2012 NFL Draft: Unveiling the Anatomy of a Sure-Fire Bust

They lurk within every single NFL Draft posing as something they are not. They are busts, and we absolutely hate them. 

Well, hate is a strong word. How about we say they can ruin a perfectly good NFL franchise for a few years. 

It's amazing that something like the NFL draft, an institution that is decades-old, can still feature so many teams getting this stuff horribly incorrect. 

Well, actually, it's rather easy. 

Busts are a byproduct of being human. As you will see, the reaching for stars and lumping of immense hype is only natural as we try to find the next big thing. 

Here is where things go horribly wrong.

Expectations

An NFL bust begins and ends with expectations. Prior to failure, expectations are sky-high, producing a fictional player that only a few men could ever live up to.

You always know when the bust process has run its course because there are little to no expectations left, giving us an intangible bookend to failure.

Rick Mirer came in with the promise of being the next Joe Montana. JaMarcus Russell had so much talent there was no way he would miss, and Ryan Leaf was going to be the best of them all.

You only need to look at the year-long coverage of the NFL Draft that keeps us all glued to the TV and searching ad nauseum online.

We crave the draft, forcing pundits and experts to predict a future that will never unfold as expected. The draft bust begins with our need to know the future, and to know it right now.

Pressure 

Forming a "bust" is like making a diamond. Apply an immense amount of pressure, combine with time and wait. 

Instead of something valuable, you will get a cringe-inducing player that is hardly worth your time. Alex Smith was taken first overall and Aaron Rodgers had to wait 23 more picks before coming off the board. 

While Rodgers' shuffling for the countless moments before being picked must have felt like hell on earth, it worked out famously for the superstar.

The pressure of being a "sure thing" was extinguished as he was forced to wait his turn behind Brett Favre. That left fans to wait before ever lumping immense amounts of pressure on his shoulders. 

Meanwhile, Smith was thrown into the fire immediately in a sink or swim situation that saw him flail and bumble for years before finally proving his mettle in 2011. 

I am not about to call Alex Smith a bust, because he certainly showed flashes of brilliance last year, but he was certainly called worse by many others for years before last season.

Next Big Things

They shut the door on the stars that have yet to flourish. 

Alex Smith had to suffer through season after season of various offensive coordinators and change, but he would have been immediately ousted if the next big thing showed up at camp. 

He was saved only because the next in line wasn't ready. 

The stars of tomorrow complete the ugly and vicious cycle of greats that never lived up to the promise. 

Thursday marks another draft wherein a great many stars will be drafted, measured and weighed by millions of fans that love this game. 

There will be just as many busts as superstars, and there is nothing we can do about it. 

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