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NFL Draft: The Biggest Quarterback Busts of the Past Decade

By Erik Lambert

JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 08: Blaine Gabbert #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is sacked by Dontari Poe #92 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at EverBank Field on September 8, 2013 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 08: Blaine Gabbert #11 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is sacked by Dontari Poe #92 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at EverBank Field on September 8, 2013 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders walks off the field against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

#2:  Johnny Manziel (22nd overall, 2014)

Seriously Cleveland. Stay away from the 22nd pick. It’s brought nothing but misery. It’s incredible to think the team picked three quarterbacks in seven years at that same spot and each one turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. By far the biggest was Johnny Manziel. No man has come in with more hype than him in 2014. He was heralded as one of the great superstars. A natural playmaker nobody could stop.

Unfortunately, he was also a party boy lacking any sort of discipline and prone to having a temper. All of that came crashing down on him and just two years after being drafted he was out of the league facing several off-the-field issues. Now he’s up in Canada trying to salvage what’s left of his career.

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#1:  JaMarcus Russell (1st overall, 2007)

It wasn’t even close on this one. JaMarcus Russell isn’t just the biggest draft bust of the past decade. He’s in the running for the biggest of all-time. The hype around the former LSU quarterback had reached absurd levels by draft time in 2007. Most of the buzz came during his pro day when he put on a showcase of his ridiculous combination of size, athleticism, and arm strength.

It was enough to convince the Oakland Raiders, who always favored big QBs with big arms to take him #1 overall. Not long after that it became clear they didn’t do enough homework on the personality. Russell proved to be aloof, lazy and not at all a leader. He followed a long contract holdout with poor play in his brief run as a starter. He was released by Oakland after two seasons and was quickly gone from the league. For a #1 pick? That’s as bad as it gets.

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