Top 10 worst No.1 picks of the NFL draft

The NFL regular season usually starts around the first week of September and ends in early January. And then there will be a postseason which will end with a Championship game in February. But that is not the only time teams are competing against each other to win the coveted Lombardi Trophy.

When players are resting their bodies and minds during the off-season, the front office works hard to pull some tricks up their sleeves and build a strong roster that will give their franchise a competitive edge against other franchises in the league.

During the off-season, the NFL teams’ scouts go through a long process to evaluate the pool of talented college players so that when Draft day arrives, their team will have a better understanding of the player they’re going to select. This evaluation process includes several tests, including NFL Combine and pre-draft visits.

These evaluations have been helping the clubs to understand the prospects in a better way and have often helped them to draft the player that would best fit their franchise. However, sometimes, they just get it wrong and rarely it becomes a disaster.

In this article, let’s take a look at the biggest failures of NFL scouts. That means the players who were drafted No.1 overall in NFL Drafts but failed to meet those high expectations. From JaMarcus Russell to David Carr, here are the Top 10 worst No.1 overall picks in NFL history.

Related: Who is the lowest-drafted Hall of Famer in the NFL?

10. David Carr (Houston Texans)

Well, yes, technically David Carr is a Super Bowl Champion, but he won that ring as a backup to the Giants QB Eli Manning. His starting QB career in the league never picked steam. Carr was drafted by the Houston Texans as the No.1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

The QB played for 5 years with the Texans, then had some brief stints with the Giants, 49ers, and Panthers. In the end, the 6’3″ QB ended his career with 65 touchdowns and 71 interceptions while completing just 59.7 percent of his passes. For a guy who was supposed to be the “franchise changer” in Houston, he ended up throwing more picks than touchdowns during his 10-year career.

9. Tom Cousineau (Buffalo Bills)

Tom Cousineau was made the 1st overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1979 NFL Draft. If the 6’3″ linebacker was drafted in the later rounds, it could even be said that he had an average career. But since he’s the No.1 overall pick, he is considered a massive bust in NFL terms.

Even though he was drafted by the Bills in 1979, he jumped ships to the CFL to make more money. However, in 1982 came back to play for the NFL and signed with the Cleveland Browns, where he spent four years and registered 8 interceptions and 6.5 sacks.

And then, the Ohio State product played two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers where he registered 2 interceptions. During his 6 year NFL career, he was even named to the second-team All-Pro squad once. But a first-overall pick should’ve achieved a lot more not to be considered a bust.

8. Walt Patulski (Buffalo Bills)

The Buffalo Bills picked Walt Patulski as the No.1 overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft. The defensive end was the first-ever No.1 overall pick from Notre Dame. He played 4 seasons in Buffalo where he accumulated 21.5 sacks (according to Pro Football Reference) and 3 fumble returns.

After that, he had a one-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals where he played 14 games but never got a start and never actually did anything. Allegedly, the 6’6″ defensive end was described as not being enough to play aggressively.

7. Tim Couch (Cleveland Browns)

Coming out of college, the Kentucky product Tim Couch was dubbed “The Man With a Golden Gun” and the Cleveland Browns didn’t waste any time during the 1999 NFL Draft and selected him with their No.1 overall pick.

The Browns QB played 5 seasons in the league, all with the team that drafted him, and threw for 64 touchdowns and 67 interceptions while completing just 59.8% of his pass attempts. Besides, he only had one 3000-plus passing yards season during those five years.

Reportedly, the beating he took during his rookie year and a torn labrum he suffered in 2000 eventually led to a detriment in his arm strength. His career never took off, and he is widely regarded as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

6. Aundray Bruce (Atlanta Falcons)

Aundray Bruce was the player that everyone wanted during the 1988 NFL Draft. The Atlanta Falcons scooped up the tall and athletic linebacker with their 1st overall pick which they might’ve regretted later.

After a promising rookie year, which saw him rake up 6 sacks and 2 interceptions, the 6’5″ defensive lineman leaped to the next stage. After his rookie deal ended in Atlanta, the Raiders roped in Bruce and played him as a defensive end for 7 years.

In the end, Bruce’s NFL career lasted 11 years with two teams. During that time, the defensive lineman accumulated 32 sacks and 4 interceptions. It’s good that he made a living out of playing football for 11 years, but as previously mentioned, the Falcons must’ve certainly regretted using a first-overall pick on him.

5. Kenneth Sims (New England Patriots)

Another big guy who was supposedly named the next big thing but could never get going in the NFL. The New England Patriots drafted the defensive lineman Kenneth Sims with their 1st overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft.

The Patriots stuck with the defensive lineman for 8 years, but he never became the top guy that the Patriots would’ve wanted. He ended his career with a total of 17 sacks in 8 seasons, which is not ideal for a first-overall pick.

4. Ki-Jana Carter (Cincinnati Bengals)

The explosive running back Ki-Jana Carter made a name for himself in college when he rushed for ridiculous 7.8 yards per attempt and 23 touchdowns during his junior season at Penn State.

The Cincinnati Bengals must’ve thought they had their man when they drafted him with their 1st overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, but he turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Carter played seven years in the league with three different teams but never had a single season with more than 500 rushing yards. His best year came in 1997 when he rushed for 464 yards and 7 touchdowns to go along with his 157 receiving yards. He finished his career with only 1144 yards and 20 touchdowns.

3. Courtney Brown (Cleveland Browns)

See? The Browns have always been a notorious franchise for making bad decisions. The Cleveland-based franchise picked Courtney Brown with their first overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. The 6’4″ defensive end impressed everyone during the NFL combine by running a 4.52 at the 40-yard dash. But his athletic ability never transcended to the big stage.

Brown played for 6 six seasons in the league for two teams and registered only 19 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. His NFL career never actually took off due to the several injuries he suffered.

2. Steve Emtman (Indianapolis Colts)

It seems like the NFL scouts always had trouble identifying the prospects when it comes to defensive linemen. The Indianapolis Colts made Steve Emtman the first overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.

The highlight of Emtman’s career came during his rookie year when he picked off the Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown. Other than that, he didn’t have a memorable career due to his injuries. Steve Emtman spent six years in the league with three different teams and registered only 8 sacks and 1 interception.

1. JaMarcus Russell (Las Vegas Raiders)

And as a surprise to no one, the Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell comes at No.1 in the list of worst No.1 picks ever in NFL history. Russell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders as the No.1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Coming out of LSU, JaMarcus Russell was considered the most physically talented QB since John Elway. The Raiders hopped in on the hype train and made a big investment in him by drafting him with their 1st overall pick.

However, it didn’t work out well for the Las Vegas-based franchise since during his time with the Raiders, Russell threw for 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while completing just 52.1% of his pass attempts. Pair that with his off-the-field antics, and he was out of the league in 3 years and is now widely regarded as the biggest draft bust of all time.

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