It wouldn’t be outrageous to say that Smith is the best wide receiver in the NFL. Smith led the league in yards and touchdowns a few seasons ago while facing constant triple coverage, and even put up respectable numbers this year despite Jake Delhomme, David Carr, Vinny Testeverde, Matt Moore all going down with injuries
16. (tie) Tiki Barber RB, New York Giants 36th overall (2nd round) 1997
Ronde Barber CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 66th overall (3rd round) 1997
One will go down as the face of his immensely successful franchise. The other will go down as the running back that foolishly passed up a Super Bowl to take a job with NBC.
15. Marques Colston WR, New Orleans Saints 252nd overall (7th round) 2006
Everyone expected New Orleans’ top young talent to burst out of the gates with 2,240 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first two seasons. But no one expected that young talent to be Colston. For all the hype Reggie Bush has garnered, Colston has been the Saints’ most dangerous weapon since ’06.
29. (tie) Bryant Johnson and Calvin Pace Cardinals, 16 and 17 (1st round) 2003
The Cards missed an opportunity to draft can’t-miss pass rusher Terrell Suggs, and instead traded down to select two extreme reaches in Pace, an undersized defensive end, and Johnson, an unpolished wide receiver.
Neither panned out, although Pace is living more than comfortably after signing an inexplicable six-year, $42 million contract with the New York Jets. On a positive note, the Cardinals made up for their first-round debacles by drafting Anquan Boldin with their second-round choice (54 overall).
28. David Carr QB, Houston Texans 1st overall (1st round) 2002
It’s difficult to term this a “bad pick” because of the circumstances Carr was forced into, but the fact of the matter remains that he hasn’t produced anywhere regardless of his supporting cast.
Carr, who didn’t face major competition at Fresno State, had a rough transition to the NFL. He set the single-season record for sacks taken behind a woeful offensive line. Even when his protection improved and the Texans added playmakers (Andre Johnson, Dominick Davis), Carr still looked uncomfortable behind center. He posted a miserable 58.5 quarterback rating in six games with Carolina last year and has since signed on with the Giants to back-up Eli Manning.
27. Ron Dayne RB, New York Giants 11th overall (1st round) 2000
The all-time leading rusher in college football was far from a sure-thing on draft day; many teams were rightfully concerned with his weight and lack of speed. After a few seasons of splitting carries with Tiki Barber, the Giants’ backfield quickly became a lot of lightning and very little thunder. Dayne has since re-established himself as a serviceable back with the Houston Texans, but never has proved to be a capable full-time starter.
26. Andre Wadsworth DE, Arizona Cardinals 3rd overall (1st round) 1998
An elongated training camp holdout and several knee injuries quickly derailed the career of a defensive end so powerful and so athletic that nearly every draft expert dubbed him a “can’t miss.”
Wadsworth attempted a comeback as recently as 2007 with the Jets, but it’s safe to say he’ll never live up to the lofty expectations set upon him after his career at Florida State.
25. Jimmy Kennedy DT, St. Louis Rams 12th overall (1st round) 2003
It’s safe to say the Jimmy Kennedy experiment failed. The former Penn State standout had trouble finding time in a crowded defensive line and was eventually shipped out to Denver, where he was released early in the 2007 season.
24. Cedric Benson RB, Chicago Bears 4th overall (1st round) 2005
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