The worst draft picks of all time for every NFL team

Wadsworth, a defensive end, was great at Florida State, but he played only three years in the NFL, all with the Cardinals. Among the players drafted after him were Charles Woodson (No. 4 overall, Raiders), Fred Taylor, Takeo Spikes and Tra Thomas. Wadsworth had only eight sacks in the league. He isn't remembered as much because Ryan Leaf, an all-time bust, went one pick ahead of him. 

The selection of defensive end Anderson led to the "demotion" of GM Rich McKay to team president. In four seasons with Atlanta, Anderson had 4.5 sacks. Among the players selected after him were Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis. 

The Ravens gave Boller every opportunity to be starting QB, but he was never really more than a backup. Thankfully for Baltimore, it drafted defensive end Terrell Suggs, an outstanding player, with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2003 draft. The painful part of the Boller pick for Baltimore was that it wasted great years from a terrific defense. Imagine how good those Ravens teams would have been with a quality quarterback. 

The Bills passed on players such as Bryant McKinnie, Quentin Jammer, Dwight Freeney, John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth to take offensive lineman Williams, who played only five seasons in the league. He was moved from right tackle to left tackle to guard and even to defensive tackle. Williams lost the starting left tackle position in Buffalo to undrafted Jason Peters.

Jason Peter, an All-American linebacker at Nebraska, and Tim Biakabutuka, a standout running back at Michigan, should get some consideration here. The latter dealt with injuries that robbed him of his career; Peter simply stunk. But Carruth, a wide receiver, is the worst pick in franchise history. As a Carolina Panther in 2001, he was found guilty of conspiring to kill his pregnant girlfriend. He was released from prison in 2018. 

Ryan Leaf wasn't the only mega-bust of 1998. Andre Wadsworth and Grant Wistrom were also major disappointments. Penn State running back Enis was too. Florida running back Fred Taylor, who had an outstanding NFL career, was taken four picks later by the Jaguars. Enis didn't have the speed to be an effective back in the NFL, and he was hampered by injuries. He only lasted three seasons in the league, all with the Bears. 

A one-year wonder as Oregon QB, Smith was only 3-14 as a starter for Cincinnati, completing 47 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. After four seasons, he was cut by the Bengals, and he never played with another NFL team. At this slot, Cincinnati passed on Edgerrin James, Torry Holt, Champ Bailey and Jevon Kearse.

Quinn's inaccuracy at Notre Dame was apparently ignored by the Browns. In 14 games with Cleveland, he completed 52.1 percent of his passes and threw for only 10 TDs. Considering the Browns traded a first- and second-rounder to move up for him, Quinn is the worst draft pick in Cleveland's history.

Dallas wanted to take Jerry Rice with the pick used on Brooks, but the 49ers traded up and beat them to the punch. That made the Brooks pick especially painful, as Rice is one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL. Brooks had 12.5 sacks in four seasons with the Cowboys. They dropped him, and he didn't do much with the Lions in two seasons.

This pick made zero sense. The Broncos had John Elway in the prime of his Hall of Fame career yet spent a first-round pick on a backup quarterback. Maddox was a bust in the NFL before rehabbing a year in the XFL and then having some success with the Steelers. Maddox wasn't a bad player, but this is one of the most questionable first-round picks in NFL history. 

There is a lot to choose from here, including Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, Andre Ware and Reggie Rogers, but Harrington stands out because he was a huge reach. He was overmatched in Detroit, never completing more than 60 percent of his passes in four seasons. He also played for the Dolphins and Falcons, never distinguishing himself.

An easy choice. One of the all-time busts. Labeled one of the best offensive line prospects ever, he was an ineffective blocker. Not a good trait for an offensive lineman. Green Bay passed on future Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas or Deion Sanders in this slot. 

This is a tough call between Johnson and Amobi Okoye, but Okoye managed to stick in the league. Johnson, who started 38 games in four years, managed only two sacks for the Texans, who eventually traded him to the Chargers for a sixth-round pick. He didn't play well there either. 

You could argue that John Elway should be this pick. He refused to play for the Colts and forced a trade to Denver, but at least the Elway trade brought in perennial Pro Bowler Chris Hinton in return. QB George was also a first overall pick, but he had a terrible run with the Colts. It also hurt that Indianapolis traded Andre Rison and Hinton to move up for George. This pick set the franchise back a few years.

What a painful selection this turned out to be. Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt went one pick later to the Texans. Gabbert, who has also played in the league for Tennessee, Atlanta and San Francisco, is an awful quarterback. He was dubbed "Blame" Gabbert in Jacksonville for his propensity to blame teammates. To move from No. 16 to No. 10 to pick Gabbert, the Jags swapped first-rounders with Washington and also sent a second-round pick to the Redskins. Ugh.

Blackledge was the dud of the 1983 NFL Draft's famed quarterback class. The Chiefs took him instead of Jim Kelly or Dan Marino. They also passed on Tony Eason and Ken O'Brien, who had respectable quarterbacking careers in the league. Blackledge completed 48.1 percent of his passes in the league. He finished his career in Pittsburgh, where he also was ineffective. 

After playing well in his first two games, Leaf became perhaps the most epic bust in NFL draft history. He was an interception machine, throwing 33 in San Diego in two seasons, and was unable to handle being a professional athlete. Leaf screamed at GM Bobby Beathard and famously blew up at a reporter in the locker room. His NFL career ended, ignominiously, with the Cowboys in 2001.

Phillips was supposed to be the feature player for Dick Vermeil's St. Louis resurgence, but he rushed for only 1,265 yards in two seasons for the Rams. Phillips also flamed out in Miami and San Francisco before his off-the-field problems landed him in prison. His horrible character was evident at Nebraska, but the Rams drafted him anyway. In 2016, he was found dead in his prison cell, where he was serving a 31-year sentence for felony assault with a deadly weapon and domestic assault. 

The Dolphins were wise to pass on Brady Quinn, but their decision to take Ginn did not pan out. At the time, he was more of a returner than a polished receiver. Studs such as Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis were available. 

The Vikings traded wide receiver Randy Moss in his prime and replaced him with Williamson. He was a massive disappointment, playing only three seasons for Minnesota. Williamson scored only three touchdowns with the Vikings and didn't have a season of more than 40 receptions or 500 yards. After two more seasons with the Jaguars, he was out of the league. 

Sims, a star defensive end at Texas, never lived up to the college hype. He apparently did not like to practice. His nickname was "Game Day," because that's when he said he would show up. Sims collected only 17 sacks in his eight-year career and missed a lot of games. He was taken four picks ahead of Jim McMahon, who beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl XX. In selecting Sims, New England also passed on Marcus Allen and Mike Munchak, future Hall of Famers. 

The Saints had two first-round picks in the 2003 NFL Draft but traded both to Arizona to move up to select Sullivan, a defensive tackle. He was an epic bust, as he had only 1.5 sacks in three seasons with New Orleans. He was given away to the Patriots, but they didn't tolerate Sullivan long before cutting him. He was out of the NFL within four years of being drafted. 

This was a tough choice, with Cedric Jones, Ron Dayne and William Joseph contenders. But the selection of Brown, chosen to eventually replace Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler, is the choice. He started 53 games for the Giants, but he never completed more than 60 percent of his passes in a season. He was also ineffective for the Cardinals. During his 10-year career, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, not a good QB trait. 

The Jets provide lot of options for worst pick, including Vernon Gholston, Roger Vick and Mike Nugent. But let's go with Brady of Penn State. With fans in New York chanting for Warren Sapp to be the pick, the Jets passed on the future Hall of Famer for a blocking tight end. New York already had a good tight end on the roster in Johnny Mitchell, so this pick was nonsensical in so many ways.

An easy choice. Russell, with huge size and one of the strongest arms to come into the NFL this century, was expected to be a superstar. But he was disaster from the get-go. In 31 starts, Russell completed 52 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. After the Raiders gave up on him, he never played again in the NFL. Potential Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas were selected after Russell. The Raiders also passed on Darrelle Revis, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch and Patrick Willis with the pick.

Keyes, a running back, was a painful pick. The Steelers took future Hall of Famer Joe Greene one pick later, and he went on to dominate the NFL. Keyes ran for only 369 yards and three touchdowns in his NFL career. 

Worley was expected to be a great back in the mold of Herschel Walker, another Georgia player. But he only lasted four years with the Steelers, never averaging more than four yards per carry in any season in which he had a significant number of carries. 

QB Druckenmiller marked the downturn of the 49ers' dynasty. This was a pathetic first-round pick, as he only started one game for the team and was dumped after two seasons. He was traded to the Dolphins, but never played for Miami. 

This was a tough call between McGwire and Aaron Curry, but quarterback busts are always more painful. After McGwire went bust, the Seahawks picked Notre Dame QB Rick Mirer with the second overall pick in 1993. He, too, was a bust. McGwire, who made only five starts in four season in Seattle, threw for two touchdowns and 745 yards in the NFL.  In 1995, the brother of baseball slugger Mark McGwire finished his career in Miami, throwing one pass. 

This was a tough call as Eric Curry, Keith McCants and Reidel Anthony were huge disappointments, too. But the Josh Freeman pick unceremoniously ended a successful stretch for Tampa Bay. Freeman had one good season, in 2010, thanks to smoke and mirrors used by offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Freeman's inaccuracy issues in college haunted him in the NFL. 

The Titans ignored character concerns that were apparent with Jones, a cornerback, before the draft. He played well early in his career, but off-the-field issues crippled his career. In 2007, he was suspended for the season by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league personal conduct policy. Tennessee cut its losses after two seasons with Jones, who also has played with the Cowboys, Bengals and Broncos. 

Howard, a Heisman Trophy winner out of Michigan, was supposed to follow Art Monk, Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders as the next great Redskins receiver. But he was terrible as a wideout and only useful on special teams. In three seasons with the Redskins, Howard caught 10 passes. Washington traded up to get Howard,  dealing their two first-round picks -- sixth and 28th overall -- and their third-round choice (84th) to the Bengals for their first-round pick (fourth) and their third-round pick (58th). Howard helped the Packers win a Super Bowl after the Redskins dumped him.