The Worst First Overall Draft Picks In NFL History

When the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl, no one was happier than Matt Stafford. With the Lombardi Trophy in hand, Stafford could, at long last, escape the lists of number one draft picks who didn't live up to their potential. Sadly, it remains a long list as coming in as the first overall pick puts huge expectations on a player that they wouldn't have with a lower number. Thus, they're seen as a bigger bust when they fail to make it in the NFL.

Some first overall picks aren't as awful as they seem. On the one hand, Vinny Testaverde has the most losses of any QB but also lasted 21 seasons with some playoff appearances, so he's not right for the list. Likewise, Tim Couch had decent numbers in Cleveland alongside a playoff appearance. Yet there are others on this list whose first overall slot adds to their failings in the NFL and these ten have to rank as the biggest examples of "first to worst" in draft history.

10 Bobby Garrett

Bobby Garrett has to rank as one of the more ridiculous stories in Cleveland Browns history. At Stanford, not only did Garrett have some great numbers, he even kicked his own extra points, becoming an All-American and Hula Bowl MVP. In the 1954 draft, the Browns took him first, signing him to a then-record $15,000 contract.

They then discovered one minor issue: Garrett had a severe stutter that made him incapable of properly calling out plays. They traded him to the Packers, where Garrett played nine games before enlisting in the Air Force. After just one season, he was gone to rank as one of the biggest wastes of a first overall pick in history.

9 Courtney Brown

"The Browns select Brown" must have sounded good in 2000. Courtney Brown was a solid choice as an All-American coming off named the best defensive lineman in the Big Ten and a record-breaking 33 sacks.

Once he hit Cleveland, Brown started well with 69 tackles in his rookie season. But then injuries started hitting, curtailing Brown's productivity as he struggled on the field. He finished with a Broncos team that got to the Super Bowl but overall, Brown ranks as another #1 bust for Cleveland.

8 Aundray Bruce

Sometimes a guy is a bust not because he had a bad career but because he in no way lived up to the promise of a number one pick. Even in 1988, people wondered why Aundray Bruce was the top choice over Heisman winner Tim Brown.

Bruce was a decent player who some considered the next Lawrence Tayor, but he never came close to that with the Falcons. He later played with the Raiders, ending up with 32 sacks and four interceptions in eleven seasons. Frankly, Bruce wouldn't be considered such a bust had he not gone #1 to emphasize the failure of his NFL career.

7 Ki-Jana Carter

Sometimes, it takes just one (almost literal) bad break to ruin a promising NFL career. Ki-Jana Carter proves that, as he was a standout at Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions to an undefeated season. He was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, and the 1995 Rose Bowl MVP.

The Bengals naturally chose him first for a then-record $19.2 million contract. But he was never the same after tearing his knee in his first preseason game, and injuries would hamper him over his career. That continued with Washington and New Orleans, finishing with a total of 1,144 rushing yards. It may be unfair considering his injuries, but Carter still ranks as a bust given his college stardom.

6 Steve Emtman

Looking at his college stats, Steve Emtman should have been a star. He was arguably the best player on the 1991 Washington National Championship team, earning the Lombardi Award, UPI Lineman of the Year and more.

Perhaps it was a mistake for him to forgo his senior year to enter the draft where the Colts picked him. Each year was marked by injuries hampering his output and he later played for the Dolphins and Washington. Emtman may be one of the best examples of a college star hampered by injuries to not make it in the NFL.

5 Kenneth Sims

There was a time when the Patriots were the joke of the NFL. In 1982, they drafted Kenneth Sims, an All-American who won the Lombardi Award and was seen as one of the best linebackers around.

In seven seasons in New England, Sims only had 17 sacks and poor play. He was part of the first Patriots team to reach the Super Bowl where they were crushed by the Bears. He also had personal issues of drug use and was cut in 1990 for showing up at training camp horribly overweight. Sims may well be the biggest draft bust in Patriots history.

4 Terry Baker

We're going old-school here with one of the oldest drafts ever. The 1963 draft was before a lot of the bells and whistles of today but still prone to some bad picks. The Los Angeles Rams got that, choosing Terry Baker, whose accolades included a Heisman Trophy and Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

In only three seasons in L.A., Baker made just 21 passes and changed to a running back with limited success. HIs entire NFL career adds up to 18 games before time in Canada, then retiring. Given his college accolades, Baker's shocking short NFL career is more striking.

3 Tom Cousineau

The reason Tom Cousineau ranks high isn't just a so-so NFL career but how ridiculous his pick was. A two-time All-American at Ohio State, Cousineau entered the 1979 draft and at #1 was taken by the Bills. However, he never played a single down for them, choosing to go with the Montreal Alouettes for a good stay.

He then tried to sign with the Oilers, but the Bills still had his contract to trade him to the Browns. For a then-record $2.5 million, Cousineau led the Browns in tackles but never made the Pro Bowl and is best known for helping the Bills get Jim Kelly than anything he did in the NFL.

2 David Carr

Yes, he has a Super Bowl ring, but it's the backup for Eli Manning on the 2010 Giants team. Otherwise, David Carr wouldn't be close to any championship. After a stellar college career, including winning the Johnny Unitas Award, Carr was the first player drafted by the Houston Texans. He's also one of the worst picks they've made.

He holds the record for the most sacks (76) of a QB in one season and ended his tenure in Houston with 249. He had a year with the Panthers, then the Giants and 49ers. While there are some decent numbers now and then, it's that legacy as a sack target that makes Carr such a bust.

1 JaMarcus Russell

Of all the number one picks ever, few have ever disappointed like JaMarcus Russell. He started well with LSU in 2003, including the squad that won the National Championship (although he had to miss the game due to injury) and later a Sugar Bowl win. He then skipped his senior year to enter the draft and was picked by the Raiders.

It got off on the wrong foot right off by holding out for a contract extension. In only three years in the NFL, Russell had 18 touchdowns with 23 interceptions and a barely 50% completion rate. He was also infamous for a bad attitude and showing up to training camp overweight which led to him basically blackballed out of the NFL.