Your NFL team's Worst. Draft. Ever.

I was about to say.

By the way, isn't any thread starting with bad Jets draft picks kind of post-padding? They reach with a Lageman, you think they learned their lesson, then they follow on with Blair Thomas.

At least they've had better luck the last two decades -- but Johnny Mitchell, Dewayne Robertson and Vernon Gholston didn't help their drafting rep, nor did a bunch of other lower-rounders.

 

The Jets had a worse draft in 1986:

1986 - New York Jets
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 22 Mike Haight G Iowa
2 49 Doug Williams T Texas A&M
3 79 Tim Crawford LB Texas Tech
4 105 Rogers Alexander LB Penn State
5 132 Ron Hadley LB Washington
7 189 Bob White C Rhode Island
8 215 Robert Ducksworth DB Southern Mississippi
9 245 Nuu Faaola RB Hawaii
10 272 Carl Carr LB North Carolina
11 299 Vince Amoia -- Arizona State
12 328 Sal Cesario T Cal Poly-S.L.O.

Haight played a total of 63 games over seven seasons. 56 with the Jets, and 7 with the Redskins, but he only started 6 for the Jets, all in 1991. And this was back when the Jets' offensive line sucked monkey balls. He couldn't even break the starting lineup.

Williams the second round pick, lasted just two seasons and 23 games. For the Houston Oilers. He didn't even make the Jets' roster.

Crawford, the third round pick, also didn't make the team, and played 3 games for Cleveland in '87. (Strike player?) That was it.

Alexander, the fourth rounder. One game for the Jets in '86, three for the Patriots in '87 (Again, strike player?)

Hadley, fifth rounder. Didn't make team. Three games for 49ers in '87 and three more for SF in '88 (Maybe anothe strike player who managed to get another crack?).

White, the seventh rounder was a real find. Didn't make the Jets, but played 24 games over three seasons '87-89 with Dallas, plus spent some time with the Patriots.

Duckworth the eighth rounder: 2 games with Jets in '86

Faaola, the ninth rounder, was, as I recall, a pretty good special teamer for the Jets. Played 40 games with the Jets in '86-89, then split time with NY and Miami in 1990. 52 total games in NFL.

Carr the tenth rounder: Three games with Detroit in '87 (strike player?)

Amoia, the 11th rounder: Never played.

Cesario, the 12th rounder: 3 games with Dallas in '87 (again, strike player?).

So, if you're keeping score at home, the 11 players played a combined 182 games and only two players lasted five seasons overall in the league. At least four of them seem to have been strike players, knocking which would have knocked the game total the down even further if there had been no strike.

Of the 182 games, only 99 of them were played with the Jets, with Haight and Faaola taking up most of them. So, out of this draft, the Jets got a backup offensive lineman who couldn't crack a shitty starting line, and a quality special teamer who later had a restraining order placed against hm because his girlfriend, a future Miss America, said he beat her. Nice draft.

 

Seriously. Can we just take his entire body of work rather than one year?

 

New Orleans Saints 1979:

1979 New Orleans Saints Draft
Round Overall Player Position Birthdate College
1 11 Russell Erxleben P 01/13/1957 Texas
2 38 Reggie Mathis LB 03/18/1956 Oklahoma
4 93 Jim Kovach LB 05/01/1956 Kentucky
5 120 Harlan Huckleby RB 12/30/1957 Michigan
6 146 Ricky Ray DB 05/30/1957 Norfolk State
7 176 Stan Sytsma LB 05/03/1956 Minnesota
8 202 Doug Panfil OG 06/29/1957 Tulsa
11 285 David Hall WR 02/11/1956 Missouri-Rolla
12 311 Kelsey Finch RB 10/04/1956 Tennessee

Kovach actually a decent career, starting five or six years. And I vaguely remember having a Harlan Huckleby football card when he was with the Packers a few years later.

BUT THEY TOOK A FUCKING PUNTER WITH THE NO. 11 OVERALL PICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and not even a very good one)

(Erxleben was an All-America kicker in college, but was a straight-on kicker and attempted only 8 field goals in the NFL).

 

2008
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 17 Cherilus, Gosder (from Min through KC) T Boston College
2 45 Dizon, Jordon LB Colorado
3a. 64 Smith, Kevin(from Mia) RB Central Florida
3b. 87 Fluellen, Andre(from Cle) DT Florida State
3c. 92 Avril, Cliff(from Dal) DE Purdue
5a. 136 Moore, Kenneth(from Mia through KC) WR/PR Wake Forest
5b. 146 Felton, Jerome(from NO) FB Furman
7a. 216 Cohen, Landon DT Ohio
7b. 218 Campbell, Caleb(from NO) LB Army
2007
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 2 Johnson, Calvin WR Georgia Tech
2 34 Choice to Buf
2 43 Stanton, Drew(from Buf) QB Michigan State
2 58 Alama-Francis, Ikaika(from NO) DE Hawaii
2 61 Alexander, Gerald(from Bal) S Boise State
3 66 Choice to NO
3 74 Choice to Bal
4 101 Choice to Jax thru Bal
4 105 Davis, A.J.(Choice from Arz thru Oak) CB NC State
4 117 Ramirez, Manny G Texas Tech
5 139 Choice to StL
5 145 Choice to NO
5 154 Choice to StL
5 158 Baldwin, Johnny(from Den) LB Alabama A&M
5 176 Choice to Min thru Den
5 212 Choice to Dal thru NYJ
6 255 Robinson, Ramzee CB Alabama
2006
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 9 Sims, Ernie LB Florida State
2 40 Bullocks, Daniel S Nebraska
3 74 Calhoun, Brian RB Wisconsin
4 Choice to NE
5 141 Scott, Jonathan T Texas
6 179 McCann, Dee CB West Virginia
7a. 217 Matua, Fred G Southern California
7b. 247 Cannon, Anthony LB Tulane
2005
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 10 Williams, Mike WR Southern California
2a. 37 Cody, Shaun(From Ten) DT Southern California
2b. Choice to Ten
3 72 Wilson, Stanley CB Stanford
4 Choice to Ten
5 145 Orlovsky, Dan(From NE thru Arz) QB Connecticut
6a. 184 Swancutt, Bill DE Oregon State
6b. 206 Goddard, Johnathan(From NE) LB Marshall
7 Choice to SF
2004
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 7 Williams, Roy WR Texas
1 30 Jones, Kevin RB Virginia Tech
2 37 Lehman, Teddy LB Oklahoma
3 73 Smith, Keith CB McNeese State
5 140 Lewis, Alex LB Wisconsin
6 172 Butler, Kelly T Purdue
2003
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 2 Rogers, Charles WR Michigan State
2 34 Bailey, Boss LB Georgia
3 66 Redding, Cory DE Texas
4 99 Pinner, Artose RB Kentucky
5a. 137 Holt, Terrence S N.C. State
5b. 144 Davis, James LB West Virginia
6 175 Kircus, David WR Grand Valley State
7a. 216 Johnson, Ben T Wisconsin
7b. 220 Adams, Blue CB Cincinnati
2002
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 3 Harrington, Joey QB Oregon
2 35 Edwards, Kalimba DE S. Carolina
3 68 Goodman, André CB S. Carolina
4(c). 134 Taylor, Jonathan DE Montana State
5 138 Owens, John TE Notre Dame
6 175 Cash, Chris CB USC
7a. 214 Staley, Luke RB Brigham Young
7b(c). 253 Murphy, Matt TE Maryland
7c(c). 259 Rogers, Victor T Colorado
2001
Round Overall Player Pos. College
1 18 Backus, Jeff T Michigan
2a. 50 Raiola, Dominic C Nebraska
2b. 61 Rogers, Shaun DT Texas
5a. 148 Anderson, Scotty WR Grambling State
5b. 149 McMahon, Mike QB Rutgers
6 173 Glenn, Jason LB Texas A&M

 

1995 Cincinnati Bengals


Name Position College
1 1 1 Ki-Jana Carter Running Back Penn State
3 5 69 Melvin Tuten Offensive Tackle Syracuse
4 4 102 Sam Shade Strong Safety Alabama
5 5 139 David Dunn Wide Receiver Fresno State
6 4 175 Ryan Grigson Offensive Tackle Purdue
7 5 213 John Walsh Quarterback Brigham Young

1999 Cincinnati Bengals
Round Pick # Overall Name Position College
1 3 3 Akili Smith Quarterback Oregon
2 2 33 Charles Fisher Cornerback West Virginia
3 4 65 Cory Hall Strong Safety Fresno State
4 3 98 Craig Yeast Wide Receiver Kentucky
5 2 135 Nick Luchey Running Back Miami (FL)
6 4 173 Kelly Gregg Defensive Tackle Oklahoma
7 3 209 Tony Coats Guard Washington
7 39 245 Scott Covington Quarterback Miami (FL)
7 43 249 Donald Broomfield Defensive Tackle Clemson

 

The Niners draft Alex Smith when they Aaron Rodgers was a no-brainer. Alex Smith did nothing in college to merit being the No. 1 pick, but he hired a better agent than Rodgers did and did well at a workout that was customized to make him look good.

Rodgers didn't slip in that draft because teams were worried about him, he fell because from pick No. 6 through where the Packers took him, almost all of those teams didn't need a QB.

At the combine that year, Rodgers was a lock to go No. 1. Then teams got stupid. The one that didn't just won a Super Bowl.

 

Tedford-coached QBs never pan out!

 

Because I'm too lazy to do much work ...

Rd Pick Pos Name
1 5 RB Ricky Williams

 

Well, the dumbest part of that was announcing before the draft an intention of trading multiple picks and then doing it.

 

In '78, the Saints went 7-9 and were seen as a team on the rise (no free agency back then, so teams stayed together), but they had FOUR kickers make a combined 48 percent of their field goals. They figured Erxleben was going to put them over the top because he made a few 60-plus yard field goals in college (with a tee), and was the only three-time All-America punter in history.

Only problem was, he fucked up his first game on a punt when a snap flew over his head, he grabbed it, tried to throw it and it got intercepted and brought back for a TD. That was his only game of the year. Then the next year, he blew a game-tying FG in the opener and became scared to kick. He couldn't mentally take it, so he just became a punter. Having basically a useless guy as their first round pick killed the Saints (among other things), and they went 1-15 that year.

Oh, and after he retired, he spent years in prison for securities fraud.

And two picks later, the Chargers selected Kellen Winslow. Ouch.

 

Exactly, he was paralyzed, not killed. By all acounts, the guy was going to be pretty damn good before that happened.

That said, passing on Marino and following it up with that draft, you could make an argument for it as the worst in Steelers history. Capers had some moments. Skanski ended up being a decent player with the Seahawks if I remember correctly.

The 1956 draft when they took Gary Glick first overall might be a contender, too. Not sure what else they got that year, but he was a guy NOBODY had as a first rounder and he turned out to be a bust.