Qb busts

Sam Darnold. (USAT). Ryan Leaf. (Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports). JaMarcus Russell. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images). Matt Leinart. (Photo by Qb busts Petersen/Getty Images).

50* biggest NFL draft busts of last 50 years: Trey Lance, other 2021 QBs already infamous

What QB got benched? Russell Wilson didn't speak to the media after getting benched by the Broncos, but the veteran quarterback did offer a short reaction to the move on social media.

Who has the most losses as a QB? Vinny Testaverde Vinny Testaverde has lost the most career games by a quarterback, with 134 losses.

What quarterback was benched in 4 leagues? Lynch is now the only quarterback in history to be benched in the NFL, the XFL, the CFL and the USFL.

15 of the biggest NFL quarterback busts in history

And while the indictment of the NFL draft's arms may smack of recency bias, some of its members have truly earned a spot on this list of the 50 hugest busts of the past 50 years. Some words about the methodology: This ranking and analysis are certainly interspersed with opinion. But I tried not to view these wayward picks in a vacuum — taking into account what teams sacrificed to take a player, either in terms of trade currency or whom they opted not to select, when evaluating each bust.

Some deals themselves are included since many prevented teams from choosing superior options. Naturally, extra weight was given to quarterback gaffes. Lastly, I tried to have some fun and creativity in select spots to keep you and me engaged, so try not to get too bent out of shape if that guard or defensive back your team took in the top 10 before he petered out didn't warrant a mention.

It seems patently obvious who was superior more than a quarter-century after the fact, but he was very much in the conversation to be this draft's No. Meanwhile, the Bolts set themselves back years by taking Leaf in 18 starts for the club with a What cements his infamy is the price San Diego paid to simply swap its initial No.

But the freight the Cardinals commanded, aside from the switch, was a second-rounder, an additional first-rounder in and two veterans WR Eric Metcalf and LB Patrick Sapp. Mandarich's steroid-fueled body and poor work ethic didn't hold up against professional competition, and he later descended into drug and alcohol abuse. Any value he later provided at guard might have helped the Colts but obviously didn't do the Pack any good.

But this context truly frames his failure: Mandarich was the only player selected in the top five that year who didn't wind up in the Hall of Fame. Troy Aikman went No. But Russell, who began his career with a lengthy holdout, never fulfilled the hype generated by his howitzer arm and legendary pro day.

He lasted just three seasons, losing 18 of 25 starts and compiling an abysmal Who could Oakland have taken instead. He looked like Uncle Rico, threw like him, too Navigating into the top spot for George forced Indianapolis to surrender Pro Bowl OT Chris Hinton, future Pro Bowl WR Andre Rison and a first-round pick in to Atlanta — where George wound up himself in after wearing out his welcome with a bad attitude and record for the Colts, who passed on three eventual Hall of Famers in the first round more on them later.

Never particularly popular in the locker room, George played for five different teams — and did post better numbers, if not many more wins, later in his career. San Francisco surrendered four picks, three of them first-rounders, to get into position for a guy who was basically a one-year starter at North Dakota State.

In fairness to Lance, incumbent QB Jimmy Garoppolo, subsequent injuries and a shoddy development plan that HC Kyle Shanahan largely blamed himself for derailed Lance before he had a legitimate chance to prove himself in Silicon Valley. But the Niners saw enough to pull the plug after two years, opting to give the reins to seventh-rounder Brock Purdy and sending Lance to Dallas for a Round 4 pick.

Now queue up the unfortunate QB corollaries — and brace yourself, Jets fans, as this is merely the first of many mentions. The NYJ effectively threw in the towel on Wilson in after trading for four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers … then were quickly forced to turn back to the BYU product, who again miserably failed in his third attempt to produce at a level commensurate with his draft billing.

The mistake is magnified by the fact the Jets could have augmented the roster in around then-QB Sam Darnold with Chase, Sewell, Surtain or Parsons, among others, all available. Recently traded to Pittsburgh , maybe a passer with titillating ability resurrects his career with the Steelers. Qb busts But not before the Bears sent four draft selections two first-rounders to the Giants to get Fields three years ago … then almost completely failed to put a legitimate supporting cast around him for two seasons.

Bad player. Bad dude. And St. Louis should have known better. Phillips averaged 3. After going in , Gang Green most definitely earned the No. And you can argue that newly acquired coach Bill Parcells could have done more to entice Manning to go pro, but that's neither here nor there.

However after Manning was off the table, Parcells dealt down from No. Then Parcells dropped from No. Ugh and ugh. His talent obviously justified the selection, but team brass should have taken Elway seriously when he threatened to play baseball rather than for Baltimore. In the end, he launched his Hall of Fame career in Denver while the Colts were left with Hinton, backup QB Mark Herrmann, a first-round pick in spent on G Ron Solt and, in a year's time, a one-way, franchise-wide ticket to Indianapolis.

The team shipped three first-round picks and one in Round 2 to the Rams for the chance to take RG3. The rest is unfortunate history, both for Griffin personally and the organization at large. Washington is still trying to pick up the pieces. On the opposite end of the RG3 coin. Some decent and not-so-decent players there, but obviously not a group that came anywhere close to salvaging the NFL in The Gateway City, much less providing the bedrock for a perennial powerhouse.

Basically the defensive version of RG3 — a rookie of the year before suffering a serious knee injury and ultimately falling out of favor with the organization. Atlanta also thought it was getting the next Taylor. Bruce was no better than a sub package guy, including spot duty at tight end. There were five Hall of Famers picked elsewhere in Bruce's draft and a pretty good pass rusher Neil Smith directly after him.

Don't get it twisted — this isn't a dig at a guy who might truly be a "once-in-a-lifetime" athlete. Instead, interpret it as a dig at a long-feckless franchise that chose to squander its pick even though Jackson had vowed never to play in Tampa, believing the team deliberately cost him his baseball eligibility at Auburn while trying to strong-arm him into a football-only career.

NFL teams can relate when it comes to the draft, because every first-round pick is destined for greatness. Yeah, sure. Eye roll. As you can tell, I enjoy reality TV drama, so I had no issue with revisiting the past 10 drafts to spot the biggest first-round whiffs.

What we know: After a few rocky years, No. Joeckel: He entered the league as a standout All-American left tackle, but the Jaguars started his career at right tackle, the first of many mistakes. Joeckel never found his footing and stepped away from football in Jordan was suspended for the entire season due to failed drug testing.

Manziel played in 14 games in his NFL career, finishing with a record with 1, yards passing, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. What we know: Offensive tackle Greg Robinson was drafted second by the Rams, but they got a pass for taking Aaron Donald with the 13th pick.

Bortles: The first QB taken in , he struggled with turnovers and lost at least 10 games during his first three seasons in the NFL. Gilbert: He played just two seasons with the Browns and was out of the league by his third season, making only three career starts.

Gilbert was drafted a few spots ahead of Donald, Odell Beckham Jr. Manziel: He texted the Browns to pick him, but his draft-day wait might have lasted longer than his two-year NFL career. What we know: Mariota had a backup stint with the Raiders for starter Derek Carr , who is now being backed up by Winston in New Orleans.

That sentence should tell you enough about the careers of Winston and Mariota. Winston: He has spent the past three years as the backup in New Orleans. He flashed at times as a downfield thrower early in his career, but his aggressive ways led to several mistakes, paving the way for Tom Brady to take his job in Tampa Bay. Mariota: He returned to No.

Mirer was a second overall pick in by the Seahawks. His career was dreadful. He was and defined journeyman. The Bears moved up to draft Trubisky second overall in They must have had second thoughts as they also signed Mike Glennon to a big free-agent deal. A double disaster. Trubisky is on his third team now, backing up Kenny Pickett with the Steelers. Story originally appeared on List Wire.

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