Draft related- Players you thought would be great, but were busts

[scott99]

Don't mean to post a negative thread, just a cautionary tale of talented prospects who looked like they could be great, but wound up as busts.

Here are a few of mine

LB Andy Katzenmoyer 1999 1st round.
I thought this guy would be the next great NFL LB. He had it all, size, speed, toughness. Former Butkus award winner at Ohio State. A thumper who could also rush the QB. Unfortunately he had a neck injury his rookie year and never really recovered.

WR Hart Lee Dykes 1989 1st round.
I thought he was gonna be the real deal. I thought he was going to be the next Al Toon (great Jet’s receiver at that time). Had 49 catches as a rookie, and that was pretty much as good as it was gonna get. Knee injuries in back to back seasons and then he was history.

RB Vegas Ferguson 1980 1st round.
I loved him at Notre Dame, and thought he was gonna be great. Had an 800+ Rookie season, but injuries and the drafting of Tony Collins basically ended Ferguson’s time as a Patriot.

What about you guys and gals, and players you thought would be stars but were busts ?

 

[PatsDeb]

He wasn't exactly a bust, but I thought Lawrence Maroney would be way better than he was.

 

[IllegalContact]

Leonard Russell
Dominique Easley

 

[Mike the Brit]

He wasn't exactly a bust, but I thought Lawrence Maroney would be way better than he was.

Maroney *was* a top player but got injured and never properly came back. That's the risk with first-round running backs. If you remember him in 2006 -- especially as a KR -- he was the most aggressive runner you could imagine. All that stuff about "dancing" was later.

I thought Ryan Mallett was going to be the real deal.

 

[moosekill]

Tom Brady.

 

[Kontradiction]

Dominique Easley, Calvin Pryor, Breshad Perriman, Dion Jordan, Tavon Austin, Bjorn Werner, Matt Elam, and Trent Richardson just to name a few off the top of my head. I'm sure if I really dug in to every draft that I've studied extensively, I can name many, many more. Those are just ones that stick out from recent drafts.

 

[maineman209]

Maybe Alfonzo Dennard, although he was a 7th-rounder. Dowling, until he got injured, looked like a shutdown RCB.

Waiting breathlessly for someone to say "Jordan Richards".

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Aaron Dobson
Alfonzo Dennard
Josh Boyce
Jake Bequette
Jermaine Cunningham

To name a few...

 

[Kontradiction]

Aaron Dobson
Alfonzo Dennard
Josh Boyce
Jake Bequette
Jermaine Cunningham

To name a few...

Forgot about Dobson. Good call.

 

[maineman209]

Dominique Easley, Calvin Pryor, Breshad Perriman, Dion Jordan, Tavon Austin, Bjorn Werner, Matt Elam, and Trent Richardson just to name a few off the top of my head. I'm sure if I really dug in to every draft that I've studied extensively, I can name many, many more. Those are just ones that stick out from recent drafts.

If we're including prospects drafted by other teams, the list is a lot longer.

And then there's the Jete draft which is the reverse proposition - when one of their picks doesn't bust, it's a surprise.

 

[scott99]

I should of specified, I meant Pat's draftees.

 

[patchick]

I thought Darius Butler was a steal in round 2.

 

[gobesmug]

Chad Jackson and Brandon Merriweather.

 

[maust]

If we are talking Pats picks that were incredibly disappointing given the expectations it's hard not to put Champagne Tony close to the top of the list. If it's just flat out busts no list is complete without Easley & Chris Canty

 

[Mike the Brit]

If we are talking Pats picks that were incredibly disappointing given the expectations it's hard not to put Champagne Tony close to the top of the list. If it's just flat out busts no list is complete without Easley & Chris Canty or Ken Sims

 

[Uncle Rico]

Taylor Price. "This is the week ..."

 

[Kontradiction]

Question: Are we considering Hernandez a bust? He technically would have gone on to a very productive NFL career if he didn't get trigger happy.

 

[PatsDeb]

Question: Are we considering Hernandez a bust? He technically would have gone on to a very productive NFL career if he didn't get trigger happy.

I would consider him a tragedy rather than a bust...

 

[maust]

or Ken Sims

That's why I was looking for a clarification. I would put Sims in the category of Eason, incredibly disappointing based on expectations (especially as a 1st overall) but he did get a second contract and have an eight year career.

 

[primetime]

Johnny Manziel. He was sort of a combination of Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield, but better than both. Impeccable footwork, great mechanics, big arm, hugely athletic. Only football issue was his height. I would have taken him, as a football player, above anyone in this year's draft and not blinked. A Rockefeller's Doug Flutie.

I thought he was just a college goon a la Mayfield. Sad that he wasted all his talent.