NFL opinion: Five of the worst quarterback draft busts in NFL history

The NFL Draft is what all college hopefuls aim for in the hope of being one of the names called on stage and drafted by one of the 32 franchises.

However, whilst mock drafts tend to be reliable and accurate, sometimes stats can lie as players who have had exceptional college careers haven’t lived up to the hype once they reached the NFL.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer and NFL fan Luca Salmasi takes a look at some of the most well-known quarterback draft busts in NFL history.

Ryan Leaf - San Diego Chargers (1998 NFL Draft)

Ryan Leaf remains the unfortunate gold standard for NFL busts.

During the lead-up to the 1998 NFL Draft, he was considered a top prospect alongside Peyton Manning. 

The Colts, who eventually took Manning with the first pick, did initially struggle to separate the two quarterbacks.

Leaf posted a 4-17 record as a starter, threw for only 14 touchdowns and a massive 36 interceptions, and was out of the league by 2002 due to a mixture of poor performances, a fractured locker room relationship, and physical injuries, while also famously clashed with coaches and the media.

Leaf remains the benchmark and a name pitted against however other busts are measured.

Leaf’s short career was such a disaster that it is tough to imagine another player knocking off the top spot.

JaMarcus Russell - Oakland Raiders (2007 NFL Draft)

JaMarcus Russell had size and arm strength on his side to be a dominant quarterback at the pro level.

With all of this promise, the Raiders selected him first overall and signed him with a lucrative deal to back it up, worth $68million, he was supposed to be the next big franchise quarterback.

The expectations were rightfully high, and he fell incredible short of those, playing three seasons, finishing with a 7-18 record, 18 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions, he was released in 2010.

In fact, Russell was more known for the story that Raiders coaches gave Russell a blank DVD, claiming it contained game film to study.

Russell falsely told coaches that he watched the tape and liked the plays, highlighting his lack of work ethic.

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Trey Lance - San Francisco 49ers (2021 NFL Draft)

The 49ers were confident in Lance’s ability that they traded three first-round picks to move up the draft to take him with the third overall pick, taking him ahead of Micah Parsons and Patrick Surtain II.

In hindsight, the 49ers' taking a chance on a quarterback who had only played one full college season goes down as one of the worst draft decisions.

Whilst his career strictly isn’t down to his ability as a player, the fact that Brock Purdy, the 2022 NFL Draft’s “Mr Irrelevant,” would come in, overcome the haters and quickly proved to become the superior quarterback.

Since Lance departed from the 49ers, he has struggled to compete for the starting job, first at the Dallas Cowboys and currently at the Los Angeles Chargers, playing only eight games across the past two seasons.

Whilst Lance still has plenty of years left to form and restart his career, it won’t be easy, and he still remains one of the worst picks due to how much was given up to select him and for his lack of progression since.

Zach Wilson - New York Jets (2021 NFL Draft)

Zach Wilson was a one year wonder in college and he had the stats to back it up.

A product of BYU, Wilson’s 32 touchdowns and only three interceptions, ranking second in the FBS with a completion percentage of 73.5%, whilst also managing to run for 10 touchdowns.

Whilst these stats were impressive, there were clear warning signs from the start, predominantly his occasionally questionable decision making and a tendency to buckle under pressure.

The Jets overlooked those concerns, in what proved to be an overrated class of quarterbacks in the 2021 draft, as Wilson went from franchise saviour to an NFL journeyman.

Wilson is now a backup for the New Orleans Saints. And has thrown 23 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and has yet to finish a season with a quarterback rating above 77.2.

Robert Griffin III - Washington (2012 NFL Draft)

The Commanders shipped three first round picks as well as one second round pick to the Saint Louis Rams in order for them to be able to take a chance on RG3.

Having come off of an exceptional college career with a pass efficiency mark of 192.31 and becoming the 76th Heisman winner as a senior, it looked like the start of a promising career for Griffin.

Initially the deal to get Griffin looked like a reasonable trade as he would go on to win Offensive Rookie of the year whilst leading the team to the NFC East title.

The rest of the story however became unfortunate history for both Griffin and the organisation, primarily due to severe knee injuries as well as coaching disputes and poor player management.

In 2013 a playoff ACL injury and a mix of struggling to adapt to a new pocket-passer role saw him lose his starting job to Kirk Cousins.

After this he would only see the field 20 more times during his career with a brief stint for the Cleveland Browns and then three years for the Baltimore Ravens before hanging up his cleats in 2020.

Griffin has still stayed in the limelight, transitioning well from his limited playing career, becoming a prominent media personality, and has become a well-regarded NFL and college football analyst.

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