History UsefulNotes / NationalFootballLeagueNotoriousFigures

* '''Bill Romanowski''' was a LB drafted in the third round out of Boston College in 1988 who played 16 years in the NFL, winning four Super Bowls (two with the San Francisco 49ers, two with the Denver Broncos, and then played in a fifth with the Oakland Raiders[[note]]he also played with the Eagles[[/note]]). He is more widely known as one of, if not ''the'', dirtiest players in NFL history. Some of his most infamous incidents include: kicking Cardinals RB Larry Centers in the head, intentionally breaking the finger of Giants RB Dave Meggett (see above) in a pile-up for a loose football, breaking the jaw of Panthers QB Kerry Collins (see below under "Disappointments") with an illegal hit in a ''preseason'' game, spitting in the face of 49ers WR J.J. Stokes, throwing a punch at Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, and throwing the football at the groin of Jets LB Bryan Cox. Even his own teammates weren't safe, as Raiders TE Marcus Williams found out when Romanowski punched him the face during a practice scuffle, crushing his eye socket and ending his career. (Williams later successfully sued him for $3.4 million.) After he retired in 2003, Romanowski was embroiled in the BALCO scandal, where he admitted to using anabolic steroids and synthetic testosterone while playing and taking steps to get around NFL drug testing policies. In 2023, he was sued by the federal government for over $15 million in back taxes.

* The '''Draft Class of 2021''' was widely seen as one of the most exciting and promising for new quarterbacks in years, with five--Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones--being taken early in the first round. However, all but Lawrence would prove to be fool's gold at the NFL level, turning in performances that were variously erratic, middling, or just plain bad, and resulting in the most outright QB busts in the first round since the merger.[[note]]Adding insult to injury, the 2021 class came just one year after a less-hyped draft that ended up producing ''five'' franchise quarterbacks in Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts.[[/note]] Within three years Wilson, Lance, Fields, and Jones were all sent off to other teams in exchange for low draft picks. Commentators have debated the reasons for why this formerly vaunted QB class ended up being such a resounding dud, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on college football programs often being singled out as a major contributing factor.

** '''Zach Wilson''' was drafted #2 overall by the Jets after a standout season at BYU. While Wilson had displayed plenty of arm talent, he was barely 21 years old, and his performance in his last college year was an outlier that potentially was helped by COVID disrupting the college football landscape (BYU, being an independent program that had many of its opponents cancel on them, scheduled mostly non-Power Five cupcakes as replacements). Wilson was immediately thrust into the starting role to succeed Sam Darnold but somehow managed to burn out ''even faster'', as poor play, injuries, and notable lack of support from the rest of the Jets locker room[[note]]reports of Wilson's "entitlement" (his maternal grandfather and great-uncle are healthcare and airline magnates with nine-figure net worths) turning off teammates abounded[[/note]] extended the moribund franchise's woes. After just two seasons, the latter of which Wilson and his accuracy issues were singled out as ''the'' reason an otherwise talented team didn't make the playoffs, the Jets decided to bench him and trade for an aging Aaron Rodgers, hoping that he could help the team reach their full potential in the short-term and that some time sitting behind Rodgers could turn Wilson into the player New York thought he was when they selected him. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth snap as a Jet, thrusting Wilson back into the starting role, where he continued to flounder and was benched several times by year's end. Days before the 2024 draft, Wilson's ignominious stint in New York ended as the Jets finally managed to get the Broncos to take him on in exchange for a late-round pick swap.
** '''Trey Lance''' was drafted #3 overall by the 49ers, and while the story of his career has not yet been fully written, he does go down in the NFL history books for the tremendous draft capital he cost San Francisco for practically zero return. Much like Carson Wentz (see "Disappointments"), Lance performed extremely well at North Dakota State [[NormalFishInATinyPond playing against FCS competition]], going 17-0 as a starter and throwing just one interception. However, he was seen as a developmental project due to having played only one full year apiece in high school and in college (including having played just one exhibition game the year before the draft due to COVID shutdowns). The Niners had just come short of a championship several times and believed a more athletic QB would be the missing piece to a dynasty; to trade up for Lance, they sent ''three'' first round picks, as well as a fourth rounder, to Miami. After sitting for most of his rookie year, Lance was put in at starter in year two, only to suffer a season-ending ankle injury in his second game. Fortunately for the Niners but unfortunately for Lance, this injury, as well as another to second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo, led to rookie Brock Purdy--the very last pick in the 2022 Draft--taking the reins and unexpectedly excelling right out of the gate. With Purdy establishing himself as 49ers' starter, the team lost all interest in continuing to develop Lance, who was offloaded to Dallas for a fourth rounder[[note]]giving him the dubious honor of having the highest trade value of the four '21 busts[[/note]]. In total, Lance played just eight games for the Niners and started merely four, both easily the fewest for any Top 5 pick in the common draft era. Lance and Wilson were both taken ahead of several Pro Bowlers and very solid players in the Top 10, most notably OT Penei Sewell, CB Patrick Surtain II, and [=WRs=] Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and [=DeVonta=] Smith.

* The '''Draft Class of 2021''' was widely seen as one of the most exciting and promising for new quarterbacks in years, with five--Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones--being taken early in the first round. However, all but Lawrence would prove to be fool's gold at the NFL level, turning in performances that were variously erratic, middling, or just plain bad, and resulting in the most outright QB busts in the first round since the merger. Within three years Lance, Fields, and Jones were all sent off to other teams in exchange for low draft picks, with Wilson seemingly right on their heels. Commentators have debated the reasons for why this formerly vaunted QB class ended up being such a resounding dud, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on college football programs often being singled out as a major contributing factor.[[note]]Adding insult to injury, the 2021 class came just one year after a draft that produced ''five'' franchise quarterbacks in Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts.[[/note]]
** '''Zach Wilson''' was drafted #2 overall by the Jets after a standout season at BYU. While Wilson had displayed plenty of arm talent, he was barely 21 years old, and his performance in his last college year was an outlier that potentially was helped by COVID disrupting the college football landscape (BYU, being an independent program that had many of its opponents cancel on them, scheduled mostly non-Power Five cupcakes as replacements). Wilson was immediately thrust into the starting role to succeed Sam Darnold but somehow managed to burn out ''even faster'', as poor play, injuries, and notable lack of support from the rest of the Jets locker room[[note]]reports of Wilson's "entitlement" (his maternal grandfather and great-uncle are healthcare and airline magnates with nine-figure net worths) turning off teammates abounded[[/note]] extended the moribund franchise's woes. After just two seasons, the latter of which Wilson was singled out as ''the'' reason an otherwise talented team didn't make the playoffs, the Jets decided to bench him and trade for an aging Aaron Rodgers, hoping that he could help the team reach their full potential in the short-term and that some time sitting behind Rodgers could turn Wilson into the player New York thought he was when they selected him. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth snap as a Jet, thrusting Wilson back into the starting role, where he continued to flounder and was benched several times by year's end. Wilson is universally considered to be an enormous bust despite still being on the roster of the team that drafted him, with the Jets reportedly struggling to find another organization even willing to take him on in a trade.
** '''Trey Lance''' was drafted #3 overall by the 49ers, and while the story of his career has not yet been fully written, he does go down in the NFL history books for the tremendous draft capital he cost San Francisco for practically zero return. Much like Carson Wentz (see "Disappointments"), Lance performed extremely well at North Dakota State [[NormalFishInATinyPond playing against FCS competition]], going 17-0 as a starter and throwing just one interception. However, he was seen as a developmental project due to having played only one full year apiece in high school and in college (including having played just one exhibition game the year before the draft due to COVID shutdowns). The Niners had just come short of a championship several times and believed a more athletic QB would be the missing piece to a dynasty; to trade up for Lance, they sent ''three'' first round picks, as well as a fourth rounder, to Miami. After sitting for most of his rookie year, Lance was put in at starter in year two, only to suffer a season-ending ankle injury in his second game. Fortunately for the Niners but unfortunately for Lance, this injury, as well as another to second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo, led to rookie Brock Purdy--the very last pick in the 2022 Draft--taking the reins and unexpectedly excelling right out of the gate. With Purdy establishing himself as 49ers' starter, the team lost all interest in continuing to develop Lance, who was offloaded to Dallas for a fourth rounder[[note]]giving him the dubious honor of having the greatest trade value of the four '21 busts[[/note]]. In total, Lance played just eight games for the Niners and started merely four, both easily the fewest for any Top 5 pick in the common draft era. Lance and Wilson were both taken ahead of several Pro Bowlers and very solid players in the Top 10, most notably OT Penei Sewell, CB Patrick Surtain II, and [=WRs=] Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and [=DeVonta=] Smith.

* The Browns' first round picks in 2020 and 2021 (OT Jedrick Wills and CB Greg Newsome II) generally seemed to do well for the Browns in their rebuild. However, in '''2022''', Cleveland traded three future first round picks for Houston Texans' QB Deshaun Watson (see above under "Notorious"). This trade--and the massive contract of guaranteed money that the Browns offered Watson, who remains embroiled in controversy due to over ''twenty'' sexual assault and harrassment civil cases filed against him--is likely to cast a long shadow over Cleveland for years to come, regardless of their success on the field...but it doesn't help that since the trade, Watson has missed more games than he's played and has been barely above mediocre when he's been on the field [[note]]the most success the Browns have had since the trade (the back end of the 2023 season) occurred after Watson was out for the year, with journeyman Joe Flacco, who the Browns picked up midseason, was starting in his place[[/note]].

* The Browns' first round picks in 2020 and 2021 (OT Jedrick Wills and CB Greg Newsome II) generally seemed to do well for the Browns in their rebuild. However, in '''2022''', Cleveland traded three future first round picks for Houston Texans' QB Deshaun Watson (see above under "Notorious"). This trade--and the massive contract of guaranteed money that the Browns offered Watson, who remains embroiled in controversy due to over ''twenty'' sexual assault and harrassment civil cases filed against him--is likely to cast a long shadow over Cleveland for years to come, regardless of their success on the field.

* '''Robert Griffin III''' was drafted #2 overall in 2012 by Washington after a Heisman-winning college career at Baylor. Initially cast as a particularly {{Expy}}-ish expy of Michael Vick, "[=RG3=]" quickly proved immensely capable and won Offensive Rookie of the Year while taking the team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, that is also where his turn toward GlassCannon status began, as he sustained a significant knee injury in his first playoff game (which itself may have stemmed from a less severe injury to the same knee a few weeks earlier, which the Washington coaches infamously mismanaged by allowing Griffin to play on it without medical clearance). Between the lingering effects of the knee injury (he tried to [[FollowTheLeader emulate Adrian Peterson]] by returning at the start of the following regular season), several other injuries, and NFL defenses catching on to the "read-option" style of offense he excelled in as a rookie, he struggled in his second and third season and was made inactive for his entire fourth. He was released the next year and signed with the Browns in an attempt to resurrect his career, but injuries likewise derailed him there. In 2018, Griffin signed with the Ravens as a backup for three years just to keep other teams from using him to help them prepare for their rushing QB, Lamar Jackson. After being waived in 2021, he signed with ESPN as an analyst and commentator. Opinions on his career are divided; some see him as a prime example of a [[OneHitWonder one-season wonder]], while others believe [[WhatCouldHaveBeen he could have been the real deal]] had it not been for the coaching staff's mismanagement of his initial injuries.

** Michael [=McCorkle=] '''"Mac" Jones''' was drafted by the New England Patriots #15 overall out of Alabama where he was a two-time national champion, Heisman finalist, and set the NCAA career record for pass yards per attempt. However, he was surrounded by future NFL talent with the Crimson Tide and there were genuine questions regarding his skillset translating to the pro game which caused him to be the fifth and final QB taken in the first round that year. Jones initially acquitted himself as an unexciting but safe pick: an archetypal game manager who led the Pats to the playoffs as a rookie and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a third alternate. The second coming of Tom Brady he most definitely was not, however, as he experienced a precipitous regression over the following two years, throwing an increasing rate of costly picks before being benched midway through a truly dismal 2023 that saw the Pats put up a meager four wins (just two with Jones as starter), their worst season in over two decades and the worst of Bill Belichick's illustrious coaching career. The following offseason, amidst a spate of organizational changes that included parting ways with Belichick, the Patriots traded the Jacksonville native to the Jaguars--where he was expected to back up Trevor Lawrence, the #1 overall pick of the 2021 draft and the ''only'' QB of the bunch who proved to be a viable long-term starter--for a sixth-round pick. While Jones' status as a bust is secure, Pats fans have debated whether he inherently lacked the physical skills and mental toughness required for a starting quarterback in the NFL, or whether he was effectively ruined by a succession of dubious offensive coordinators.[[note]]Jones' first and best season was with OC Josh [=McDaniels=], who, despite his head coaching failures, has a generally good track record as an OC. Following [=McDaniels=]' departure to take a head coaching job, Jones played his second year with a pair of former ''defensive'' and ''special teams'' coordinators serving as co-offensive coordinators, which turned out to be an unmitigated disaster; for the next season, Belichick relented and hired Bill O'Brien as OC, but he and Jones never seemed to get on the same page.[[/note]] [[note]]Regarding his inherent weaknesses, once the novelty of a rookie QB wore off and opposing teams were able to study film on him, they very quicky deduced that his entire game coud be effectively neutralized by a simple Cover 1 look. Jones lacked the arm strength for accurate ball placement against tight man coverage on the perimeter, often lofting the ball high into the air to generate distance at the expense of power. Most of his yardage and the majority of his passes were to the middle of the field, which Cover 1 impedes by placing a zone coverage shell of one LB and one safety. As a result, his interception count, incompletion count, and sack count all increased relative to his completion, yardage, and touchdown numbers. While the bulk of the blame is usually placed on the Patricia[=/=]Judge duo for ruining his development in 2022, his struggles were foreshadowed as early as his 2021 Week 3 matchup against the Saints, who largely wrote the book on defending against him. Once the rest of the league caught up, he was constantly facing a defense he lacked the physical tools to overcome.[[/note]]

** Michael [=McCorkle=] '''"Mac" Jones''' was drafted by the New England Patriots #15 overall out of Alabama where he was a two-time national champion, Heisman finalist, and set the NCAA career record for pass yards per attempt. However, he was surrounded by future NFL talent with the Crimson Tide and there were genuine questions regarding his skillset translating to the pro game which caused him to be the fifth and final QB taken in the first round that year. Jones initially acquitted himself as an unexciting but safe pick: an archetypal game manager who led the Pats to the playoffs as a rookie and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a third alternate. The second coming of Tom Brady he most definitely was not, however, as he experienced a precipitous regression over the following two years, throwing an increasing rate of costly picks before being benched midway through a truly dismal 2023 that saw the Pats put up a meager four wins (just two with Jones as starter), their worst season in over two decades and the worst of Bill Belichick's illustrious coaching career. The following offseason, amidst a spate of organizational changes that included parting ways with Belichick, the Patriots traded the Jacksonville native to the Jaguars--where he was expected to back up Trevor Lawrence, the #1 overall pick of the 2021 draft and the ''only'' QB of the bunch who proved to be a viable long-term starter--for a sixth-round pick. While Jones' status as a bust is secure, Pats fans have debated whether he inherently lacked the physical skills and mental toughness required for a starting quarterback in the NFL, or whether he was effectively ruined by a succession of dubious offensive coordinators.[[note]]Jones' first and best season was with OC Josh [=McDaniels=], who, despite his head coaching failures, has a generally good track record as an OC. Following [=McDaniels=]' departure to take a head coaching job, Jones played his second year with a pair of former ''defensive'' and ''special teams'' coordinators serving as co-offensive coordinators, which turned out to be an unmitigated disaster; for the next season, Belichick relented and hired Bill O'Brien as OC, but he and Jones never seemed to get on the same page.[[/note]] [[note]]Regarding his inherent weaknesses, once the novelty of a rookie QB wore off and opposing teams were able to study film on him, they very quicky deduced that his entire game coud be effectively neutralized by a simple Cover 1 look. Jones lacked the arm strength for accurate ball placement against tight man coverage on the perimeter. Most of his yard and the majority of his passes were to the middle of the field, which Cover 1 impedes by placing a zone coverage shell of one LB and one safety. As a result, his interception count, incompletion count, and sack count all increased relative to his completion, yardage, and touchdown numbers. While the bulk of the blame is usually placed on the Patricia[=/=]Judge duo for ruining his development in 2022, his struggles were foreshadowed as early as his 2021 Week 3 matchup against the Saints, who largely wrote the book on defending against him. Once the rest of the league caught up, he was constantly facing a defense he lacked the physical tools to overcome.[[/note]]

** Michael [=McCorkle=] '''"Mac" Jones''' was drafted by the New England Patriots #15 overall out of Alabama where he was a two-time national champion, Heisman finalist, and set the NCAA career record for pass yards per attempt. However, he was surrounded by future NFL talent with the Crimson Tide and there were genuine questions regarding his skillset translating to the pro game which caused him to be the fifth and final QB taken in the first round that year. Jones initially acquitted himself as an unexciting but safe pick: an archetypal game manager who led the Pats to the playoffs as a rookie and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a third alternate. The second coming of Tom Brady he most definitely was not, however, as he experienced a precipitous regression over the following two years, throwing an increasing rate of costly picks before being benched midway through a truly dismal 2023 that saw the Pats put up a meager four wins (just two with Jones as starter), their worst season in over two decades and the worst of Bill Belichick's illustrious coaching career. The following offseason, amidst a spate of organizational changes that included parting ways with Belichick, the Patriots traded the Jacksonville native to the Jaguars--where he was expected to back up Trevor Lawrence, the #1 overall pick of the 2021 draft and the ''only'' QB of the bunch who proved to be a viable long-term starter--for a sixth-round pick. While Jones' status as a bust is secure, Pats fans have debated whether he inherently lacked the physical skills and mental toughness required for a starting quarterback in the NFL, or whether he was effectively ruined by a succession of dubious offensive coordinators.[[note]]Jones' first and best season was with OC Josh [=McDaniels=], who, despite his head coaching failures, has a generally good track record as an OC. Following [=McDaniels=]' departure to take a head coaching job, Jones played his second year with a pair of former ''defensive'' and ''special teams'' coordinators serving as co-offensive coordinators, which turned out to be an unmitigated disaster; for the next season, Belichick relented and hired Bill O'Brien as OC, but he and Jones never seemed to get on the same page.[[/note]]

** '''Joey Harrington''', selected two picks after David Carr, was heralded by local Detroit media as a "savior" for the long-suffering franchise following a Heisman finalist campaign. However, he struggled with turnovers during his Lions tenure, including a league-leading 22 [=INTs=] thrown in his second season. He also struggled to push the ball down the field with deep passes, finishing among the lowest in yards-per-attempt each season. After four sub-par years and a coaching staff overhaul, he was traded to Miami in the final year of the tumultuous Nick Saban era and continued to struggle. He next signed with Atlanta as a free agent the following offseason, where he was expected to back up superstar Michael Vick before he was arrested for his part in a dog-fighting scandal (see his entry under "Notorious Players" above), thrusting Harrington into the starting role once again. After another poor season in Atlanta, he briefly signed with New Orleans, was released, and out of football soon after. Both Carr and Harrington were drafted well before future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed. He currently serves as a college football analyst for Fox Sports.

* The '''Draft Class of 2011''' saw four [=QBs=] selected in the first round, all in the top 12 picks, of whom only Cam Newton (#1 overall) went on to NFL success. This draft holds the dubious distinction of being held during the 2011 NFL Lockout, which delayed free agency until after the draft and prevented teams from addressing needs, particularly at QB. It is widely believed that, had the offseason progressed under normal circumstances, several of the QB prospects selected would not have been taken as high, but their status as busts remains. Further salting the wound, the three [=QBs=] listed below were all taken ahead of second round picks Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick[[note]]see their entries on the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeagueQuarterbacks page for more details[[/note]], who would go on to much better careers, while Locker and Gabbert went ahead of future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt (selected by the divisional rival Texans in each case).

* The '''Tedford Five''' are five quarterbacks drafted in the first round from the late '90s into the early '00s who were coached by Jeff Tedford in college and failed to live up to expectations once in the NFL. Tedford coached at Fresno State, Oregon, and Cal-Berkeley, where he developed future first round selections '''Trent Dilfer''' (1994 #6 overall pick to Tampa), '''Akili Smith''' (1999 #3 overall pick to Cincinnati), '''David Carr''' (2002 #1 overall pick to Houston), '''Joey Harrington''' (2002 #3 overall pick to Detroit), and '''Kyle Boller''' (2003 #19 overall pick to Baltimore). All had outstanding college careers in Tedford's system but failed to live up to the expectations of being first round draft choices in the NFL. Their collective win record as NFL starters is just 98-127 (.436), they combined for a meager completion percentage of 54.6%, threw more [=INTs=] (230) than TD passes (202), and posted an anemic combined QB rating 68.6.[[note]]Keep in mind that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating passer ratings]] are on a scale from 0 to 158.3, not a percentage. In the 90s and 2000s, the league average was between 75 and 83.[[/note]] The NFL's backlash toward the failures of Tedford's [=QBs=] likely greased the rails for Aaron Rodgers' (who played at Cal under Tedford) draft day slide to #24 overall. Rodgers ultimately bucked the trend (winning a Super Bowl and four league MVP awards), but was ironically the last first round pick QB produced by Tedford (who was later fired from Cal, served as an NFL OC for a time, then returned to Fresno State as head coach... [[TenMinuteRetirement twice]]).

* '''Devin Bush Jr.''' was a LB drafted by the Steelers #10 overall in 2019 out of Michigan. The son of a former NFL safety, he had a solid rookie season, but injuries derailed his sophomore season after five games. After two more average seasons, Pittsburgh declined his fifth year option and he joined the Seahawks and Browns.

* '''C.J. Henderson''' was drafted #8 overall by the Jaguars in 2020. The Florida corner stayed local and caught an interception in his first game... which proved his only pick with the Jags. A groin injury ended his season midway through his rookie year, and the Jags traded him to the Panthers just two games into his second during the short-lived Urban Meyer era, making Henderson one of the shortest tenured top ten picks ever with their original team. Like Jeff Okudah five picks earlier, Henderson was taken ahead of several high caliber talents later in the draft, including [=DBs=] like All-Pro A.J. Terrell and Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs. In 2014, he joined the Texans on a one-year deal.

* The '''Tedford Five''' are five quarterbacks drafted in the first round from the late '90s into the early '00s who were coached by Jeff Tedford in college and failed to live up to expectations once in the NFL. Tedford coached at Fresno State, Oregon, and Cal-Berkeley, where he developed future first round selections '''Trent Dilfer''' (1994 #6 overall pick to Tampa), '''Akili Smith''' (1999 #3 overall pick to Cincinnati), '''David Carr''' (2002 #1 overall pick to Houston), '''Joey Harrington''' (2002 #3 overall pick to Detroit), and '''Kyle Boller''' (2003 #19 overall pick to Baltimore). All had outstanding college careers in Tedford's system but failed to live up to the expectations of being first round draft choices in the NFL. Their collective win record as NFL starters is just 98-127 (.436), they combined for a meager completion percentage of 54.6%, threw more [=INTs=] (230) than TD passes (202), and posted an anemic combined QB rating 68.6.[[note]]Keep in mind that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating passer ratings]] are on a scale from 0 to 158.3, not a percentage. For context the league average in 2020 was 93.6, though it was quite a bit lower back then[[/note]] The NFL's backlash toward the failures of Tedford's [=QBs=] likely greased the rails for Aaron Rodgers' (who played at Cal under Tedford) draft day slide to #24 overall. Rodgers ultimately bucked the trend (winning a Super Bowl and four league MVP awards), but was ironically the last first round pick QB produced by Tedford (who was later fired from Cal, served as an NFL OC for a time, then returned to Fresno State as head coach... [[TenMinuteRetirement twice]]).

* '''Devin Bush Jr.''' was a LB drafted by the Steelers #10 overall in 2019 out of Michigan. The son of a former NFL safety, he had a solid rookie season, but injuries derailed his sophomore season after five games. After two more average seasons, Pittsburgh declined to pick up his fifth year option and he joined the Seahawks, making him the biggest Steelers Top 10 whiff in decades.

* '''C.J. Henderson''' was drafted #8 overall by the Jaguars in 2020. The Florida corner stayed local and caught an interception in his first game... which proved his only pick with the Jags. A groin injury ended his season midway through his rookie year, and the Jags traded him to the Panthers just two games into his second during the short-lived Urban Meyer era, making Henderson one of the shortest tenured top ten picks ever with their original team. Like Jeff Okudah five picks earlier, Henderson was taken ahead of several high caliber talents later in the draft, including [=DBs=] like All-Pro A.J. Terrell and Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs.

* '''Antonio Langham''' was drafted #9 overall in 1994 by the Browns out of Alabama. He was a dominant CB in college but underperformed significantly entering the league and didn't show great improvement after the franchise moved to Baltimore, which coincided with the revelation he had violated NCAA rules by hiring an agent in college, incurring sanctions on his alma mater. Langham was cut by the Ravens after '97 and bounced around three teams in three years before washing out of the NFL. The Browns missed out on three Hall of Famers and a Pro Bowl CB in Aaron Glenn.

* '''David Pollack''' was a DE/LB from Georgia, who was drafted #17 by the Bengals in 2005. The two-time All American had won several other awards in college, but his success did not translate to the pros. Pollack played just 16 games in his career, with 6 starts and 4.5 sacks, and suffered a career-ending neck injury early in 2006.

* The '''Tedford Five''' are five quarterbacks drafted in the first round from the late '90s into the early '00s who were coached by Jeff Tedford in college and failed to live up to expectations once in the NFL. Tedford coached at Fresno State, Oregon, and Cal-Berkeley, where he developed future first round selections '''Trent Dilfer''' (1994 #6 overall pick to Tampa), '''Akili Smith''' (1999 #3 overall pick to Cincinnati), '''David Carr''' (2002 #1 overall pick to Houston), '''Joey Harrington''' (2002 #3 overall pick to Detroit), and '''Kyle Boller''' (2003 #19 overall pick to Baltimore). All had outstanding college careers in Tedford's system but failed to live up to the expectations of being first round draft choices in the NFL. Their collective win record as NFL starters is just 98-127 (.436), they combined for a meager completion percentage of 54.6%, threw more [=INTs=] (230) than TD passes (202), and posted an anemic combined QB rating 68.6. The NFL's backlash toward the failures of Tedford's [=QBs=] likely greased the rails for Aaron Rodgers' (who played at Cal under Tedford) draft day slide to #24 overall. Rodgers ultimately bucked the trend (winning a Super Bowl and four league MVP awards), but was ironically the last first round pick QB produced by Tedford (who was later fired from Cal, served as an NFL OC for a time, then returned to Fresno State as head coach... [[TenMinuteRetirement twice]]).

** '''Blaine Gabbert''' was drafted #10 overall by the Jaguars out of Missouri. Despite a middling college career with rather pedestrian numbers, Gabbert rose on draft boards due to the potential suggested by his size and arm strength. He quickly took over as starter in his rookie season, but injuries, an INT problem, and a revolving door for his coaches led to him going 5-22 as starter in just three seasons; the Jaguars, an overall winning franchise prior to Gabbert's arrival, fell to the dregs of the NFL afterwards. Gabbert was traded to the 49ers for a sixth round pick, where he got into a battle for the starting job with fellow 2011 draft pick Colin Kaepernick and has bounced around the league, ''just'' managing to get his career TD-INT ratio on the positive side while winning Super Bowls LV and LVIII as a backup.

* '''Carson Wentz''' was drafted #2 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. Coming out of FCS North Dakota State, many draftniks were concerned that Wentz may have been a NormalFishInATinyPond in college and wasn't worth everything the Eagles gave up to get him[[note]]in order to get up from their original #13 overall pick in 2016 to #2, they had to make ''two'' trades, jumping from #13 to #8 and then to #2; between the two trades, the cost to make the moves totaled up to two defensive starters, a couple of 2016 mid-round picks, their 2017 1st round pick, and their 2018 second round pick[[/note]]. At first, Wentz looked like he might prove himself worthy of the trade after all; after a solid rookie year, he followed up in his second year by setting the Eagles team record for TD passes in a season and was a near-lock to win league MVP, only to have said season cut short when he tore his ACL in Week 14 and had to watch as backup QB Nick Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win anyway. From this point forward, Wentz developed a reputation as a GlassCannon; the next year he was again replaced by Foles after sustaining a late-season back injury, and he was removed from his postseason debut the year after due to a concussion. He quickly became the target of harsh criticism by Eagles fans -- especially after the Eagles signed Wentz to a massive extension in 2019 while letting Foles (who was beloved by the fans for his Super Bowl LII heroics) walk in free agency at the same time -- that only got worse when his performance sharply declined in 2020, leading to him being benched late in the season in favor of Jalen Hurts, and the Eagles subsequently decided to move on from him in the offseason. He then bounced to the Colts (2021) and Commanders (2022), disappointing in both single-season stints as injuries and inconsistency continued to hamper his play, so much so that he initially went unsigned entirely ahead of the 2023 season before eventually being picked up midseason by the Rams (ironically the same team that passed on him in favor of Jared Goff when he was first drafted) as a backup.

** '''Zach Wilson''' was drafted #2 overall by the Jets after a standout season at BYU. While Wilson had displayed plenty of arm talent, he was barely 21 years old, and his performance in his last college year was an outlier that potentially was helped by COVID disrupting the college football landscape (BYU, being an independent program that had many of its opponents cancel on them, scheduled mostly non-Power Five cupcakes as replacements). Wilson was immediately thrust into the starting role to succeed Sam Darnold but somehow managed to burn out ''even faster'', as poor play, injuries, and notable lack of support from the rest of the Jets locker room[[note]]reports of Wilson's "entitlement" (his maternal grandfather and great-uncle are healthcare and airline magnates with nine-figure net worths) turning off teammates abounded[[/note]] extended the moribund franchise's woes. After just two seasons, the latter of which Wilson was singled out as ''the'' reason an otherwise talented team didn't make the playoffs, the Jets decided to bench him and trade for an aging Aaron Rodgers, hoping that he could help the team reach their full potential in the short-term and that some time sitting behind Rodgers could turn Wilson into the player New York thought he was when they selected him. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth snap as a Jet, thrusting Wilson back into the starting role, where he continued to flounder and was benched several times by year's end. Wilson is universally considered to be an enormous bust ''despite'' still being on the roster of the team that drafted him, with the Jets reportedly struggling to find another franchise willing to take him on in a trade.
** '''Trey Lance''' was drafted #3 overall by the 49ers, and while the story of his career has not yet been fully written, he does go down in the NFL history books for the tremendous draft capital he cost San Francisco for practically zero return. Much like Carson Wentz (see "Disappointments"), Lance performed extremely well at North Dakota State [[NormalFishInATinyPond playing against FCS competition]], going 17-0 as a starter and throwing just one interception. However, he was seen as a developmental project due to having played only one full year apiece in high school and in college (including having played just one exhibition game the year before the draft due to COVID shutdowns). The Niners had just come short of a championship several times and believed a more athletic QB would be the missing piece to a dynasty; to trade up for Lance, they sent ''three'' first round picks, as well as a fourth rounder, to Miami. After sitting for most of his rookie year, Lance was put in at starter in year two, only to suffer a season-ending ankle injury in his second game. Fortunately for the Niners but unfortunately for Lance, this injury, as well as another to second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo, led to rookie Brock Purdy--the very last pick in the 2022 Draft--taking the reins and unexpectedly excelling right out of the gate. With Purdy establishing himself as 49ers' starter, the team lost all interest in continuing to develop Lance, who was offloaded to Dallas for a fourth rounder. In total, Lance played just eight games for the Niners and started merely four, both easily the fewest for any Top 5 pick in the common draft era. Lance and Wilson were both taken ahead of several Pro Bowlers and very solid players in the Top 10 (most notably OT Penei Sewell, CB Patrick Surtain II, and [=WRs=] Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and [=DeVonta=] Smith).
** '''Justin Fields''' was drafted by the Bears #11 overall after a standout career at Ohio State. Fields was renowned for his accuracy in college, but his running ability was what truly popped out when he entered the pros, as he compiled an impressive highlight reel of long distance runs after taking over the starting job in his rookie year and broke several QB rushing records in his second. Fields' 1,143 rushing yards in 2022 remains the second most ever by a QB behind only Lamar Jackson's 2019 MVP campaign, and he holds the NFL single-game QB rushing record at 178 yards. However, these runs didn't translate to many wins; the Bears had the worst record in the league in 2022, and critics pointed out that Fields only took off running as much as he did because his former passing accuracy had seemingly disappeared, while his reticence to throw the ball also resulted in a huge number of unnecessary sacks. After the Bears posted their third straight losing season with Fields under center, and armed with the #1 pick in the 2024 draft that they had acquired from the Panthers in a trade the previous year, they opted to trade him to the Steelers for a conditional sixth rounder, with the plan being for him to serve as a backup to Russell Wilson. In drafting Fields, the Bears missed out on star LB Micah Parsons, taken with the very next pick.

** '''Zach Wilson''' was drafted #2 overall by the Jets after a standout season at BYU. While Wilson had displayed plenty of arm talent, he was barely 21 years old, and his performance in his last college year was an outlier that potentially was helped by COVID disrupting the college football landscape (BYU, being an independent program that had many of its opponents cancel on them, scheduled mostly non-Power Five cupcakes as replacements). Wilson was immediately thrust into the starting role to succeed Sam Darnold but somehow managed to burn out ''even faster'', as poor play, injuries, and notable lack of support from the rest of the Jets locker room[[note]]reports of Wilson's "entitlement" (his maternal grandfather and great-uncle are healthcare and airline magnates with nine-figure net worths) turning off teammates abounded[[/note]] extended the moribund franchise's woes. After just two seasons, the latter of which Wilson was singled out as ''the'' reason an otherwise talented team didn't make the playoffs, the Jets decided to bench him and trade for an aging Aaron Rodgers, hoping that he could help the team reach their full potential in the short-term and that some time sitting behind Rodgers could turn Wilson into the player New York thought he was when they selected him. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth snap as a Jet, thrusting Wilson back into the starting role, where he continued to struggle and was benched several times by year's end. Wilson is universally regarded as an enormous bust ''despite'' still being on the roster of the team that drafted him, with the Jets reportedly struggling to find another organization willing to take him on in a trade.