The 10 Worst NFL Draft Busts Now Included Bryce Young

NFL teams devote a ton of time and resources to figuring out who to pick in the NFL Draft, but there’s only so much they can do to ensure they’re making the right call when the big day rolls around.

There are a number of factors that contribute to a college football player’s ability to excel at the next level, and as we’ve seen time and time again, there’s no way to know who will be able to make that leap until they’re thrust into the fire.

Bryce Young is just the latest college football star who’s failed to live up to expectations after making the leap to the NFL, and after being benched just two games into his sophomore campaign, he’s shaping up to be one of the biggest draft busts we’ve ever seen.

There’s a slim chance he’s able to figure things out, but it appears he’s destined to be best remembered along with other fairly infamous figures whose primary legacy was their inability to rise to the occasion.

JaMarcus Russell

2007 NFL Draft: Raiders, No. 1 overall

The players here aren’t necessarily listed in any particular order, but I’d argue none of them managed to fail to live up to expectations quite like JaMarcus Russell.

The LSU QB was selected by the Raiders with the first overall pick in 2007 saw his NFL career come to an end after just three seasons due to substance abuse issues and a virtually nonexistent work ethic.

One of the most damning anecdotes involves a test he was given after coaches became convinced he wasn’t watching the game film they gave him. He was handed a blank DVD and told it contained the plan for an upcoming contest, and he subsequently failed by saying he liked the strategy.

Ryan Leaf

1998 NFL Draft: Chargers, No. 2 overall

The Chargers were optimistic they’d secured a franchise QB when they drafted Ryan Leaf out of Washington State in 1998 (the Colts did exactly that by scooping up Peyton Manning with the first selection), but that did not end up being the case.

Leaf posted a 4-16 record as a starter in San Diego while earning a reputation as a lazy player whose teammates became increasingly frustrated with his lack of commitment.

While his career was hampered by injuries, he really has no one but himself to blame for the downfall that led to him retiring in 2002 after ill-fated stints with the Cowboys and Buccaneers.

Tony Mandarich

1989 NFL Draft: Packers, No. 2 overall

This one requires a bit of context, as Tony Mandarich’s inability to live up to the hype was only magnified by the other players the Packers could have selected over him.

The fact that Green Bay went with an offensive tackle with the second overall picks tells you everything you need to know about the reputation Mandrich had coming out of Michigan State. However, he only lasted four years with the team before fizzling out and mounting a comeback with the Colts after a five-year hiatus.

Mandrich was also the only member of the Top 5 in that draft who wasn’t eventually drafted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Troy Aikman went first, but the Packers also could have Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, or Deion Sanders.

Akili Smith

1999 NFL Draft: Bengals, No. 3 overall

This one is bad enough on its own, as the Bengals drafted Akili Smith third overall behind another notable but not historic bust in the form of Tim Couch (who went first overall to the Browns) as well as future Eagles legend Donovan McNabb.

Unfortunately, Smith only started a total of 17 games over the course of his four seasons in the NFL and finished time in the league with just five touchdown passes to the 13 interceptions he threw.

That’s especially brutal when you consider the Bengals turned down a trade that would have netted them nine draft picks in exchange for the third selection, as the Saints offered them that package while angling to move up to get Ricky Williams.

Ki-Jana Carter

1995 NFL Draft: Bengals, No. 1 overall

Ki-Jana Carter ended up playing in the NFL for seven seasons, but his output never came close to matching what you’d expect from a running back who was selected with the first pick.

Unlike some of the other guys on this list, injuries were ultimately Carter’s downfall. He missed what would have been his rookie year with a knee injury suffered in the preseason in 1995 and had to battle through a torn rotator cuff that hampered his performance in 1997.

In 1998, he broke his wrist in the team’s season opener and missed the remainder of the campaign and only made it three games into 1999 before befalling the same fate after dislocating his kneecap.

Charles Rogers

2003 NFL Draft: Lions, No. 2 overall

Rogers was born and raised in Michigan and played wide receiver at Michigan State, so it’s easy to understand why the Lions targeted the highly-touted Spartan even though they could have gotten Andre Johnson.

Johnson ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Rogers’ career came to an end after just three seasons in Detroit where he only played in 15 games.

Injuries were a major factor (he broke his clavicle twice), but he also developed an addiction to the painkillers he was given to treat them and served a four-game suspension after testing positive for marijuana in what would turn out to be his final season in 2005.

Lawrence Phillips

1996 NFL Draft: Rams, No. 6 overall

The Rams had to know what they were signing up for when they drafted Lawrence Phillips, as the running back was arrested for assault multiple times while playing at Nebraska.

Off-the-field issues continued to plague him when he arrived in the NFL, and nothing sums up his career like the fact he spent almost as many days in jail (23) during his time with the Rams as the number of games he played for the team (25).

After being released, he got another chance with the Dolphins but was cut after being arrested for yet another assault and ended his football career in the CFL.

He landed in prison in 2008 and was awaiting trial for the murder of a fellow inmate when he took his own life in 2016.

Johnny Manziel

2014 NFL Draft: Browns, No. 22 overall

You could argue there are other players who were drafted higher than Johnny Manziel who deserve a spot over him, but I still feel like he’s worth mentioning based on the manner in which his NFL career came to an end.

There were plenty of concerns surrounding the man known as “Johnny Football” thanks to the QB’s reputation for partying at Texas A&M, and they turned out to be pretty well-founded.

Those off-the-field issues likely led to Manizel sliding to No. 22 in the draft, but he was unable to overcome them while lasting just two seasons in Cleveland before flaming out of the NFL in fairly spectacular fashion.

Bryce Young

2023 NFL Draft: Panthers: No. 1 overall

I’m putting the man who inspired this list in the last spot because there’s still a chance he gets a shot at redemption even though it seems unlikely he’ll be able to turn things around.

The Panthers could have gotten either C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson in 2023, but their decision to go with a guy who posted a 2-16 record as a starter while throwing 11 TDs and 13 picks before being replaced by Andy Dalton means he seems destined to go down as one of the biggest NFL Draft busts ever.