Ranking the biggest NFL draft busts of all time

2. Ryan Leaf, QB, Chargers (No. 2, 1998): Who's better – Leaf or Peyton Manning? That was the talk leading up to the 1998 draft. San Diego actually preferred Manning but was left with Leaf. After winning his first two starts, Leaf's career quickly went down the drain. Players drafted afterward include Charles Woodson, Randy Moss, Alan Faneca, Fred Taylor, Matt Hasselbeck and Hines Ward.

3. Tony Mandarich, OT, Packers (No. 2, 1989): The man Sports Illustrated deemed "The Incredible Bulk" quickly morphed into "The Incredible Bust." Green Bay's miscalculation is only accentuated by the fact that the four other players in that draft's top five now have Hall of Fame busts: Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders.

4. Art Schlichter, QB, Colts (No. 4, 1982): Here today, banned tomorrow and not very good in between. Schlichter, infamous for his gambling issues, lost all six of his career starts, throwing three TDs vs. 11 picks. Alternatives that year included Jim McMahon, Mike Munchak, Marcus Allen and Andre Tippett.

5. Charles Rogers, WR, Lions (No. 2, 2003): It seemed like when he wasn't hurt, he was getting arrested. Rogers managed just 36 catches in three seasons as the worst of Detroit's dubious run of first-round receivers pre-Megatron. The guy taken right after Rogers? Andre Johnson.

6. Lawrence Phillips, RB, Rams (No. 6, 1996): St. Louis knew of Phillips' history of off-field issues but rolled the dice anyway while opting to trade Jerome Bettis to the Steelers. Eddie George, Marvin Harrison, Ray Lewis and Terrell Owens were all drafted after Phillips, who died in prison in 2016.

7. Vernon Gholston, OLB, Jets (No. 6, 2008): In 45 games with New York, Gholston produced exactly zero sacks. Who could the Jets have had instead? Joe Flacco, Chris Johnson and Ryan Clady highlight the list of players who surely would've fared better for Gang Green.

8. 1991 QBs: Brett Favre was a second-round selection in '91. The guys who went in Round 1 instead? Dan McGwire (No. 16) and Todd Marinovich (No. 24), who combined for 2,090 career passing yards … or about half a season for Favre.

9. Russell Erxleben, P, Saints (No. 11, 1979): If you're going to take a punter in the first round, he better be Ray Guy. Erxleben wasn't. Little wonder the Saints, who passed on Kellen Winslow (not to mention Joe Montana), were a laughingstock for decades.

10. Aundray Bruce, OLB, Falcons (No. 1, 1988): Atlanta thought it was getting the next Lawrence Taylor. Instead, the Falcons got 16 sacks in four seasons before Bruce floundered with the Raiders (who tried converting him to tight end) for seven more. Among the 10 guys taken after Bruce were Neil Smith, Tim Brown, Sterling Sharpe and Michael Irvin.

11. Andre Ware, QB, Lions (No. 7, 1990): A far more spectacular failure than even Joey Harrington or Chuck Long were in Detroit.

12. Johnny "Lam" Jones, WR, Jets (No. 2, 1980): New York traded two first-round picks to get the Texas sprinter. He averaged fewer than 30 catches and 500 yards during his five NFL seasons. Elsewhere, Anthony Munoz, taken one spot after Jones, became arguably the league's best all-time tackle while Art Monk had a record-setting career for the Redskins.

13. Matt Leinart, QB, Cardinals (No. 10, 2006): Party on.

14. Ki-Jana Carter, RB, Bengals (No. 1, 1995): Ripped up his knee in his first preseason NFL game and never recovered. He barely cracked 1,000 career rushing yards in eight NFL seasons.

15. Top of 2009 draft: Matthew Stafford went No. 1 – a fine choice – but was followed by Jason Smith, Tyson Jackson and Aaron Curry. Meanwhile, Clay Matthews barely snuck into the first round that year, Mike Wallace went in the third and Arian Foster didn't get picked at all.

16. Desmond Howard, WR, Redskins (No. 4, 1992): If only the 'Skins had known the Heisman Trophy winner was nothing more than an exceptional return man.

17. 1999 quarterbacks: At the time, they were expected to compete with the vaunted 1983 QB crop. Didn't happen. Donovan McNabb (picked No. 2) had a solid career and Daunte Culpepper (11th) was on his way before ripping up a knee. But Tim Couch (No. 1), Akili Smith (3rd) and Cade McNown (12th) have long resided in the NFL's dust bin.

18. Courtney Brown, DE, Browns (No. 1, 2000): The 2000 draft receives far more recognition for the guy who went in the sixth round at pick 199 (Tom Brady) than the injury plagued player taken at the top.

19. 1990s Bears: Among the team's Round 1 choices that decade were the inimitable Stan Thomas, Alonzo Spellman, John Thierry, Rashaan Salaam, Curtis Enis and McNown. Duuuumb Bears.

20. Heath Shuler, QB, Redskins (No. 3, 1994): Has done far more on Capitol Hill than he did for the capital city's beloved team.

21. Blair Thomas, RB, Jets (No. 2, 1990): Noticing a pattern for the Jets? Thomas rushed for 2,009 yards in four seasons with New York. Emmitt Smith, who came off the board 15 spots later, did a bit better. Cortez Kennedy and Junior Seau were among the Jets' other options at No. 2.

22. Mike Mamula, DE, Eagles (No. 7, 1995): Perhaps the most cautionary tale of a combine warrior, Mamula gave Philadelphia 31.5 sacks in six seasons. In that same first round, the Buccaneers landed both Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks after Mamula's name was called.

23. Mike Williams: Whether you're referring to the Bills tackle (No. 4, 2002) or Lions receiver (No. 10, 2005), you've found a bona fide bust.

24. Steve Little, P/K, Cardinals (No. 15, 1978): Who? Exactly. The St. Louis Cardinals selected the combo specialist – who wasn't particularly good at place-kicking or punting as it turned out – when they could have had Doug Williams or Ozzie Newsome. Tragically, Little was paralyzed in a car accident following his brief career.

25. Rick Mirer, QB, Seahawks (No. 2, 1993): For a hot minute he outplayed Drew Bledsoe, who went No. 1 that year, before fading into oblivion.

26. Bengals QBs: Carson Palmer was pretty good for nearly a decade but very much contrasted with the other quarterbacks Cincinnati reached for in the first round: Jack Thompson (1979), David Klingler (1992) and Akili Smith (1999). Greg Cook (1969) might've been the best of the bunch had his career not been ruined by a shoulder injury in his rookie season.

29. Steve Spurrier, QB, 49ers (No. 3, 1967): Before failing as an NFL head coach, the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner floundered as a player for San Francisco and, later, the expansion Buccaneers. Spurrier finished with 40 TD passes and 60 INTs in 10 seasons. The No. 4 pick in 1967 was Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese, who was followed two spots later by Canton RB Floyd Little.

28. Colts defenders: Indianapolis owned the top two picks in 1992 and came away with defensive tackle Steve Emtman and linebacker Quentin Coryatt, who combined for zero Pro Bowl nods. Emtman's career was derailed by injuries, while Coryatt never emerged as the playmaker the Colts envisioned. Linebacker Trev Albert got the call at No. 5 in 1994, but elbow problems limited him to 29 games.

29. Johnathan Sullivan, DT, Saints (No. 6, 2003): New Orleans could have had Terrell Suggs, Jordan Gross, Troy Polamalu, Nnamdi Asomugha, Anquan Boldin or Osi Umenyiora. Instead, it took a player who amounted to absolutely nothing.

30. Troy Williamson, WR, Vikings (No. 7, 2005): The man anointed as Randy Moss' replacement never came close.

31. David Carr, QB, Texans (No. 1, 2002): With the lack of blocking and weaponry around him, he quickly became gunshy. In Houston's defense, it wasn't a good year for quarterbacks given Joey Harrington and Patrick Ramsey were among the other options.

32. Tim Tebow, QB, Broncos (No. 25, 2010): Everyone knew he shouldn't go in the first round … except Josh McDaniels.