OT biggest draft busts for each team

[sb1]

Harry was such a bust that he deserves having his name spelled K’Neal. The judges will also accept Ken Sims

I wouldn’t call Bo Jackson a “bust” like the others on this list he was just a draft pick by the Bucs that should have never been made. Thats like if the Pats picked Rocket Ismail back in the day at the top of the draft knowing he wasn’t coming here.

Dunno about Leinart for the Cardinals… must have forgotten about Josh Rosen.

@GreenCow would know better but I’d say Mike Williams, JP Losman and EJ Manuel were bigger busts for the Bills than Maybin…

 

[TheRainMaker]

He was so irrelevant they couldn't even get his name right. During his first season here, I didn't address him by name.

 

[signbabybrady]

Kenny Simms

 

[sb1]

I remember when Borges gloated that Belichick was outmaneuvered by the Jets for Dwayne “Baby Sapp” Robertson a guy with a degenerative knee condition when he was drafted that forced him out of the league. Lol

 

[Pape]

Dominique Easley enters the room...

 

[JayNM]

I know that it's not the "right" answer but downright to waste of potential for absolutely nothing

Aaron Hernandez

Talk about tragedy....

 

[PancakeBlockPaul]

@Pape hits the nail on the head. Last I checked, dude had at least 3 knee injuries BEFORE entering the NFL….multiple ACL tears + a meniscus at least from what I can remember and am too lazy (at work) to search for. Should have never been drafted much less signed anywhere….

 

[jmt57]

In 1970 the Patriots drafted Phil Olsen with the 4th overall pick of the draft.

HE NEVER PLAYED A SINGLE DOWN FOR THE PATRIOTS!!!

First of all he was never as good as his brother Merlin, so he didn't deserve to be drafted this early.

After the draft Olsen suffered a knee injury getting ready for the College All-Star Game. That resulted in his sitting out his entire rookie season due to the injury. His contract then became void because of a loophole in his contract (or gaffe/lack of attention/incompetence by Billy Sullivan) regarding an option clause. (From what I recall the Pats failed to offer Olsen a new contract before an annual deadline). That resulted in him becoming available to any other team, and he was signed by the Rams.

Thankfully this was in the days of no genuine free agency, and the Rams had to give the Pats their first round pick the following year in exchange for signing the younger Olsen.


So as much of a disappointment that N'Keal Harry, Ken Sims, Reggie 'Two-Yards' Dupard, Chris Can't-He and others may have been - no draft pick bust compares to Phil Olsen.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I remember when Borges gloated that Belichick was outmaneuvered by the Jets for Dwayne “Baby Sapp” Robertson a guy with a degenerative knee condition when he was drafted that forced him out of the league. Lol

I remember the Jets panicked and traded up when rumors where floating the Pats wanted him.

 

[jmt57]

Dominique Easley enters the room...

@Pape hits the nail on the head. Last I checked, dude had at least 3 knee injuries BEFORE entering the NFL….multiple ACL tears + a meniscus at least from what I can remember and am too lazy (at work) to search for. Should have never been drafted much less signed anywhere….

At least Easley got on the field with the Pats for a couple of years.

1968 the Patriots drafted another DE, Dennis Byrd - but in this case sixth overall (Easley was #29).

Byrd also had a serious knee injury his senior year, which was common knowledge to anyone paying the least bit of attention to college football. Apparently the Pats were drafting based on nothing more than a Street and Smith's annual draft preview magazine though - and with surgery being what it was back then, a single torn ACL was commonly a career ending accident for an athlete. Sure enough - thanks to the Pats lack of due diligence - Byrd lasted just one season before having to retire.



Dishonorable mention to OT Karl Singer, third overall in the 1966 AFL Draft.

The NFL thought so little of him that he wasn't selected until the 19th round. Singer started one - ONE! - game before being released after three forgettable bench-warmong seasons. This despite being on the roster of some very bad teams. At least Byrd had an injury to blame - with Singer it was strictly a case of him never being any good.

 

[Pape]

At least Easley got on the field with the Pats for a couple of years.

1968 the Patriots drafted another DE, Dennis Byrd - but in this case sixth overall (Easley was #29).

Byrd also had a serious knee injury his senior year, which was common knowledge to anyone paying the least bit of attention to college football. Apparently the Pats were drafting based on nothing more than a Street and Smith's annual draft preview magazine though - and with surgery being what it was back then, a single torn ACL was commonly a career ending accident for an athlete. Sure enough - thanks to the Pats lack of due diligence - Byrd lasted just one season before having to retire.

Easley never should have been selected... and as @PancakeBlockPaul points out, we bought a broken cup and were seemingly surprised it didn't hold water... and that makes it a worse pick than harry - we should have known better and we still picked him...

I will say I had no knowledge of Phil Olsen... so thank you for bringing him into the convo... based on what i read on wiki - the sullivan family was being cheap on his option after he was injured before the 70 season... can't rightly blame them though... knee injuries kill careers back then... but he did recover and go on to play 79 games in the nfl...

and dennis byrd absolutely deserves his "moment in the sun" in this thread...

 

[maust]

Harry was such a bust that he deserves having his name spelled K’Neal. The judges will also accept Kenneth Sims,

Recency bias BS.
As bad as 'K'Neal' was he wasn't even the worst Pats bust at WR never mind biggest bust. Ladies & Gents allow me to present for your vomiting displeasure Mr Chad Jackson (36th overall) in a side by side comparison with 'K'Neal' Harry (32nd overall)



Yep, you're reading that right. Jackson's AV is actually less than 1/3 of Harry's. Even JaMarcus Russell had an AV three times higher than Jackson. But he's still not the Pats biggest bust. Even though he makes Harry look like a Pro Bowler and Dominique Easley like a HoF'er. No sir the winner and still champion of Pats Draft Busts is Ken (GameDay) Sims. When you consider the real qualifications of a draft bust; expected contribution vs result, how much did he set your team back, what did he cost and for how long did he disappoint NO ONE, not even Jackson, Harry and Olsen combined can touch perennial fat and out of shape Ken (Game Day) Sims taken 1st OVERALL. You take a player 1st overall you are expecting something truly SPECIAL not someone 'special'

 

[maust]

...the sullivan family was being cheap on his option after he was injured before the 70 season... can't rightly blame them though...

There we part company my friend, the Sullivan's doused any benefit of a doubt with gasoline and took a flamethrower to it. F cutting those lying cheating amoral weasels a MM of slack.

 

[Pape]

There we part company my friend, the Sullivan's doused any benefit of a doubt with gasoline and took a flamethrower to it. F cutting those lying cheating amoral weasels a MM of slack.

fair enough. I am not going to die on a hill defending them

 

[maust]

fair enough. I am not going to die on a hill defending them

If you did the Sullivans would pick your pockets, sell your organs and turn whatever was left into 'fresh' dog food they'd then sell at a premium.

 

[mgteich]

I nominate Ron Brace, the slowest draftee in his class being drafted at 40.

Ron Brace - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Easley never should have been selected... and as @PancakeBlockPaul points out, we bought a broken cup and were seemingly surprised it didn't hold water... and that makes it a worse pick than harry - we should have known better and we still picked him...

I will say I had no knowledge of Phil Olsen... so thank you for bringing him into the convo... based on what i read on wiki - the sullivan family was being cheap on his option after he was injured before the 70 season... can't rightly blame them though... knee injuries kill careers back then... but he did recover and go on to play 79 games in the nfl...

and dennis byrd absolutely deserves his "moment in the sun" in this thread...

I agree, Easley ranks way up there on a list such as this.

And even though Olsen never played for the Patriots, one should also place the two in context. Specifically, there is far more information available in the post-internet age than there was in the sixties. So I would have to give a bit of leniency to selections like Olsen, Byrd and Singer, when compared to Easely.

I can see taking a flyer on Easley later on.

But selecting him in the first round was egregiously unacceptable.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Recency bias BS.
As bad as 'K'Neal' was he wasn't even the worst Pats bust at WR never mind biggest bust. Ladies & Gents allow me to present for your vomiting displeasure Mr Chad Jackson (36th overall) in a side by side comparison with 'K'Neal' Harry (32nd overall)



Yep, you're reading that right. Jackson's AV is actually less than 1/3 of Harry's. Even JaMarcus Russell had an AV three times higher than Jackson. But he's still not the Pats biggest bust. Even though he makes Harry look like a Pro Bowler and Dominique Easley like a HoF'er. No sir the winner and still champion of Pats Draft Busts is Ken (GameDay) Sims. When you consider the real qualifications of a draft bust; expected contribution vs expectation, how much did he set your team back, what did he cost and for how long did he disappoint NO ONE, not even Jackson, Harry and Olsen combined can touch perennial fat and out of shape Ken (Game Day) Sims taken 1st OVERALL. You take a player 1st overall you are expecting something truly SPECIAL not someone 'special'

to be fair, Jackson was a 2nd rounder

 

[TinhWoodhead]

At least Easley got on the field with the Pats for a couple of years.

1968 the Patriots drafted another DE, Dennis Byrd - but in this case sixth overall (Easley was #29).

Byrd also had a serious knee injury his senior year, which was common knowledge to anyone paying the least bit of attention to college football. Apparently the Pats were drafting based on nothing more than a Street and Smith's annual draft preview magazine though - and with surgery being what it was back then, a single torn ACL was commonly a career ending accident for an athlete. Sure enough - thanks to the Pats lack of due diligence - Byrd lasted just one season before having to retire.



Dishonorable mention to OT Karl Singer, third overall in the 1966 AFL Draft.

The NFL thought so little of him that he wasn't selected until the 19th round. Singer started one - ONE! - game before being released after three forgettable bench-warmong seasons. This despite being on the roster of some very bad teams. At least Byrd had an injury to blame - with Singer it was strictly a case of him never being any good.

does injury counts?

 

[jmt57]

does injury counts?

I personally believe it should.

In the case of Easley, his multiple injuries were common knowledge - but the team drafted him in the first round.
To me blame goes to the team rather than the player.

In the case of Byrd, the team should have known about his injury, even if information was less readily available.
Another case of the blame going to the team rather than the player for the lack of productivity.

In the case of Olsen, the team gets a bit of a pass because the injury came after he was drafted. On the other hand he didn't deserve to be drafted that early - and Sullivan botched re-signing him.
Again I blame the team - but regardless, he was a draft bust.

(Conversely Ken Sims is a draft bust that I would assign blame for lack of productivity on the player rather than the team.)



While we are on the subject - and I know that I am in the vast minority here - I personally don't rate the Chad Jackson selection as badly as maust and others do. At the time of the draft, people had no problem with the Jackson selection; he was rated as a better receiver than Greg Jennings at the time, who he is always compared to. But Jackson was never the same after he tore his ACL.