Being a general manager in the NFL is a dream job for many, but there is a reason that it’s one of the toughest jobs in all of sports to get. 32 GMs hope and pray that they are picking correctly each April during the draft because their jobs depend on it. Sometimes they hit, other times they don’t. Here are my all-time worst first round picks by team.
Arizona Cardinals – Andre Wadsworth – 1998, Pick 3: Wadsworth was taken two spots after Peyton Manning, can’t fault them for not getting him. But you can fault them for not taking the next guy drafted…Charles Woodson.
Atlanta Falcons – Aundray Bruce – 1988, Pick 1: Huge bust as the first overall pick, Bruce never made a Pro Bowl team and played less than 65 games with Atlanta.
Baltimore Ravens – Kyle Boller – 2003, Pick 19: Boller wasn’t the franchise QB they were hoping for, throwing 45 touchdowns to 44 interceptions during his time in purple.
Buffalo Bills – Mike Williams – 2002, Pick 4: Spending a fourth overall pick on an offensive lineman is typically a good idea, but not for Williams who was benched during his Bills tenure.
Carolina Panthers – Tim Biakabutuka – 1996, Pick 8: This was their first ever draft selection and it was a bust as the running back couldn’t stay healthy.
Chicago Bears – Kevin White – 2015, Pick 7: There was major hype around Kevin White and him being the next great wide receiver and it never panned out.
Cincinnati Bengals – Akil Smith – 1999, Pick 3: The Bengals were hoping for a franchise savior at QB, but instead got Smith who threw just five touchdowns in his career.
Cleveland Browns – Tim Couch – 1999, Pick 1: Sandwiched between Couch and Smith was Donovan McNabb. The Browns chose Couch incorrectly, who put up below average numbers his whole career.
Dallas Cowboys – Shante Carver – 1994, Pick 23: Carver played three years with the Cowboys and was so bad that he then went to Canada and never made a return to the NFL.
Detroit Lions – Andre Ware – 1990, Pick 7: This one still hurts because Ware was supposed to be great and never was. The Heisman winner started less than 15 games.
Denver Broncos – Paxton Lynch – 2016, Pick 26: This pick is still a head scratcher to me. John Elway drafted Lynch who played four games in two years.
Green Bay Packers – Jamal Reynolds – 2000, Pick 10: Reynolds was brought in to secure the defensive line but never started a single game as a top 10 pick in his three years with the Packers.
Houston Texans – David Carr – 2002, Pick 1: One of the biggest busts to ever go number one overall, Carr was given no real protection from his offensive line and fizzled out in Houston before becoming a backup the rest of his career.
Indianapolis Colts – Art Schlichter – 1982, Pick 4: You’ve probably never heard the name. That’s because the QB was suspended for gambling right off the bat and was released in 1985 for not staying away from the bookies.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Justin Blackmon – 2012, Pick 5: Blackmon was one of the most dominant college wide receivers of all-time but couldn’t get past substance abuse and is a major question mark of what could have been.
Kansas City Chiefs – Todd Blackledge – 1983, Pick 7: Blackledge was in one of the greatest QB draft classes of all-time, but did very little with his chance. He started less than 25 games before burning out into irrelevance.
Las Vegas Raiders – JaMarcus Russell – 2007, Pick 1: Notably the biggest draft bust in NFL History, Russell was notorious for never watching game film. He played 25 games before being released.
Los Angeles Chargers – Ryan Leaf – 1998, Pick 2: One pick after Peyton Manning, there was actually a debate as to who should go number one. Manning was the right move as Leaf lasted four years and had plenty of legal troubles.
Los Angeles Rams – Jason Smith – 2009, Pick 2: We thought the Rams were on the other side of a rebuild, but Smith was so bad at blocking it actually set the franchise back a bit.
Miami Dolphins – Dion Jordan – 2013, Pick 3: With the third overall pick, the Dolphins ended up drafting a total waste on the defensive line. Three years in Miami with little to show for it.
Minnesota Vikings – Troy Williamson – 2005, Pick 7: Anytime you take a wide receiver in the top 10 there are risks, and this one really burned the Vikings. Williamson had three total touchdowns for Minnesota.
New England Patriots – N’Keal Harry – 2019, Pick 32: Harry was brought in during Brady’s final year in Foxborough and was widely underwhelming after a successful college career. Harry is already out of the league.
New Orleans Saints – Russell Erxleben – 1979, Pick 11: In the most 1979 thing to ever happen in the NFL, the Saints took a punter 11th overall. Yes, you read that correctly. Remember those paper bags fans wore over their heads?
New York Giants – Ron Dayne – 2000, Pick 11: Dayne was a Heisman winner and was a highly touted running back coming into the league, but he never had a 1000-yard rushing season and flamed out with the Giants.
New York Jets – Vernon Gholston – 2008, Pick 6: New York fans are already brutal on their rookies and Gholston did himself no favors. He never recorded a sack or forced fumble in his brief career.
Philadelphia Eagles – Leroy Keyes – 1969, Pick 3: I am going with Keyes here because the running back didn’t do much to change the franchise in Philly but was taken one spot before a guy who would have….Mean Joe Greene.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Kenny Pickett – 2020, Pick 20: There was a lot of hype for the local Pitt kid, but Pickett never put up eye-popping numbers and the Steelers moved on from their Ben Roethlisberger replacement quickly.
San Francisco 49ers – Trey Lance – 2021, Pick 3: It’s painful to think about all the capital the 49ers gave up to trade into the 3 spot to draft Lance who barely played in a 49ers uniform and was traded for a fourth-round pick just a few years later.
Seattle Seahawks – Rick Mirer – 1993, Pick 2: The fact that most people are googling who Rick Mirer is and he was drafted second overall tells you everything you need to know about this pick.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Bo Jackson – 1986, Pick 1: Jackson told the Bucs he wouldn’t play for them if they drafted him, and they did it anyway. This is the worst selection in NFL history considering he never wore a Bucs uniform.
Tennessee Titans – Jake Locker – 2011, Pick 8: Locker never really hit his stride in the NFL and was likely taken way too high in the draft. After three years, he was out of the league.
Washington Commanders – Heath Shuler – 1994, Pick 3: Shuler completed just 47 percent of his passes with Washington and lost his job to a seventh-round draft pick.