These Are The Worst NFL QB Busts Ever
There have been some prospects who came in the NFL with huge hype. But the disappointed massively. Here are the worst QB busts in NFL history.
25. J.P. Losman (Buffalo Bills, 2004)
Losman was the 4th QB taken in the famous 2004 NFL Draft Class that included Eli Manning, Big Ben and Phillips River. He was taken in the first round. He went 10-23 in his career as a starter.
24. Jeff George (Indianapolis Colts, 1990)
He was blessed with a golden arm and the top pick of the 1990 draft. He was a hometown kid that came in with huge talent. He never became worthy of the number 1 pick and even made gestures to the hometown crowd.
23. Mike Phipps (Cleveland Browns, 1970)
Phipps was a star at Purdue and was a coveted prospect. He was drafted third overall and never lived up to it. He ended up with 40 TDs and 81 INTs.
22. Tommy Maddox (Denver Broncos, 1992)
The Broncos surprised the NFL world by taking Maddox in the first round and was supposed to be the heir to John Elway. He never developed in Denver and even left the NFL for a while for the XFL.
21. Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals, 2018)
He was touted as perhaps the most "NFL Ready" QB in the 2018 draft. He was selected 10th overall by the Cardinals. He went 3-10 as a starter and was dreadful.
20. Jack Thompson (Cincinnati Bengals, 1979)
He was nicknamed "the Throwin' Samoan" for his time with the Washington State Cougars. The Bengals selected him third overall. He never developed into a reliable starter.
19. Jim Druckenmiller (San Francisco 49ers, 1997)
The 49ers saw him as an heir apparent to Steve Young. However, the Virginia Tech product as a total flop. He completed just 21 passes in his NFL career.
18. David Carr (Houston Texans, 2002)
He was the first pick of the draft and the first Texans pick of all time. He was bullied behind a bad offensive line a a rookie and got sacked 76 times as a rookie.
17. Dan McGwire (Seattle Seahawks, 1991)
He was tall in stature and the brother of Mark McGwire. He was going to be the future franchise QB of the Seahawks when they drafted him 16th overall. He never adjusted to NFL competition. He threw a total of 2 TDs in 5 starts.
16. Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos, 2010)
He might been the greatest college QB of all time (two time national champion and a Heisman). He became a first round pick. And did have a moment of "Tebowmania" but he was not a reliable NFL starter.
15. Vince Young (Tennessee Titans, 2006)
He was a college hero. He was a rare athletic talent and was drafted third overall. He showed flashes of promise but never became a reliable starter in the NFL.
14. Joey Harrington (Detroit Lions, 2002)
He was taken 3rd overall by Detroit. He was a product of the Oregon Ducks and there was huge fan fare when he was drafted. He was awful on the field.
13. Cade McNown (Chicago Bears, 1999)
McNown came into Chicago with the 12th overall pick in the 1999 draft. He came from UCLA with huge upside. He lasted just two seasons as a starter for the Bears.
12. Matt Leinart (Cardinals, 2006)
Leinart entered the 2006 draft as one of the most decorated college QBs of all time. Arizona took him to be their franchise QB but he flamed out quickly.
11. Todd Blackledge (Kansas City Chiefs, 1983)
In the famous 1983 QB class he was drafted 10th overall and was a big miss. He was taken ahead of both Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.
10. Tim Couch (Cleveland Browns, 1999)
Couch was taken number 1 overall in 1999, launching the new Browns expansion team. He was a star in Kentucky and Couch was sacked often and injured often.
9. Rick Mirer (Seattle Seahawks, 1993)
He was dubbed the next "Joe Montana" as they were both Notre Dame QBs. He was taken 2nd overall with huge expectations. He had a promising rookie year. But then he never improved. He became a journeyman backup QB.
8. Akili Smith (Cincinnati Bengals, 1999)
He started just one full season in Oregon. And had a huge arm. The Bengals took him 3rd overall in the draft. Started 17 games and was finished.
7. Andre Ware (Detroit Lions, 1990)
Ware won the 1989 Heisman trophy with video game stats. He was drafted 7th overall and then threw just 5 career TDs.
6. Heath Shuler (Washington Redskins, 1994)
The Tennessee Volunteer was drafted 3rd overall in 1994. He was supposed to be a franchise savior. He played two seasons and lost his starting job.
5. Todd Marinovich (Los Angeles Raiders, 1991)
He was nicknamed "Robo QB" because he was groomed from birth from his dad to be a QB. He was a first round pick. But all the pressure mounted to him and got off-field problems and was out the league.
4. Art Schilichter (Colts, 1982)
He was a legendary Ohio state QB and was picked 4th overall. He never developed into a competent QB in the NFL. And was banned for betting on games.
3. Johnny Manziel (Cleveland Browns, 2014)
Few players in college history had the hype that Johnny Manziel did. He was Heisman trophy winner and a star. The Browns took him in the first round and he went just 2-6 as a starter and had a ton of off-field problems.
2. JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders, 2007)
The Raiders made Russell the number 1 overall pick in the draft in 2007. He had rare arm strength and size. He was known as lazy and quickly fizzled out of the league.
1. Ryan Leaf (San Diego Chargers, 1998)
He was drafted 2nd overall after Peyton Manning. And he turned out horrible. 36 INTs to 14 TDs. He became the biggest bust of all time.