The NFL's 10 Worst First Round Picks of the Last 30 Years

With the 2009 NFL Draft just around the corner, let's look at some draft picks NFL teams wish they had avoided.

It took some of these teams years to recover after these picks.

10. Dan McGwire, San Diego St.

NFL Draft 1991: Round One, Pick 16—Seattle Seahawks

Dan McGwire was expected to be the Seahawks' QB of the future in 1991. He backed up incumbent QB Dave Krieg his rookie year but performed poorly in the preseason of his second year.

He ended his second season as the third string QB behind Stan Gelbaugh and Kelly Stouffer. McGwire finished his career throwing all of two touchdowns with six interceptions and a lowly QB rating of 52.3.

I bet Seattle wished they had a do-over on that pick.

9. Tony Mandarich, Michigan St.

NFL Draft 1989: Round One, Pick Two—Green Bay Packers

Back in 1989, some folks in the media were touting Tony Mandarich as the best offensive line prospect in the history of the NFL.

He was far from it.

Allegations of steroid use were commonly heard about Mandarich, but it was his performance on the field that underwhelmed.

He played only three seasons at Green Bay and was out of football for five years before ending up with the Indianapolis Colts for three decent but nondescript seasons.

He was drafted ahead of players like Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, and Derrick Thomas.

8. Cade McNown, UCLA

NFL Draft 1999: Round One, Pick 12—Chicago Bears

McNown didn't actually start his career all that poorly with the Bears. At the end of his first season, he set Chicago Bears franchise rookie records for completions and passing attempts.

His second season is where things truly went downhill.

The Bears started McNown in his second season, and he promptly started the year 1-6.

A Web site called www.tradecade.com was created, and McNown only had spot duty for the Bears until he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2001.

He played one more season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2002 and finished his forgettable career with 16 touchdown passes, 19 interceptions, and a QB rating of 67.7.

That's better than Dan McGwire, I guess.

7. Aundray Bruce, Auburn

NFL Draft 1988: Round One, Pick One—Atlanta Falcons

Those of you that remember Aundray Bruce at Auburn will swear this guy was a Lawrence Taylor clone. Fast, ferocious, and relentless, he was destined for greatness as the No. 1 pick of the 1988 draft.

Unfortunately for Bruce, it didn't turn out that way. Unlike several others on this list, Bruce stayed out of trouble with the law, but in an 11-year career, he started only 42 games and never lived up to the high expectations with which he left college.

6. Akili Smith, Oregon

NFL Draft 1999: Round One, Pick Three—Cincinnati Bengals

If 1983 is noted as the greatest QB draft of all time, then 1999 might be the worst.

Smith started only 17 NFL games, threw five touchdowns and 13 interceptions, and completed a paltry 46.6 percent of his passes. He was out of the NFL in four years.

Not what you expect out of the third pick in the NFL draft.

5. Rae Carruth, Colorado

NFL Draft 1997: Round One, Pick 27—Carolina Panthers

Carruth actually was a decent player.

During his rookie season he caught 44 passes for 545 yards and four touchdowns. He broke his right foot in the opening game of the 1998 season and only caught four passes for 59 yards the rest of the season.

The next season is where Carruth's NFL career and life, as he knew it, came to an end.

After the shooting death of his then pregnant girlfriend, Carruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. He is currently serving 19 years at a North Carolina prison.

A promising career sadly came to an end before it began. 

Carruth's pick by the Panthers would haunt them for years.

4. Todd Marinovich, USC

NFL Draft 1991: Round One, Pick 24—Los Angeles Raiders

One of the poster boys in the 1990s for an NFL draft bust, Marinovich was groomed to be star QB by his overbearing father. This may have in part led to his habitual drug use during his NFL career.

Marinovich failed three NFL drug tests, only threw for 1,345 yards, and was out of the NFL by the end of 1992.

3. Ryan Leaf, Washington State

NFL Draft 1998: Round One, Pick Two—San Diego Chargers

You know you're a bust when on draft day general managers and draft experts utter the words, "You don't want to draft the next Ryan Leaf."

In 1998 Leaf signed, at the time, the biggest signing bonus ever for a rookie—an $11.25 million signing bonus—and the Chargers were expecting at least a couple of Super Bowls.

What they got was one of the biggest flops in NFL history.

Leaf's career was marked by run-ins with fans, media, and teammates. His play on the field wasn't any better. He ended his career with a passer rating of 50.0.

Yeesh...and some people thought he would be better than Peyton Manning.

2. Art Schlichter, Ohio State

NFL Draft 1982: Round One, Pick Four—Indianapolis Colts

It's one thing to be an underperforming draft bust or a decent player who has gotten in trouble with the law, but it's totally another to underperform and be a criminal.

That's an honor reserved for the two biggest first round busts in NFL history.

Art Schlichter was a very talented quarterback out of Ohio State, but his NFL career never panned out.

During the strike of 1982, Schlichter totaled gambling debts that would make Michael Jordan blush. He totaled over $700,000 in losses that year, and in early 1983, he lost another $389,000 betting on basketball games.

He was suspended by the NFL in 1983 and reinstated in 1984, but was done with the NFL in 1985 when the Colts heard he was gambling again. A 42.6 career QB rating is the worst on this list, and that's saying something.

He has served the equivalent of 10 years in various prisons...not good.

1. Lawrence Phillips, Nebraska 

NFL Draft 1996: Round One, Pick Six—St. Louis Rams

Phillips nudges ahead of Schlichter because Phillips showed signs, even in college, that he was going to have trouble with the law.

During the 1995 season, he physically assaulted his then girlfriend, pulling her down a stairwell by her hair and shirt. In a controversial decision by Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, Phillips was not thrown off the team. He ended the season on a high note by rushing for 165 yards and two TDs in the national title game.

Phillips only played two seasons with the Rams. To further add to their poor draft choice, they traded away Jerome Bettis to make room for Phillips.

Over the next three years, Phillips was in and out of the NFL and has since had numerous other run-ins with the law, ending in a 10-year jail sentence in 2008. 

He finished his career with only 1,453 yards for a paltry 3.4 yards per carry average.

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