potential in his first few seasons—he made first team all-rookie—but his career came to a crashing halt in 1999 when he was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Carruth hired a hitman to murder his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time. She was shot four times in a drive-by shooting and eventually fell into a coma and died a month later. Carruth was found guilty and his football career was rightfully cut short.
37. Maurice Clarett	RB	Denver Broncos	101 overall (3rd round) 2005
Mike Shanahan is usually pretty good at pegging running backs, but he made a huge mistake with the last pick of the third round. All off-the-field issues aside, Clarett ran a disgustingly slow 40 time and didn’t seem to be a fit in Denver’s one-cut system. Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs, who came off the board at 109 and 110 respectively, would have each been scary in the Broncos offense.
36. Dimitrius Underwood	DE	Minnesota Vikings	29 overall (1st round) 1999
No one denied Underwood’s physical abilities, but there were serious concerns about his character. His college coaches at Michigan State said he wasn’t mentally prepared for the NFL, and they were right. Underwood quit the Vikings on his first day of training camp and signed with the Dolphins, who released him after he attempted suicide. Shortly thereafter, Underwood was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and for whatever reason, the Cowboys decided it would be a good idea to sign him. After he ran into traffic in a second attempt to kill himself, Jerry Jones cut him and ended the experiment. Underwood was drafted one pick ahead of perennial Pro Bowl (and mentally stable) defensive end Patrick Kerney.
35. William Green	RB	Cleveland Browns	16 overall (1st round) 2002
Green’s was a tremendous talent with burning speed, but there’s a reason why he fell to No. 16 overall. Off-the-field issues plagued Green before the draft, and they continued to haunt him throughout his three-year career. Between drunk driving charges, problems with marijuana, and domestic violence issues, Green quickly wore out his welcome in Cleveland.
34. Kenyatta Walker	OT	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14 overall (1st round) 2001
The Bucs expected Walker to be their cornerstone left tackle for years to come when they used the No. 14 pick on him. Walker never was capable of handling the left tackle responsibilities, and though he started on the right side for several years, he was ultimately released in 2005. New England’s Matt Light, Detroit’s Jeff Backus, and Jacksonville’s Maurice Williams all were drafted shortly after Walker.
33. Kevin Dyson	WR	Tennessee Titans	16 overall (1st round) 1998
Dyson certainly made his mark on the franchise in his seven-year career. Along with Frank Wycheck, he was responsible for the “Music City Miracle” and was famously stopped one-yard short of scoring a game-tying touchdown in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXXIV. With that being said, Dyson’s career year consisted of 825 yards and 7 touchdowns, which doesn’t quite match the numbers of the receiver drafted five picks after Dyson—Randy Moss.
32. Rashard Anderson	CB	Carolina Panthers	23 overall (1st round) 2000
The Panthers took a gamble on this small-school prospect, and it didn’t pay off. Anderson, a 6-foot-2 205 pound corner out of Jackson State, recorded just one interception in two seasons before a year-long suspension for violating the substance abuse policy. He was released and never was able to sign on with another team.
31. Robert Gallery	OT	Oakland Raiders	2 overall (1st round) 2004
The scouting reports out of college were golden. Everyone pegged him as a “can’t miss” prospect, and even though players at his position don’t normally go this high, no one questioned Oakland’s selection. But in a few short years, we all quickly learned that the Raiders had essentially wasted a very high pick on this bearded, 300-pound drunken mess of a football player. Oh wait, I thought we were talking about Sebastian Janikowski.
30. Michael Haynes	DE	Chicago Bears	13 overall (1st round) 2003
The city of Chicago is very fond of a certain Michael and his Haines, but unfortunately it isn’t this one. The defensive end out of Penn State totaled just 5.5 sacks in three years with the Bears, but did manage to score a touchdown on a 45-yard interception return in 2004.
29. Bryant Johnson Calvin Pace	WR DE	Arizona Cardinals	16 and 17 (1st round) 2003
The Cards missed an opportunity to draft can’t miss pass rusher Terrell Suggs, and instead traded down to select two extreme reaches in Pace, an undersized defensive end, and Johnson, an unpolished wide receiver. Neither panned out, although Pace is living more than comfortably after signing an inexplicable six-year $42 million contract with the New York Jets. On a positive note, the Cardinals made up for their first-round debacles by drafting Anquan Boldin with their second-round choice (54 overall).
28. David Carr	QB	Houston Texans	1 overall (1st round) 2002
It’s difficult to term this a “bad pick” because of the circumstances Carr was forced into, but the fact of the matter remains that he hasn’t produced anywhere regardless of his supporting cast. Carr, who didn’t face major competition at Fresno State, had a rough transition to the NFL. He set the single-season record for sacks taken behind a woeful offensive line. Even when his protection improved and the Texans added playmakers (Andre Johnson, Dominick Davis), Carr still looked uncomfortable behind center. He posted a miserable 58.5 quarterback rating in six games with Carolina last year and has since signed on with the Giants to back-up Eli Manning.
27. Ron Dayne	RB	New York Giants	11 overall (1st round) 2000
The all-time leading rusher in college football was far from a sure-thing on draft day; many teams were rightfully concerned with his weight and lack of speed. After a few seasons of splitting carries with Tiki Barber, the Giants backfield quickly became a lot of lightning and very little thunder. Dayne has since re-established himself as a serviceable back with the Houston Texans, but never has proved to be a capable full-time starter.
26. Andre Wadsworth	DE	Arizona Cardinals	3 overall (1st round) 1998
An elongated training camp holdout and several knee injuries quickly derailed the career of a defensive end so powerful and so athletic that nearly every draft expert dubbed him a “can’t miss.” Wadsworth attempted a comeback as recently as 2007 with the Jets, but it’s safe to say he’ll never live up to the lofty expectations set upon him after his career at Florida State.
25. Jimmy Kennedy	DT	St. Louis Rams	12 overall (1st round) 2003
It’s safe to say the Jimmy Kennedy experiment failed. The former Penn State standout had trouble finding time in a crowded defensive line and was eventually shipped out to Denver, where he was released after just one season.
24. Cedric Benson	RB	Chicago Bears	4 overall (1st round) 2005
Like Curtis Enis seven years before him, Benson was drafted in the top five to provide the Bears with a hard-nosed, between-the-tackles feature back. A camp holdout allowed Thomas Jones to win the job outright, and Benson never really got a chance until last season when Jones was dealt to the Jets. We all knew the Bears couldn’t throw, but with Benson, we found out they couldn’t run either. Benson averaged a paltry 3.4 yards per carry before going down with a season-ending ankle injury. He still has time to resurrect his career, which is why he is only No. 24 on this list.
23. Travis Taylor	WR	Baltimore Ravens	10 overall (1st round) 2000
Taylor flashed phenomenal potential at Florida, but like many other Gator receivers, he failed to fulfill it. Partially held back by poor quarterback play in Baltimore, Taylor has bounced around the league as a No. 3 receiver. His collegiate teammate, Darrell Jackson, has proved to be the better pro despite being selected with the 80th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
22. Jacquez Green/Ike Hilliard/ Reidel Anthony	WR
Note to GMs: Don’t draft wide receivers out of Florida. Steve Spurrier’s system produced inflated stats for both receivers and quarterbacks, but over the years none of them—with the exception of third-round pick Darrell Jackson—have translated to the NFL. Anthony and Green, both drafted by Tampa Bay, both flamed out of the league quickly, but Hilliard enjoyed a mildly successful career. Still, he did not come close to living up to expectations as the No. 7 overall pick.
21. Damione Lewis	DT	St. Louis Rams	12 overall (1st round) 2001
Lewis was considered to be the best defensive lineman in the country at Miami (Fl.), so the Rams thought they were getting an absolute gem, but for whatever reason, Lewis never became a productive starter in his four years in St. Louis. To make matters worse, All-Pro nose tackle Marcus Stroud came off the board with the very next pick.
20. Michael Booker	CB	Atlanta Falcons	11 overall (1st round) 1997
Booker never established himself and lasted just five seasons in the NFL. He was drafted over defensive backs Sam Madison, Ronde Barber, Chad Scott, and Darren Sharper.
19. Tom Knight	CB	Arizona Cardinals	9 overall (1st round) 1997
Knight never established himself and lasted just five seasons in the NFL. He was drafted over defensive backs Sam Madison, Ronde Barber, Chad Scott, and Darren Sharper.
18. Wendell Bryant	DT	Arizona Cardinals	12 overall (1st round) 2002
Bryant was drafted two picks ahead of Albert Haynesworth, who for all intents and purposes is the most dominant nose tackle in the game today. In just three seasons with Arizona, Bryant totaled an abysmal 29 solo tackles and 1.5 sacks.
17. Peter Warrick	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	4 overall (1st round) 2000
Warrick was the Reggie Bush of the late 90s. As a wide receiver at Florida State, no one could touch him. The man played at a different speed than everyone else. But once he reached the NFL, it seemed as though everyone figured him out. Warrick averaged less than 500 receiving yards per season in his six-year career.
16. Gerard Warren	DT	Cleveland Browns	3 overall (1st round) 2000
Warren didn’t perform terribly, but he certainly did not live up to being the third overall selection. He averaged 44.3 tackles 4.2 sacks per game in three seasons with Cleveland before being traded to Denver, but what made this a bad pick were the players taken after him. At the time, the Browns needed any kind of playmaking they could get, and LaDanian Tomlinson, who came off the board two picks later, would have certainly qualified. Richard Seymour, the sixth pick, also would have been a better addition on defense.
15. Cade McNown	QB	Chicago Bears	12 overall (1st round) 1999
As bad as Tim Couch and Akili Smith were, McNown may have been worse. In his three-year NFL career, McNown mustered only 3,111 yards passing while tossing 19 interceptions. Luckily for Chicago fans, the Bears solved their quarterback problems in 2002 when they drafted Rex Grossman. Oh, wait.
14. David Terrell	WR	Chicago Bears	8 overall (1st round) 2001
Physically, Terrell was equipped for stardom. At 6-foot-3 218 pounds, the former Michigan Wolverine never was able to give Chicago the playmaker it desperately needed. Of course, some of his struggles can be attributed to poor quarterbacking, but even after he was released by the Bears, Terrell was unable to find work elsewhere. His “career” season came in 2004 when he exploded for 699 yards and one touchdown.
13. Charles Rogers	WR	Detroit Lions	2 overall (1st round) 2003
Rogers, perhaps the most highly-touted wide receiver prospect since Randy Moss, was the pick that started Matt Millen’s wide receiver addiction. Despite clocking a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine, Rogers was never able to translate his speed to the field because of a penchant for smoking weed and breaking his collarbone. After three injury-riddled, unproductive seasons in Detroit, Rogers was released. Looking back, Millen may have been able to fill his glaring need for a new wide receiver with Miami’s Andre Johnson, who has fought off injuries to emerge as one of the most explosive playmakers in the league.
12. Ryan Sims	DT	Kansas City Chiefs	6 overall (1st round) 2002
Drafted ahead of two of the NFL’s best defensive tackles—Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson—Sims registered a paltry 54 tackles and five sacks in 74 career games with the Chiefs.
11. Troy Williamson	WR	Minnesota Vikings	7 overall (1st round) 2005
The Vikings certainly reached to select Williamson, who was expected to immediately fill Randy Moss’ shoes as Minnesota’s deep-threat. After running a 4.32 40-yard dash at the Combine, Williamson boosted his stock, but he still was fairly unpolished and not ready to assume a starting role in the NFL. The bottom line is that Williamson had no business going seventh overall. Minnesota made a desperate pick and has since paid for it.
10. Courtney Brown	DE	Cleveland Browns	1 overall (1st round) 2000
The 2000 NFL Draft wasn’t chock-full of top prospects, but Cleveland certainly made a mistake selecting Brown first overall. A dominant player at Penn State, Brown had trouble adjusting in the pros despite freakish size and athleticism. Several injuries in his first few seasons didn’t help his development either.
9. Curtis Enis	RB	Chicago Bears	5 overall (1st round) 1998
Enis, a “can’t miss” power runner who set records at Penn State, was drafted in the top five to be the Bears’ workhorse for the next decade. Unfortunately, his intense workload in college and lack of breakaway speed and shiftiness caused major problems in a pro career that only lasted four seasons.
8. Johnathan Sullivan	DT	New Orleans Saints	6 overall (1st round) 2003
At the time, the pick was considered a bit of a reach and that perception turned out to be true. Sullivan spent three unproductive seasons in New Orleans before he was traded to New England, who released him following charges off marijuana possession.
7. Joey Harrington	QB	Detroit Lions	3 overall (1st round) 2002
Next time the Lions draft a quarterback, they should make sure that he doesn’t play the piano. Harrington, who graced New York City billboards during his “Heisman campaign” as a senior at Oregon, proved to be all hype and very little substance. Harrington has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in five of his six seasons in the NFL.
6. Matt Jones	WR	Jacksonville Jaguars	21 overall (1st round) 2005
If anyone ever needed to thank the NFL for instituting the Combine, it’s Matt Jones. The 6-foot-6 242 pound college quarterback ran a 4.37 40 and jumped 39.5 inches prior to the 2005 Draft, which catapulted him into the first-round as a wide receiver. Sure, Jones has the physical tools, but it’s very difficult to learn a new position at the professional level, and the Jaguars may have overlooked that when they spent first-round money on Jones.
5. Akili Smith	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	3 overall (1st round) 1999
It became clear early on that Smith was a product of the system at Oregon and was hardly ready for the NFL. He started just 17 games for the Bengals and compiled a miserable 52.8 career quarterback rating, including 5 career touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Smith now plays in the CFL.
4. Tim Couch	QB	Cleveland Browns	1 overall (1st round) 1999
The Browns were fortunate enough to revive their franchise with the top pick in “the year of the quarterback.” Unfortunately, they chose Couch over Donovan McNabb, who was snatched up by Philadelphia with the following pick. On a more positive, personal note, Couch married Playboy model Heather Kozar despite having to fend off the gamesmanship of fellow 1999 draftee Cade McNown, who briefly dated her before she tied the knot with Couch. If football was the reason she chose Couch, he should be very thankful because there are very few quarterbacks that can make Couch look good. McNown is one of them.
3. Sebastian Janikowski	K	Oakland Raiders	17 overall (1st round) 2000
There is no kicker ever worth taking in the first round, especially one with character issues and more importantly, accuracy issues. Janikowski has a powerful leg, but he’s been wildly inconsistent in his pro career. In fact, Oakland’s fifth-round pick in 2000, punter Shane Lechler, proved to be the better kicking specialist. Lechler has been elected to five Pro Bowls and Janikowski is still waiting for his first trip to Honolulu. Just a few players drafted after Janikowski: Shaun Alexander, Keith Bulluck, Mike Brown, and Ian Gold.
2. Mike Williams and Mike Williams	OT WR	Buffalo Bills Detroit Lions	4 overall (1st round) 2002 10 overall (1st round) 2005
Both are big. Both are slow. And both failed miserably to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them after standout college careers. Though they are tied on this list, it’s clear that Detroit’s Mike Williams was the worst of the two choices. A year after the Lions spent a first-round pick on Roy Williams (and two years removed from drafting Charles Rogers), Matt Millen ignored Detroit’s defensive issues and passed up on Shawne Merriman and DeMarcus Ware to select the 6-foot-5 bust from USC.
1. Ryan Leaf	QB	San Diego Chargers	2 overall (1st round) 1998
Youtube Video - You know you’ve had a bad career when this is your most memorable highlight.