The Biggest NFL Busts Of The 2000s and Their Possible 2010 Counterparts
Oh, the pressure that comes with being a NFL first-round draft pick.
The illustrious college careers, the ultra-hyped draft stocks, and the players that were absolutely on the fast track to super-stardom are what makes being a rookie in the NFL the World's toughest entry-level job.
The word "bust" is the most frightening term that's thrown around NFL camps each season, a distinction that haunts all of the first-round draft picks.
Thankfully, the 2000s provided us with a bevy of first-round guys who simply couldn't cut it as a professional.
Let's look at these players and rookies from the 2010 Draft class that may have similar fates.
12. Kentwan Balmer
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Kentwan Balmer was the 29th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft - therefore, he wasn't under a ridiculous amount of pressure to perform and wasn't exactly the most dynamic prospect coming out of North Carolina.
However, he's been on the San Francisco 49ers' roster for two years now and you wouldn't know it.
In his first two seasons in the Bay Area, Balmer has "wreaked havoc", totaling a mere 19 tackles with zero sacks.
Last week he was shipped to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth-round draft pick.
Good luck, Pete Carrol.
2010 Possibility - DE/DT Jared Odrick. Both guys will play in the 3-4 next season, and heading into this season, Odrick has similar expectations to what we wanted to see from Balmer as a rookie.
11. JP Losman
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Losman is the forgotten quarterback of the famed 2004 class that included Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.
The California kid had all the skill sets - great arm, mobility, athleticism, to become a solid quarterback in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills loved him so much they moved back into the first-round to take Losman with the 22nd overall pick in the 2004 Draft.
He battled with Kelly Holcomb at the start of his time as a professional, but when he wrestled the starting job away from the veteran, he was a magnificent disappointment.
His best season came in 2006 when he tossed 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but in Buffalo, he'll always be remembered for making the dumb play at the most inopportune time.
Injuries riddled Losman's career and after an embarrassing stint with the Las Vegas Locomotives in the UFL, he played for the Raiders and is currently a backup in Seattle.
This bust was easy, just pronounce his name.
2010 Possibility - QB Jimmy Clausen. He was compared to Losman coming into the draft, and something with his intangibles/attitude must have thrown up a red flag for Clausen to fall all the way into the second-round.
10. Robert Gallery
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Every year the draft "gurus" label one offensive lineman ahead of the rest and in 2004, Robert Gallery's size, technique and brute strength made him that guy.
Al Davis drooled over Gallery, and made him the 2nd overall pick of the draft.
Unfortunately for Raider Nation this was just the beginning of his scalp-scratching draft decisions.
The former Outland Trophy winner was to be the catalyst who'd bring the Raiders back to prominence but actually was part of the reason why they've been consistently brutal each season following their Rich Gannon-led Super Bowl run of 2003.
To his credit, he has started 75 games throughout his career, but due to his unstable play at the left tackle position, he was moved to right tackle and is currently listed as Oakland's left guard.
Love the hair, though.
2010 Possibility - OT Bryan Bulaga. Both huge, both from Iowa. Bulaga is in a better situation than Gallery was back in 2004.
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10. Peter Warrick
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I usually question the over-hyped 'rooks as they enter the NFL each year, but Warrick was an athlete I was positive would make huge contributions as a professional.
Shows how much I know.
There's not much he was unable to do in college.
His 32 touchdown catches during his time in Tallahassee are an Florida State record.
Warrick was the most dynamic return man in the country, won a National Championship in the 2000 Sugar Bowl, a game in which he was named the MVP after a 160 yard, three touchdown performance that included a punt return score.
Even after his shoplifting incident that cost him two games on the sideline in 1999, the Cincinnati Bengals made him the 4th overall pick in the 2000 Draft.
In 2003, Warrick had his breakout year.
He caught 79 passes, accumulated 819 yards with seven touchdowns.
However, in 2004 he was sidelined with injuries, and the unknown T.J. Houshmandzadeh replaced him.
We know the rest.
Warrick was released prior to the 2005 campaign.
2010 Possibility - WR Golden Tate. Warrick was more of a return threat and probably was a bit faster, but Tate's the closest comparison to the former FSU star.
9. Ron Dayne
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Even as a Michigan fan, Ron Dayne was extremely fun to watch during his time as a Wisconsin Badger.
The 1999 Heisman Trophy winner was selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2000 draft and was a part of the Giants Super Bowl losing team that same year when he split the backfield with Tiki Barber.
He was known as the "Great Dayne" in college always hitting the home-run despite his mammoth size, but he could never do the same in the NFL.
Jim Fassel was constantly on his case to lose weight.
Even when Tom Coughlin took over in 2004, he rarely saw the field, and when he did he was mostly ineffective.
After stops in Denver and Houston, Dayne has been out of the league since 2007.
2010 Possibility - Toby Gerhart. Big, punishing, slower-than-you'd-like running backs. Gerhart joins a team with a legitimate featured back just like Dayne did in 2000.
8. Joey Harrington
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Harrington was the beginning of Oregon sending loads of skill players to the NFL in the 2000s.
All signs pointed to Harrington returning the Lions back to their playoff days of Scott Mitchell in the mid-90s - he was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2001, and threw 59 touchdowns during his three year tenure as the Ducks quarterback.
Sadly for Harrington, Matt Millen was the GM during his time in the Motor City, and he completed atrocious drafts year after year, never helping the porous offensive line, and failing to give Harrington legitimate weapons around him.
The 3rd overall pick in 2002 never came close to becoming the franchise quarterback many Lions' fans thought he'd be and was traded to the Miami Dolphins at the conclusion of the 2005 season.
2010 Possibility - Sam Bradford. Both come from ideal situations in college, and entered absolutely terrible ones in the pros.
7. Mike Williams
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The first the Mike Williams' to make this list helped setback the Buffalo Bills into their decade of futility.
Williams was the must-have offensive tackle of the 2002 Draft out of college superpower Texas.
He was to solve the Buffalo's post-Jim Kelly troubles, with his blindside protection of Bills' QB Drew Bledsoe.
What a mess.
After complete failure at the both tackle positions, he was supplanted by un-drafted free agent Jason Peters.
The Bills let him go in 2006, and shortly thereafter he was out of the NFL for two years.
Last season he was apart of the offensive-line catastrophe in Washington.
2010 Possibility - OT Anthony Davis. Huge tackles, with maturity and attitude problems.
6. Mike Williams
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If we learned one thing from the 2000s draft busts, it's: don't draft players named Mike Williams.
The second Mike Williams, the wide-out from USC, is the second Detroit Lion who's college career never translated to Sundays.
It's difficult to find another wide receiver who made a bigger impact during his first two years in college than Mike Williams.
He scored 14 touchdowns as a freshman, and caught 95 balls for 1,314 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore.
After that colossal season, Williams sat out an entire year so he was three years removed of high school to become eligible to enter the draft.
During Matt Millen's infamous run on wide receivers in the draft, Williams was the 10th overall selection in 2005 after a year without football.
Yea, great decision Matt.
To give you an idea of how Williams has fared during his time as a pro - here's his career totals during the four seasons he's been on an NFL roster...
42 catches, 350 yards with 1 touchdown.
Wow.
2010 Possibility - WR Demaryius Thomas. Similar size and speed. Less and perfect situations.
5. David Carr
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I always believed that David Carr was the victim of a terrible expansion situation in Houston with the Texans.
Carr was the 1st pick in the 2002 following a monstrous, 46 touchdown and 9 interception season with Fresno State in 2001.
During his time as a Texan he was consistently the most sacked quarterback in the NFL, and although he led Houston to a win in their first regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys, he never materialized into the franchise quarterback many believed he'd become.
He had a respectable season in 2004 when he ended the year with an 83.5 QB rating.
After that year, Matt Schaub was named the starter in Houston when he was brought over from Atlanta, and we all know what's happened since then.
2010 Possibility - QB Colt McCoy. Tough to compare with Carr being the first pick and McCoy a third-rounder, but McCoy's a big name from the college ranks similar to what Carr was.
4. Troy Williamson
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The supposed Randy Moss replacement, Williamson was the 7th overall pick in the 2005 Draft out of South Carolina.
Williamson was dubbed a "burner" and though much smaller than Moss, he was to provide the same deep threat possibility.
During his time in Minnesota, his highest receiving yard total was 455 yards in 2006, and scored only three touchdowns.
He was put under scrutiny because of his continual drops, fell out of favor with head coach Brad Childress and later said he'd be willing to fight the head coach at mid-field. (via ESPN)
After a poor 2007 season, he was sent packing to Jacksonville, and has caught eight passes in two seasons.
Ouch.
2010 Possibility - WR Arrelious Benn. Extremely athletic, big play wide-outs.
3. Courtney Brown
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What a way to kick off the 21st century, with number one overall pick Courtney Brown.
This guy was a freak coming out of Penn State.
He finished his career under Joe Paterno with 33 sacks and a mind-blowing 70 tackles for loss from the defensive end position.
He was gigantic, athletic, and ridiculously fast (4.52 40 time) and had to be the 1st pick in 2000 to the boring Cleveland Browns.
He had a good rookie year, recording 4.5 sacks but injuries ultimately led to his departure from Cleveland.
Brown moved on to the Denver Broncos and the injury woes continued.
In 2007 he was cut by head coach Mike Shanahan.
2010 Possibility - DE Derrick Morgan. Similar frames, both accumulated huge numbers in college.
2. Charles Rogers
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What a lost soul Charles Rogers is.
After winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver in 2002, and setting various school records at Michigan State (27 career TDs, 270 yards receiving in one game) Rogers was selected by none other than Matt Millen and the Detroit Lions with the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 Draft.
Rogers broke his collarbone five games into his rookie season, and re-injured his collarbone in 2004, and was never the same - not that he was anything special to begin with.
He's known for his lack of any work ethic and drug abuse, as he was suspended during his time in Detroit for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Since, he has admitted to being a heavy marijuana user, and though he worked out with a few teams in 2007, his 4.65 40-yard dash time didn't exactly drop any coach's jaws.
What a shame.
2010 Possibility - WR Dez Bryant. Many don't have Bryant becoming a bust, but if so, the failure will parallel Rogers' fall from the mid-2000s.
1. JaMarcus Russell
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JaMarcus Russell played the biggest game of his life, precisely when he needed to.
His 21 of 34, 355 yard, two touchdown performance against Brady Quinn and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2006 Sugar Bowl made him the sure-fire top-pick that was to go to the Oakland Raiders number one overall.
Russell was big, strong and possessed a rocket arm that many believed would allow him to be the savior of Al Davis' franchise.
Think again.
After problems with his weight and his poor work ethic, Russell was released by the Raiders in the 2010 off-season.
Recently, Russell tested positive for codeine-syrup and since has admitted to using the drug in the past. (was he sipping on some of Lil' Jon's famous "Purple Drank"?)
The agitated Russell currently is un-employed and is the biggest draft bust of the 2nd millennium.
2010 Possibility - QB John Skelton. Nowhere near the same hype, but with Skelton's missle arm and frame, he could be starting in Arizona sooner than people think.
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