Biggest NFL combine busts of all time

Arguably the biggest draft bust in NFL history made what ESPN's John Clayton referred to as "a big impression" at the 2007 combine, and Clayton also wrote: "Russell is going to be a hard talent to pass up. Few quarterbacks have entered any draft with this type of arm strength." As Sports Illustrated pointed out, ESPN personality Todd McShay added to the hype: "I can't remember being in such awe of a quarterback in my decade of attending combines and pro days. Russell's passing session was the most impressive of all the pro days I've been to." Russell made 25 starts and 31 appearances over three seasons for the Oakland Raiders, the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2007. He never caught on with a different team. 

Safety Adam Archuleta wasn't the classic combine bust in that he spent seven seasons as an active player in the league, and he had a nice run with the St. Louis Rams. As Drake Oz of Bleacher Report wrote in 2011, Archuleta dazzled at the 2001 combine, posting 31 bench reps at 225 pounds, a 4.42 40-yard dash and a vertical of 39 inches. Archuleta never made a Pro Bowl, however, and he became one of the biggest free-agent busts in NFL history after the Washington Redskins made him the highest-paid safety in the league, at that time, in March 2006. 

By now the rise and fall of Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon is well-known among all within the NFL community. Per Bleacher Report's Wes O'Donnell , Blackmon ran between a 4.39 and 4.46 40 at the 2012 combine, depending on who was holding what watch, and that speed combined with ideal size for somebody at the position impressed onlookers. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Blackmon fifth overall, but no drills or races could've predicted the personal issues and multiple violations of the NFL's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse that would sink his career after only 20 games. 

Strength is unquestionably a desirable trait for any nose tackle, so it's understandable the Philadelphia Eagles became enamored with Brodrick Bunkley after watching him put up 44 reps on the 225-pound bench press at the 2006 combine, as Bleacher Report's Alessandro Miglio and Carl Stine wrote. With players such as Antonio Cromartie, Tamba Hali and Devin Hester on the board, the Eagles selected Bunkley 14th overall, but he failed to live up to that value despite remaining in the league through the 2014 campaign. 

Odds are you may not be familiar with this name unless you're a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan. Yamon Figurs was an undersized wide receiver who checked in under 6-foot tall at the 2007 combine, but his 4.3 40, per Fox Sports, remains one of the fastest ever posted for that drill. Baltimore spent a third-round pick on Figurs, and he tallied a pair of returns for touchdowns his first season. He caught only two passes over two seasons, though, and he didn't make the team's final roster ahead of the 2009 campaign. He floated around the league another couple of years before fading away from the NFL. 

4.26. It's the number often associated with running back Dri Archer and his 40 time at the 2014 combine. Unfortunately "bust" is also linked with his pro resume. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the Kent State ball-carrier in the third round, but he lasted only two seasons before the club released him. His career ended after he didn't report to the Buffalo Bills in May 2016. 

Chris Henry was an underused running back at Arizona who accumulated under 270 total carries during his collegiate career. As Don Yaeger of Forbes and Fox News pointed out, Henry improved his draft stock at the 2007 combine when he ran a 4.40 40 and had a 36-inch vertical. The Tennessee Titans overdrafted him via a second-round pick, but he was a complete non-factor in the team's rushing attack by his third season. He was out of the league before the end of 2011. 

Penn State linebacker Aaron Curry produced quite a show at the 2009 combine. Bleacher Report's Mark Travis called Curry the "safest pick" in that year's draft after the LB outperformed every other player at the position in five drills, and NFL.com's Steve Wyche wondered if Curry could go first overall. The Seattle Seahawks landed Curry with the fourth selection, but he was deemed a bust and traded to the Oakland Raiders after only two seasons. He retired in 2013 at 27 years old. 

Multiple big names entered the league via the 2014 NFL Draft, including Jadeveon Clowney, Blake Bortles, Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack, Mike Evans, Odell Beckham Jr., Zack Martin, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr and, of course, Johnny Manziel. Offensive tackle Greg Robinson was, in the eyes of some, a can't-miss prospect from the class, and he wowed scouts and observers watching from home at the combine. As Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport wrote, Robinson posted 32 reps on the 225-pound bench, and he measured at 6-foot-5 and 332 pounds. The St. Louis Rams selected him second overall, learning later that he couldn't block professional defensive players. After flopping with both the Rams and Detroit Lions, Robinson had a decent run with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. However, it's expected the Browns will look to upgrade the team's O-line this offseason. 

Cornerback Tye Hill was a track star at Clemson, so it shouldn't have been a shock when he ran a 4.3 40 at the 2006 combine, as Sean Wilkinson of Turf Show Times wrote. There were points during his rookie season when it appeared Hill could be worth the 15th-overall pick the St. Louis Rams paid to get him in the draft. He was even named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Multiple injury woes played a role in the Rams trading him ahead of the 2009 season, though, and he didn't play in the league following the 2010 campaign. 

Some New York Giants fans out there are old enough to remember when wide receiver Ramses Barden was advertised as a steal from the 2009 NFL Draft. Along with standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 229 pounds at the combine, his arm span measured 34.5 inches, and NFL.com speculated the Cal Poly wideout could be "a first-day pick." The Giants selected Barden in the third round, but that proved to be poor use of that asset. Other than lighting up the Carolina Panthers on a September night in 2012, his tenure with the club remains forgettable. 

In February 2012, SB Nation's Ethan Rothstein called wide receiver Stephen Hill "this year's combine freak," after the incredible athlete ran a 4.3 40 (officially 4.36) and dominated the gauntlet drill. The New York Jets were so sold that the team grabbed Hill with a second-round pick. He appeared in 23 games over two years, during which he had four receiving scores and 45 total catches. As of February 2019, Hill is trying to revive his career with the Alliance of American Football. 

In May 2014, Bleacher Report's Erik Frenz labeled Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert a "boom-or-bust prospect" while adding that Gilbert ran a 4.37 40, the fastest time delivered by any corner at that year's combine. Add in Gilbert's 6-foot, 202-pound frame and his 33.125-inch arm span, and he sure looked like somebody who could thrive in an NFL secondary. When the Cleveland Browns drafted him eighth overall, they couldn't have guessed "there might not be anybody in the NFL who cares less about football than Gilbert," as Kevin Jones wrote for Cleveland Scene in 2015. Cleveland traded one of the biggest busts in franchise history to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. That, to date, is the last time anyone has seen him play. 

As Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune wrote, former player and current NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders speculated wide receiver Kevin White "may have just ran himself into being a top 10 pick" after the speedster clocked in with a 4.35 40 at the 2015 combine. That's exactly what happened, as the Chicago Bears selected him seventh overall. Sadly, White spent more time as an injured spectator than an active participant over what should have been the first three seasons of his career. It seems unlikely the Bears will bring him back for the 2019 campaign. 

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN ), South Carolina wide receiver Troy Williamson produced a stellar showing at the 2005 combine when he ran a 4.36 40, the third-fastest time for a WR that year. After trading Randy Moss, the Minnesota Vikings were looking for a replacement, so the club acquired Williamson with the seventh pick. It turns out speed can't help somebody learn how to catch a football. After losing battles to the dropsies and tallying 79 receptions over three seasons, Williamson was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent two quiet seasons with the Jaguars before his NFL career concluded. 

In February 2012, Austin Paxson of 247Sports wrote how offensive tackle Bruce Campbell somewhat shockingly became a superstar of the 2010 NFL Draft after the 6-foot-6, 314-pound lineman ran a 4.85 40, recorded 34 reps on the 225-pound bench and notched a 32-inch vertical. Campbell fell to the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round despite those numbers, and Oakland soon learned why that occurred. Campbell never started for Oakland in 14 games over two seasons, and his last NFL regular-season appearance occurred in 2012. 

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones made history at the 2005 combine when he ran a 4.41 40, the fastest time ever recorded for a signal-caller. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Jones in the first round to move him to wide receiver even though he'd have to learn that position on the fly, a decision that went about as poorly as one should expect. Jones did have 65 receptions over 12 games during the 2008 campaign, but his momentum was halted after he earned a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, as explained by ESPN. That would prove to be the beginning of the end of his career, as he vanished almost as quickly as he arrived on the scene. 

The expansion Cleveland Browns drafted quarterback Tim Couch first overall in 1999, leaving signal-caller Akili Smith there for the Cincinnati Bengals to take with the third selection. J on Meerdink of The Power Sweep called the QB who ran a 4.66 40 at the combine and who stood 6-foot-3 and weighed between 220 and 230 pounds "an excellent physical specimen." It's well-known the New Orleans Saints wanted to move up to Cincinnati's pick to get running back Ricky Williams. Cincy probably should've accepted any offer. The Saints eventually landed their man, while the Bengals stuck with Smith for all of four seasons, during which he completed fewer than 50 percent of his pass attempts. 

You'll be shocked — SHOCKED, we say — to learn the Oakland Raiders were once overly impressed with somebody's combine stats. Back in 2009, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey posted a 4.3 40, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler , and the Raiders drafted Heyward-Bey seventh overall ahead of Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks and Mike Wallace, among other offensive and defensive talents. He spent four underwhelming seasons with the Raiders, never becoming anything resembling a No. 1 receiver over that time. Give Heyward-Bey credit, though, as he remained in the league receiving paychecks from the Pittsburgh Steelers as of Week 17 of the 2018 campaign. 

In February 2008, ESPN's Pat Yasinskas wrote how Boston College defensive end Mike Mamula painstakingly prepared for the 1995 combine , a practice not nearly as popular then as it is today. Mamula's work paid off, as Yaskinskas described: "(Mamula's) 40-yard time was faster than some linebackers, and he benched 225 pounds as many times as some offensive linemen." The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Mamula seventh overall, and he played 77 games over five years for the franchise. Meanwhile, Philadelphia missed out on Warren Sapp, Ty Law and Derrick Brooks. All three of those defensive players are Hall of Famers. 

The ESPN SportsNation page claimed Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston "turned in the best performance" at the 2008 combine after he ran a 4.61 40, put up 37 reps on the 225-pound bench and posted the best figures among defensive linemen in the vertical jump and the broad jump. Gholston went to the New York Jets via the sixth pick, where he never performed as well on the field as he did while wearing shorts during drills. In three seasons, he appeared in 45 games, and his downright sad statistics make him a historic bust for a franchise responsible for quite a few of them. 

Some observers and analysts gushed over the fact that unlike many other quarterbacks, UCF product Blake Bortles wasn't afraid to participate in on-the-field drills during the 2014 combine. From Bleacher Report's Alex Kay: "Bortles’ attitude might be the number one thing that impressed NFL personnel the most. He came in ready to show the world what he was capable of and wasn’t afraid of failure as he maneuvered through the various drills." The 6-foot-5, 232-pound signal-caller was drafted third overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and, well, we've already discussed the players taken after both Bortles and Greg Robinson that year. Outside of a hot streak during the 2017 campaign, Bortles has largely been a bust. Jacksonville is almost guaranteed to move on from him during the 2019 offseason. 

In March 2018, Jason Kirk of SB Nation named former Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to his "all-combine team" after RG3 posted historic stats among signal-callers for 40-yard dash and vertical. The Washington Redskins moved heaven and earth, and a ton of assets, to climb up to the second pick to draft Griffin, and he looked worth the investment when he won Rookie of the Year honors. Things mostly went downhill from there. Injuries and alleged issues with teammates led to the Redskins releasing Griffin in March 2016. He spent the 2018 campaign as a backup with the Baltimore Ravens.  

Nobody could deny Tim Tebow was an electric athlete and must-see TV during his days at Florida. As Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman wrote, Tebow was also a superstar during the 2010 combine after he ran a 4.72 40 and outperformed other signal-callers in the vertical jump and the three-cone drill. We know now, obviously, that Tebow shouldn't have been a first-round pick for any team, let alone for the Denver Broncos. His last regular-season appearance occurred in 2012, and he's trying to make it with the New York Mets as of February 2019. Tebow and Denver fans can always remember this moment fondly, though. 

Offensive tackle Tony Mandarich went from being "The Incredible Bulk" to "The Incredible Bust" after only six seasons. As ESPN's Katherine Terrell wrote, the Michigan State product pumped 39 reps on the bench press and ran a 4.65 40, just absurd numbers, and the Green Bay Packers took him second overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. Admissions of PED use and a poor work ethic ended his tenure with the Packers after three years. He returned to the league to play for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996 through 1998.