2011 NFL Draft: Will Cam Newton Be Among Biggest Quarterback Busts Since 2000?
JaMarcus Russell, Matt Leinart Headline the 10 Biggest Quarterback Draft Busts Since 2000; Will Cam Newton Join Them?
Drafting an NFL quarterback might be the most incomplete science in all of sports.
Since 2000, eight quarterbacks have been drafted No. 1 overall, and over three have been selected in the first round on average in that same time period.
While there are plenty of success stories—Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger—there are even more franchise-altering busts.
Now, with many mock drafts projecting Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to go No. 1 overall this April, it begs the question:
Will Newton join the ranks of the next 10 quarterbacks in this list?
10. Patrick Ramsey
1 of 11
Career stats: 5,930 yards, 35 TD's, 30 INT's, 79 sacks, 14 fumbles lost, 74.9 QB rating
Rundown: While Ramsey is the only player on this list with more career touchdowns than interceptions, the former 32nd overall pick in 2002 should still be considered a bust.
During his four seasons in Washington, Ramsey never cracked 15 touchdowns or 2,500 yards, and his ineffectiveness coincided with the failed Steve Spurrier experiment.
As a borderline first round pick, it's tough to truly label Ramsey a bust, but eight NFL teams and zero successful seasons is enough to justify calling him that.
9. Rex Grossman
2 of 11
Career stats: 7,081 yards, 40 TD's, 40 INT's, 67 sacks, 14 fumbles lost, 70.9 rating
Rundown: It might also be hard to label Grossman a bust, seeing as he's made a Super Bowl, but his teams won in spite of him.
During the Bears' 13-3 season of 2006, Grossman still threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles. In the '06 playoffs, Grossman tallied a 67.3 rating and had two critical interceptions in the Super Bowl.
In his seven other seasons in the NFL, Grossman failed to start 10 games or throw 10 touchdowns.
He's trying to jumpstart his career in Washington—where he started games this past season—but he might never shed the bust label.
8. Kyle Boller
3 of 11
Career stats: 8,770 yards, 48 TD's, 51 INT's, 120 sacks, 21 fumbles lost, 70.4 QB rating
Rundown: The Ravens selected Boller 19th overall in 2003 to give Baltimore a quarterback who would complement their stacked defense, but that never materialized.
Boller was just 20-22 as the Ravens starter, and he failed to get to the playoffs despite the Ravens historically good defensive unit.
He struggled to stay healthy and, even when he was, Boller had only one season where he cracked 12 TD's and 2,000 yards passing (2004).
After drafting Joe Flacco in 2009, Boller's time in Baltimore ran out.
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7. J.P. Losman
4 of 11
Career stats: 6,211 yards, 33 TD's, 34 INT's, 103 sacks, 17 lost fumbles, 75.6 rating
Rundown: Losman was probably a reach for the Bills back in 2004 (22nd overall), and he proved it whether he was on the field or off.
Losman had one good season in Buffalo (2006) but he failed to crack 10 touchdowns or 1,500 yards passing in any of his other years.
In addition, Losman was only fully healthy for one season (again, 2006) and the Bills were done with him by 2008. He caught on with the UFL in 2009 and is now back in the NFL in Seattle.
6. David Carr
5 of 11
Career stats: 14,433 yards, 65 TD's, 71 INT's, 266 sacks, 22 fumbles lost, 74.9 QB rating
Rundown: There was an ironic moment in San Francisco this past season. With former No. 1 pick Alex Smith struggling at quarterback, the 49ers' crowd began chanting, "We want Carr! We want Carr!"
From one No. 1 overall bust to the next, huh San Fran?
To be fair to Carr, however, he never really had a chance in Houston. He was sacked 76 times in his first season (and the Texans' inaugural season) and he wasn't ever given the chance to develop.
Carr had some decent overall seasons (2004, 2006) but, like a sack in Reliant Stadium, he can't escape the title of draft bust either.
5. Alex Smith
6 of 11
Career stats: 9,399 yards, 51 TD's, 53 INT's, 128 sacks, 16 lost fumbles, 72.1 QB rating
Rundown: Oh, what could have been for the 49ers. A certain Super Bowl MVP was available for San Francisco to take No. 1 overall in 2005, but the Niners instead went with Smith.
While Aaron Rodgers (No. 24 to the Packers) was hoisting hardware this February, Smith and the 49ers once again suffered through a disappointing season.
In fact, Smith has never thrown more than 18 touchdowns in a single season, and his highest outputs for yards (2,890) and rating (82.1) for a year's work are way below average.
4. Joey Harrington
7 of 11
Career stats: 14,693 yards, 79 TD's, 85 INT's, 69.4 QB rating
Rundown: Drafted No. 3 overall in 2003, Harrington didn't inherit the most promising situation in Detroit.
However, Harrington did very little to turn around the Lions' franchise. He went 18-37 as a starter over four seasons, and only once did he register a quarterback rating over 75 (2004).
Harrington had stints with the Dolphins and Falcons in later years, but he hasn't played in an NFL game since 2007.
3. Brady Quinn
8 of 11
Career stats: 1,902 yards, 10 TD's, 9 INT's, 20 sacks, 66.8 QB rating
Rundown: The Browns traded back into the first round in 2007 to draft Quinn—the golden-armed quarterback from Notre Dame—but that turned out to be a golden mistake as well.
Quinn never touched 1,500 yards or 10 touchdowns in a single season, and he struggled mightily with his accuracy (52.1 percent).
The Browns eventually shipped Quinn to Denver, and the Broncos loved him so much that they decided to draft Tim Tebow in the first round last season.
2. Matt Leinart
9 of 11
Career stats: 3,893 yards, 14 TD's, 20 INT's, 29 sacks, 70.8 QB rating
Rundown: After winning both a national championship and Heisman Trophy at USC, Leinart was supposed to be the answer to the Cardinals' problems at quarterback.
Drafted 10th overall in 2006, Leinart lost the starting job to Kurt Warner—who promptly led one of the NFL's best aerial attacks and got Arizona to the Super Bowl.
Even once Warner retired, however, Leinart was unable to hold down the starting job and was released by the Cardinals before the 2010 season.
1. JaMarcus Russell
10 of 11
Career stats: 4,083 yards, 18 TD's, 23 INT's, 70 sacks, 15 lost fumbles, 65.2 QB rating
Rundown: Before I tear into Russell, let me quickly state that he was drafted into a terrible situation.
The Raiders organization might be on the upswing now, but in 2007 that franchise was literally a black hole no matter who you were or how good you might have been.
Even so, Russell was absolutely terrible. The 2007 No. 1 overall pick was a turnover machine (38 total in 24 games) and he only completed 52.1 percent of his passes.
Maybe in a different situation Russell could have been a better quarterback, but he's one of the NFL draft's biggest busts to date.
Will Cam Newton Be Next?
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When you examine the 10 quarterbacks just listed, it's easy to see why Cam Newton is a huge risk in the first round.
Right away, you can tell Newton is an elite athlete, but that doesn't translate into success in the NFL. You need to have the mental capacity, along with the athleticism, to be a successful NFL quarterback.
Accuracy is another huge issue. Newton was all over the place with his timing and footwork at the combine, and that led to throws that were severely off the mark.
Lastly, the character concerns swirling around Newton are a red flag. If you're not 100 percent committed to be the best quarterback you can be, you won't last very long in the NFL.
Newton has plenty of attributes that warrant him being a top pick—even the No. 1 pick.
However, the writing is on the wall if Newton is a bust, and he could very easily join the ranks of the 10 quarterbacks just listed if he does.
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