NFL Preseason: Amobi Okoye and 10 Busts Who Deserve Another Look

The NFL Draft is the ultimate crapshoot. 

Teams spend so much time, money and effort into scouting players and yet they still don't know which players will be good and which players won't. 

There is so much pressure for teams to be correct on their early-round picks and when those picks turn out to be busts, people lose their jobs and franchises get set back.

This list of players is comprised of mainly early-round picks, mostly first round, who failed to live up to expectations, but are still young and have a chance to achieve their potential.  

Not all of these players will turn around their careers. The majority probably won't. But there could be one or two guys from this list that silence their critics and turn their career around.

Who will it be? You'll have to read on to find out.  

1. Amobi Okoye

Amobi Okoye entered the league at the young age of 19 after the Texans took him the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

He started off his career hot, notching 4 sacks in his first 4 career games and finished with 5.5 for the season. For some reason, he was never the same after that. In the next three years of his career, he recorded only 5.5 sacks before being released this offseason. 

Still only 24, Okoye still has a great chance to revive his career. We often see rookies, who at age 24 aren't ready for the NFL. Okoye was 20 years old when he played his first snap. He deserves some slack for that. 

In Chicago, he now has a chance to make good on his promise.  

2. Aaron Maybin

Aaron Maybin was a colossal bust for the Buffalo Bills, failing to record a sack in the two years he spent with the team. 

Maybin didn't fit the Bills defense and couldn't keep any weight on. However, by all accounts he was a really hard worker on and off the field.

If he lands with a team with a strong coaching staff that can coach him up, then he has a chance to stick on an NFL roster.

3. Steve Slaton

Two years ago Steve Slaton looked like a brilliant pick by the Texans. He was a rookie coming off a season in which he rushed for over 1200 yards and scored ten touchdowns.

Then, in 2010 he got off to a slow start and then got injured. Then in 2011, Arian Foster was around and we all know what happened next.

Now Steve Slaton is buried on the depth chart. He deserves another shot to be a lead back, at the worst he could be an effective third-down back.  

4. Vernon Gholston

Vernon Gholston is a similar case to Aaron Maybin in that he has no career sacks, only Gholston has had three years in the league to do it. 

The former sixth-overall pick was supposed to be a feared pass rusher, but has shown no pass moves whatsoever in his short career. Even Rex Ryan couldn't coach this guy up. 

So why should he get a chance? Potential. There was a reason he went so high and that's because he has the potential to be great. Gholston never looked comfortable in New York. Perhaps, a change of scenery (Chicago) and time away from the spotlight will do him some good. 

5. Jamaal Anderson

If it weren't for Aaron Maybin and Vernon Gholston, Jamaal Anderson would be known as a much bigger bust. However, since he actually recorded a few sacks, 4.5 to be exact in his four years, he isn't as well known.

At 289 pounds, Anderson was miscast as a pass rushing defensive end. He is much better suited to play the run.

Profootballfocus.com rated him as the sixth best defensive end against the run in 2010. The Colts could use him to compliment their pass rushing defensive ends to strike a nice balance and revive Anderson's career.  

6. Reggie Bush

The former Heisman Trophy winner (can we still call him that?) never lived up to the lofty expectations Saints fans had for him when they slected him with the No. 2 pick overall back in 2006. He was dynamic in the open field, but could never handle running the ball between the tackles. 

Now in Miami, Bush can be accepted as the type of player he is and not be judged based off that. When you look at Reggie Bush as a third-down back and return specialist, he's one of the better ones in the league and I expect him to revive his career in Miami. 

7. Vince Young

Vince Young certainly had his moments in Tennessee, but I think we can all agree that their relationship had run its course. There was too much past history for it to be successful. 

Luckily for Vince, he landed in the ideal situation in Philadelphia. In Philly, Young can sit and watch behind Michael Vick and when Vick misses his annual game or two, Young can step right in. He'll be surrounded by the most talent he's ever had in his career and could parlay a few nice starts into a starting gig in 2012.  

8. Derrick Harvey

Derrick Harvey is yet another disappointing pass rusher on this list. The Jaguars traded a lot to move up in the draft and select Harvey and all they received from him was eight career sacks.  

Harvey was released earlier in the offseason and caught on with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are relatively thin at defensive end behind starters Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers, so Harvey has a chance to stick. Playing for defensive guru John Fox won't hurt either.   

9. Malcolm Kelly

In his three years in the league, Malcolm Kelly's biggest enemy has been himself. The talented reciever has struggled to stay on the field due to countless injuries. 

He lost some weight this offseason and looked like he might finally be ready to turn the corner, but he injured himself again in training camp. A change a scenery could do wonders for Kelly and it looks like that could become a reality when players start getting cut.

10. John McCargo

John McCargo was part of a great defenisve line in college that featured fellow first rounders Mario Williams and Manny Lawson. 

Of the three, McCargo has seen the least career success after five seasons in the league. He's now buried on the depth chart as a result of a combination of disappointing play and injuries. 

He nearly got his ticket out of town when he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts back in 2008, but failed his physical and remained in Buffalo. Three years later and McCargo is still waiting to get out of Buffalo and prove he was worth a first round pick.