NFL Draft: Ranking the 25 Most Boneheaded Decisions in NFL Draft History
There are many different ways to determine whether a draft decision is boneheaded or not.
The franchise may have overlooked a player's character flaws, maybe you let that future Hall of Famer slip right past you or perhaps the franchise over estimated their prospect's talent and value.
Regardless, there are certain picks that are infamous for their boneheadedness and lack of planning.
Be forewarned, the Lions, Bengals and Raiders make multiple appearances on this slideshow.
NFL general managers wish they could call a mulligan on these decisions, but these boneheaded moves will be attached to them forever.
25. Jacksonville Gives and Gives… but Gets Little in Return
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With the 26th pick in 2008 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars were desperate to bolster their defensive line.
Jacksonville thought they could not get the prospect they truly needed at pick 26. The Jaguars wheeled and dealed, and they ultimately moved into the top 10.
The Jaguars traded up and made a deal with Baltimore at pick eight. The Jaguars gave the Ravens two third-round picks and a fourth-round pick in exchange for the eighth pick overall.
Jacksonville ultimately drafted defensive end Derrick Harvey out of Florida. Harvey was the MVP of the 2006 National Championship game and was seen as a prospect that could immediately contribute on Jacksonville’s line.
Harvey has not nearly lived up to the steep price that Jacksonville paid to draft the former Florida Gator though. Harvey has only recorded eight sacks throughout his four seasons with the Jaguars and was benched just last season for his lack of production.
Jacksonville clearly came out as the loser of their trade with the Ravens. The Jaguars were excited to draft Harvey, but the excitement has done nothing but wither since draft day.
24. Wendell Bryant’s Short Time with Arizona
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Wisconsin defensive tackle Wendell Bryant was a standout in college and was selected by Arizona with the 12th pick in 2002 NFL draft.
Bryant’s production with the Cardinals did not match the numbers he put up in college though. Wendell Bryant only recorded 1.5 sacks in his three seasons with Arizona.
To make matters worse, Bryant was kicked out of the league after collecting his third strike on the league’s substance abuse policy.
Arizona had strong aspirations for the former Wisconsin Badger, and I know they were expecting more production than they ultimately received from Bryant.
Bryant is currently attempting to work his way back into the NFL.
23. Upstart Texans Build Around David Carr
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Quarterback David Carr had a celebrated career at Fresno State, and Houston chose him as their quarterback of the future.
In hindsight, this appears to be an absolutely boneheaded move by the expansion franchise. But to be fair, there was a lot to like about Carr coming out of college.
He had good height for the position at 6’3" and possessed great arm strength. Carr also ran a pro-style offense at Fresno State, so there was no worry about him being a system quarterback.
Despite all of that, the quarterback never achieved greatness with the Houston Texans. Carr threw 58 touchdowns and 65 interceptions during his five seasons with the franchise.
Carr’s development was stalled by poor protection from his offensive line. David Carr was sacked an astounding 76 times as a rookie in 2002.
Since his starting days with Houston, the former Fresno State star has become somewhat of an NFL journeyman. He has had brief stints with the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers during the past three seasons.
For those Texans fans that were wondering, the next highest rated quarterback prospect was Oregon’s Joey Harrington.
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22. Cincinnati and the Injury Riddled Mr. Carter
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Cincinnati drafted Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter with the No. 1 selection of the 1995 NFL draft.
Carter had an outstanding collegiate career at Penn State rushing for 1,539 yards and 23 touchdowns in 1994.
Owner Mike Brown exclaimed shortly after drafting Ki-Jana Carter that the running back would be “his bell cow.”
Unfortunately, Carter’s NFL career was filled with injuries and time on the sidelines rather than rushing touchdowns.
Ki-Jana Carter would barely eclipse 1,000 rushing yards throughout the course of his six NFL seasons. In addition to playing for the Bengals, the running back also had short stints with New Orleans and Washington.
There is nothing you can do about injuries, but this is another top selection that did not pan out for the tough luck Bengals.
21. Montana, Young... Druckenmiller?
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The San Francisco 49ers were hoping that they still possessed the Midas Touch with quarterbacks when they selected Virginia Tech’s Jim Druckenmiller with the 26th pick in the 1997 NFL draft.
The 49ers were wildly successful with their selections of Joe Montana and Steve Young. Many in the organization were hoping that Jim Druckenmiller would be the next great quarterback in the line of 49ers signal callers.
Apparently, San Francisco saw something in the Virginia Tech Hokie that actually was not there.
Druckenmiller would not go on to have a career filled with Pro Bowls and Super Bowl victories like Montana and Young. Instead, he would only throw for 239 passing yards and one touchdown during his two seasons in San Francisco.
Another quarterback would have to carry on the legacy of the great Steve Young.
20. New Orleans Trades Up… but Is Left Unsatisfied
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New Orleans traded up to the sixth pick in the 2003 NFL draft to select Jonathan Sullivan from Georgia.
Jonathan Sullivan was a first-team All-SEC performer in 2002 and overall had a great collegiate career with Georgia.
Sullivan would not be worth the effort though at pick six for the Saints. He accumulated just 1.5 sacks and 57 tackles during his three seasons with New Orleans. Sullivan later re-emerged with the Patriots for a short amount of time.
The 6’3", 315-lb defensive lineman was supposed to bolster the interior of the Saints defensive line, but he hardly became a memorable figure on defense.
New Orleans must have seen something they liked in the Georgia Bulldog that made them trade up for him. Regardless, whatever potential they saw in him never consistently showed up on the football field.
19. Dallas Draws the Wrath of Randy Moss
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Twenty teams passed on Randy Moss before Minnesota selected Moss with the 21st pick in the 1998 NFL draft.
More than any other team though; Moss has singled out the Dallas Cowboys as an organization that he has vowed to exact revenge on.
Dallas drafted defensive end Greg Ellis, considering Moss’s character red flags more baggage than they wanted to take on.
Randy Moss has made good on his promise and has torched the Cowboys during the times he has squared off against them. The wide receiver has caught 35 passes for 734 yards and 11 touchdowns in the seven meetings.
Looking back, owner Jerry Jones regrets stoking a fire inside Moss.
"We probably awoke a sleeping giant if it meant that much to him. Certainly, he's made us pay, and I'm sorry we've got to play him."
Randy says that it is not as personal now as it was in 98, but there is still an extra motivation when he lines up across from the Cowboys.
"Am I still mad at the Cowboys?" Moss said, repeating a question. "Man, I always carry a certain chip on my shoulder for the Cowboys. Not as much, but I'm still ready to play some football."
Either way, Randy Moss would have been a better choice for the Cowboys at pick eight than Greg Ellis. The fact that the pick landed Dallas on the talented wide receivers radar makes it that much more boneheaded.
18. The Bengals Trade Down Too Far
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Cincinnati was riding high from selecting quarterback Carson Palmer in the 2003 NFL draft. The Bengals wanted to add more firepower to their offense in the form of a running back in the 2004 draft.
At pick 17, the Bengals were in great position to get arguably the top back in the draft class in Steven Jackson out of Oregon State.
Cincinnati opted to trade down a little bit so they could acquire cornerback Deltha O’Neal from Denver.
OK, getting a little risky, but at pick 24, Jackson should definitely still be on the board.
Then Cincinnati made what would be their fatal error and traded with St. Louis to the 26th pick.
Unfortunately, St. Louis had their eye on Mr. Jackson as well and ended up snatching him at pick 24.
Cincinnati settled for Michigan running back Chris Perry at pick 26 who enjoyed an injury riddled and less than memorable NFL career.
Yes, Cincinnati needed a running back and wanted Steven Jackson, but the Bengals played with fire and got burnt bad.
17. Todd Marinovich’s Tragic Fall from Grace
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Los Angeles drafted USC quarterback Todd Marinovich in the first round of the 1991 NFL draft.
The Raiders were obviously convinced that Marinovich was the type of player who would successfully lead the franchise into the future.
Unfortunately, a drug abuse problem cut short Todd’s time with the Raiders. Marinovich only played two seasons with the franchise after being released because of his drug abuse.
It has become well known that Marinovich was pushed from an early age into football. He carried the burden of high expectations and pressures.
Since his time with the Raiders, Marinovich has faced various legal troubles for his use of and involvement with drugs.
Marinovich’s story is not boneheaded, but rather it is truly tragic. Los Angeles thought that Marinovich could be their quarterback of the future, but his off-the-field troubles would never allowed that to happen.
16. A First-Round Pick… That Never Hit the Field
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The Washington Redskins drafted offensive tackle Andre T. Johnson with the 30th pick in the 1996 NFL draft.
Johnson played his college ball at Penn State, and Washington thought that he could bolster their offensive line.
The Redskins must have been watching a different player on tape that they assumed was Johnson though. Andre did nothing to impress Washington during the Redskins training camp.
Ultimately, Washington cut Andre T. Johnson less than a year after they drafted him with their first-round pick.
This is without a doubt a boneheaded use of a perfectly good first-round pick.
Johnson later surfaced as a member of the Detroit Lions but hardly revitalized his career in the Motor City.
15. Oakland Drafts Robert Gallery and Is Left with What Ifs
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Robert Gallery was supposed to be a feared fixture on the Oakland Raiders offensive line for years to come. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft.
The 6’7", 325-lb Gallery showed tremendous promise during his college days at Iowa. The thinking was that he would be the young cornerstone on Oakland’s offensive line.
This is a situation where hope does not meet reality though. Gallery never became the Pro-Bowl offensive lineman that many originally envisioned him to be.
My question is, why was wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald left on the board here?
I do realize that hindsight is 20-20, but this seemed like an ideal situation for both Fitzgerald and the Raiders. Oakland had an aging wide receiving core with veterans such as Tim Brown and Jerry Rice headlining the group.
Oakland must have felt the offensive line was the more pressing need, but this seemed like a great time to add an explosive young wide receiver to the aging unit.
14. The Teams That Passed on Aaron Rodgers
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I understand that not every NFL franchise was in need of a quarterback in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft.
Looking back though, it seems like Aaron Rodgers dropped a tad farther than he should have at pick 24.
Rodgers threw for 24 touchdowns and only eight interceptions during his senior season at Cal. He also had solid size for the position at 6’2". Nevertheless, NFL teams were less than sold on the Golden Bear.
Two teams that I am calling out in particular for their boneheadedness are Jacksonville and San Francisco.
Alex Smith was excellent in head coach Urban Meyer’s offense at Utah, but Smith’s career has not exactly measured up to Aaron Rodgers.
Jacksonville had visions of Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones at tight end. But, were the Jaguars that set at quarterback with Byron Leftwich under center?
Regardless, Green Bay chose the right man to replace Brett Favre under center. Aaron Rodgers has a Super Bowl ring and is one of the top signal callers in the game today.
Rodgers may not have enjoyed his fall on draft day, but now he can laugh at those NFL franchises for their boneheaded decision making.
13. Oakland’s Gigantic Reach on Sebastian Janikowski
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Sebastian Janikowski is a booming kicker and has always been a great asset for Oakland on special teams.
The fact that the Raiders would draft the Florida State kicker with the 17th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft is still incomprehensible to me though.
At the time, Janikowski was facing bribery charges, and there was a possibility that he might be deported. Sebastian Janikowski is originally from Poland.
Oakland went 8-8 in 2009. Despite the team’s previous special team miscues, there was assuredly more pressing needs on the roster.
Janikoswki’s career 173 made field goals and long of 61 yards is evidence of his kicking greatness. With that being said, it is still difficult to justify the kicker’s selection at pick 17.
12. Detroit Can Blame the System
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The term “system quarterback” is being thrown around more and more these days. Any Texas Tech or Hawaii quarterback who has attempted to become a legitimate NFL prospect has heard this gripe.
This means that a college runs a particular offensive system that is conducive to huge passing yards and numerous passing touchdowns. Systems such as this are usually run out of a spread formation, and the running game is typically marginalized.
The poster-boy for why teams should be wary of “system quarterbacks” is Andre Ware.
Andre Ware played for the Houston Cougars and was selected by the Detroit Lions with the seventh selection of the 1990 NFL draft.
Ware threw for 4,699 passing yards and 46 touchdowns in 1989 en route to a Heisman Trophy.
The problem was that Houston’s pass-happy offensive system was far different from any offense that was run in the NFL.
Ware never made the adjustment to the Lions more traditional offense, completing only 83 passes during his four seasons with the franchise.
This was a situation where statistics took precedent over the overall picture surrounding the prospect.
For those that are interested, Andre Ware is now a college football commentator for ESPN.
11. Akili Smith Is Not the Savior That Cincinnati Envisioned
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Akili Smith had his breakout season at Oregon as a senior in 1998. Smith threw for 3,763 yards 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Smith was the epitome of a one-year wonder in college. There were also character issues surrounding the young man. Smith was arrested on an assault charge while at Oregon.
With other high profile quarterbacks such as Tim Couch, Daunte Culpepper, Cade McNown and Donovan McNabb in the draft, it was uncertain who would take a gamble on Akili Smith.
The Bengals selected Smith with the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.
Akili never built on his phenomenal senior season in college though. He threw only five touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his four seasons in Cincinnati. There were concerns over Smith’s ability to make the transition to the much more in depth NFL playbook.
As a senior at Oregon, Smith showed the arm strength and skills that would definitely translate to the NFL. The Bengals took the plunge on Akili Smith and dove head first into an empty pool.
10. Ryan Leaf Does Not Measure Up to Peyton
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Honestly, San Diego gets somewhat of a pass here because everyone was projecting future greatness for Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf in the time leading up to the draft.
The famous argument was, who should be the No. 1 pick: Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning?
Leaf had a standout career with the Cougars leading Washington State to the Rose Bowl in 1998.
Peyton Manning is destined to be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, but Leaf’s career did not prove to be nearly as memorable.
Leaf’s career is honestly best remembered for his post-game outbursts. These maturity issues reared their ugly head quickly during his time with the Chargers.
Ryan Leaf finished his three-year NFL career throwing 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions throughout his time with San Diego and short tenure in Dallas.
9. Matt Millen Loves His Wide Receivers
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Let me preface this selection by saying that Matt Millen is no longer an integral part of the Lions organization as general manger. Instead, he is now a college football commentator at ESPN. Whether his departure has had anything to do with the Lions change of fortunes as a franchise is up for debate.
Regardless, Millen and the Lions felt that to be big winners in the NFL, you need talented wide receivers.
So, Detroit selected a wide receiver with their first pick in the 2003 draft, 2004 draft and the 2005 draft
It is bizarre enough that a franchise would draft a wide receiver in the first round three straight years. It needs to be mentioned that the wide receivers they drafted did not become future All-Stars for the Lions.
Michigan State product Charles Rogers was the Round 1 selection in 2003. Rogers had 36 receptions for 440 yards and four touchdowns during his three-year career with the Lions. I am guessing that Detroit was expecting more out of the former Spartan.
Roy Williams NFL career has been more productive than Rogers, but Williams will hardly be remembered as a game changing wide receiver. Williams had 28 touchdowns and 3,652 receiving yards for the Lions in his four seasons with the club.
Mike Williams was Detroit’s 2005 selection. Williams never produced nearly as much with Detroit as he did during his time in college with USC. Williams has only recently revived his career with Seattle, after being given a second chance by former coach Pete Carroll.
The boneheaded decision making surrounding this pick speaks for itself.
8. The First-Round Pick That Never Was
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A first-round pick is classified as a boneheaded selection when he does not live up to expectations or does not mesh with the team, but what happens when your first-round selection does not play….at all?
Dimitrius Underwood was a defensive end out of Michigan State who was drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.
Underwood signed a $5.3 million contract to play with the Vikings, but he only made it through one training camp practice.
Underwood said that he did not know if he wanted to play football or join the Christian ministry. Ultimately, he gave back the signing bonus that the Vikings had given him.
Dimitrius Underwood would never play a down of football for the Vikings though. Needless to say, there were definitely other players that could have contributed more than Underwood.
7. This Time It Is Cincinnati Blaming the System
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You might have recalled earlier that I spoke of Andre Ware and his failed tenure with the Detroit Lions. Ware put up gaudy statistics with the Houston Cougars in college, but never made the transition to the professional game.
Well before there was Andre Ware, Houston produced another highly touted but ultimately failed professional signal caller in David Klinger.
David Klinger put up remarkable statistics at Houston throwing for 5,140 yards during the 1990 season. David Klinger had his best game in Houston’s 62-45 victory over Arizona State. He threw for 716 yards in the contest.
NFL teams watched as Klinger slung the ball all over the field. There was a strong hope that these numbers could be carried over to Sundays.
Cincinnati ultimately pulled the trigger on David Klinger and selected Klingler with the sixth pick in the 1992 NFL draft.
As was the case with Andre Ware though, David Klinger’s gaudy passing numbers and high winning percentage did not translate to the NFL. He threw only 15 touchdowns and 20 interceptions during his four years with the team. Klinger would throw just under 4,000 career passing yards during his six-year NFL career.
Needless to say that the wide open spread passing system slightly inflated David Klinger’s statistics and NFL draft stock.
6. Another First Round Kicker
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The New Orleans Saints also thought highly enough of their special teams for them to draft a kicker in the first round.
New Orleans drafted kicker Russell Erxleben with the 11th pick in the 1979 NFL draft. Erxleben played his college football at Texas.
Russell Erxleben only played five seasons with New Orleans. Despite his higher draft selection, Erxleben did not have near the impact on the Saints special teams that Sebastian Janikowski did on the Raiders unit.
He would leave New Orleans in 1983, only to resurface in 1987 as a member of the Detroit Lions.
Erxleben would plead guilty to securities fraud in 1999, and was sentenced to serve time in federal prison.
5. Baltimore Takes a Gamble on Art Schlichter
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Art Schlichter was a four year starter for Ohio State at quarterback. Schlichter had his best Buckeye campaign as a senior throwing for 2,551 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Schlichter was drafted by the Baltimore Colts with the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. He would only play a little over two seasons for the Colts, throwing just three touchdowns in comparison to 11 interceptions.
Schlichter’s NFL career was cut short though, after evidence was found of what can only be called a compulsive gambling habit, reportedly losing $389,000 in 1983.
He briefly returned to the Colts and was also on the Buffalo Bills roster for a short time in 1986.
Schlichter’s years have been filled with brief football stints, gambling recovery efforts and run-ins with the law.
Baltimore was obviously oblivious to Schlichter’s gambling habits when they selected him with the fourth pick, but they would later learn that off-the-field baggage came with the Ohio State quarterback.
4. Rams Roll the Dice on Lawrence Phillips
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Lawrence Phillips was simply unstoppable during his time in Nebraska’s backfield.
The Cornhusker running back piled up big time numbers throughout his collegiate career and had his crowning performance in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl where he rushed for 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns versus Florida State.
St. Louis selected Lawrence Phillips with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft, despite Phillips’s off the field missteps and character concerns. Phillips was arrested for domestic violence during his junior season with Nebraska.
Unfortunately, Lawrence Phillips’s off-the-field activity trumped the little on the field success he enjoyed in the NFL.
His NFL career was marred by disputes with coaches and off the field troubles. Phillips never put up any numbers in his NFL career that are worth mentioning.
Lawrence Phillips was arrested in 2005 after he allegedly ran his car into three teenage boys outside of a pickup game.
Philips was sentenced to 10 years in prison for that particular charge, but while serving his time, he was convicted on an assault charge and sentenced to an additional 31 years.
Lawrence Phillips definitely had the potential to live up to his selection at pick six, but obviously, those hopes never came to fruition.
3. Teams Searching for a Quarterback in the 2000 NFL Draft
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Honestly, if not for Tom Brady, the quarterback class of the 2000 NFL draft might have gone down as being one of the weakest of all time.
Quarterbacks Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn were all selected over the eventual New England star. Only Pennington and Bulger would play extended snaps as starters at the professional level.
At pick 199, it was only through Drew Bledsoe’s misfortune that Brady got his opportunity to shine with the Patriots.
Of course, NFL teams had legitimate concerns about drafting Tom Brady. As a prospect, you do not fall that far without having red flags attached to your name.
Nevertheless, it is still mind boggling to think that the aforementioned six quarterback prospects all were thought to have better value than Brady.
2. Green Bay Takes on Tony Mandarich
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Obviously, Tony Mandarich never lived up to his billing as the second overall selection of the 1989 NFL draft.
Mandarich was a star on Michigan State’s offensive line in college, but he never made the translation to the professional game. In hindsight, this pick is boneheaded just by virtue of the selection.
What makes this selection even worse and more boneheaded though is who Green Bay passed on in drafting Tony Mandarich. Talents such as cornerback Deion Sanders, running back Barry Sanders and defensive end Derrick Thomas were taken immediately after Mandarich’s selection at pick two.
The 1989 NFL draft was filled with star power. Troy Aikman was the No. 1 overall selection. The Packers were the only team in the top five that did not get the player they anticipated in the massive Tony Mandarich.
1. Oakland’s Gigantic Investment in JaMarcus Russell
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In hindsight, it is hard to fathom just how lucrative LSU’s 2006 Sugar Bowl victory versus Notre Dame was for quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Russell threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers rout of the Irish. Russell’s impressive performance sent his stock on a colossal rise that ultimately ended with Oakland selecting him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
The Raiders and many other NFL teams became completely enamored with Russell’s incredible arm strength and size for the position at 6’6", 260 lbs.
Russell had a solid collegiate career with LSU, but it was never anything spectacular. It is incredible that the aforementioned bowl game sent Russell’s draft stock on such a climb. That is nothing in comparison to the staggering amount of money Oakland gave him upon signing though.
Russell’s rookie contract was $61 million over the course of six years with $31 million in guaranteed money.
Five years after the signatures were swapped on the massive contract, the Raiders have emerged as the losers on the deal. Russell is now out of the league throwing only 18 touchdowns in comparison to 23 interceptions and having a dismal career quarterback rating of 65.2.
Russell dealt with weight issues during his time in Oakland and only had seven victories as a starting NFL quarterback.
Russell was last in the news after he was arrested for possession of codeine syrup.
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