NFL Draft: The 5 Worst First Overall Picks in the 21st Century

Ever since the year 2000, there have been multiple teams that have held the first overall pick int he NFL draft and have simply made the worst possible mistake—drafting a player who didn't quite work out. 

In those 11 seasons, I have came up with five players that didn't necessarily amount to what they were projected to be and are now labeled as "busts."

It's kind of shocking that you can find five mistakes in 11 seasons, which is nearly 50 percent. 

These five players may have had their bright sports, some certainly more than others, and some have these players have been down right awful. 

Here are the five worst first overall draft picks in the 21st century.

This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net. Be sure to follow Tony Santorsa on Twitter @TonySantorsa.

5. Michael Vick

Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images

RICHMOND, VA - AUGUST 27: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick makes a statement to reporters at the Omni Richmond Hotel after agreeing to a guilty plea on charges stemming from his involvement in a dogfighting ring August 27, 2007, in Richmond, Virg

Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick may be a considered an "elite" quarterback nowadays, but a few seasons ago, he was labeled as a huge disappointment.

Vick was the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons had so much confidence in that Vick was going to be the face of the franchise that they shipped away the fifth overall pick in the '01 draft along with a third rounder to the San Diego Chargers to acquire Vick. 

At first, Vick showed promising signs of being a one-of-a-kind quarterback as he was such an elusive runner—although, he never really established his passing game as his best season in Atlanta he only completed 56.4 percent of his passes. 

In the summer of 2007, Vick's life changed, and the city of Atlanta would soon find out that Vick was a big time bust. 

Vick was arrested for several charges of illegal dog fighting and faced a 23-month jail sentence and he was later released by the Atlanta Falcons.

4. Courtney Brown

M. David Leeds/Getty Images

15 Apr 2000: Courtney Brown holds up a Brown''s jersey after Cleveland made him the number one pick in the 2000 NFL Draft at the Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Mandatory Credit: M. David Leeds/ALLSPORT

Could the Cleveland Browns be the worst drafting team in recent memory? Defensive end Courtney Brown certainly makes a case for it.

The former first overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, Brown only suited up for five seasons as a Brown and only went onto play one more year with the Denver Broncos before retiring. 

Brown was never able to find his way into the top of the league for pass rushing as he suffered multiple nagging injuries throughout his career.

Throughout his six year career, Brown only tallied up 19 career sacks while only playing in 61 games. 

3. David Carr

Al Bello/Getty Images

20 April 2002: David Carr of Fresno State is selected first pick of the 2002 NFL Draft by The Houston Texans at the Theatre in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Digital Image. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

David Carr was thrown into one of the worst possible situations as he was the first overall selection in the 2002 NFL draft to the Houston Texans who were entering their inaugural season as an expansion team. 

In my opinion, Carr could have been a quality NFL quarterback if he wasn't put on a team with a bunch of "nobodies" and if he didn't start right away. 

Carr was a standout quarterback at Fresno State as he threw 49 touchdowns his senior year and really looked to be a future NFL star.

His rookie season in Houston, Carr was literally thrown to the wolves: he threw an amazing 444 pass attempts in '02 and while completing 52.5 percent of those passes for nine touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

If Carr was developed correctly, he could very well still be the starting quarterback in Houston but as of right now, Carr will go down as an NFL bust—even though he was handled very poorly. 

2. Alex Smith

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY - APRIL 23: Quarterback Alex Smith (Utah) poses with his jersey during the 70th NFL Draft on April 23, 2005 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Smith was drafted first overall by the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ch

I really couldn't tell you how a play as mediocre as Alex Smith was a first overall draft choice—maybe it was because the 2005 NFL draft was such a weak draft in the early rounds. 

The former Utah quarterback was selected before quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Matt Cassel who have all had solid NFL careers and put up big numbers as a starter.

Smith was certainly a winner in college as he posted a 21-1 record at Utah, but some may speculate that he played against sub-par competition.

During his NFL career, Smith has been pulled back and fourth from starting and to the bench with the San Francisco 49ers and has seen multiple offensive coordinators walk in and out of the door—never really been able to develop under one offensive system.

Smith does have the intangibles to be a great West Coast offense quarterback, but he hasn't been given the time to settle.

Either way, Smith should have not been the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft.  

1. JaMarcus Russell

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Quarterback JaMarcus Russell of LSU poses for a photo after being drafted by the Oakland Raiders during the 2007 NFL Draft on April 28, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was go down as probably the most physically gifted NFL quarterback that was not able to excel at the next level.

The Raiders selected Russell to be the team's franchise quarterback with the first pick in the 2007 NFL draft and it has been an awful and rough ride with Russell leading the ship. 

Many fans across the NFL can describe Russell as lazy, immature, non-motivated, and utter lack of self-awarness—Russell is simply a child. 

After watching Russell several times at LSU in college, he had probably the "biggest" and strongest arm that I have ever seen—there is no question that he could make all the NFL throws. 

But, Russell never developed and never understood the concept of being a professional athlete. 

Being a quarterback in the NFL is not an easy thing to do, no matter how talented you are—just ask the biggest draft bust in the 21st century, JaMarcus Russell.