The worst NFL draft pick of all time by every team
By Erik Lambert
17. Los Angeles Chargers
Ryan Leaf . 17. player. 13. . QB. Washington State
Still considered by many to be the greatest draft bust in NFL history. People need to understand the hype that surrounded Ryan Leaf back in 1998. Several experts considered him the top quarterback prospect in the class. Better than fellow big name Peyton Manning. It wasn’t hard to see why. Leaf had size and a rifle for an arm that allowed him to slice defenses to ribbons during his final year in college. There was one thing separating the two though.
Maturity.
Manning was already schooled by his father, former QB Archie Manning, on the pitfalls of the NFL spotlight. It became clear that Leaf was woefully unprepared for it. He was still very much a college kid with a total lack of knowledge about hard work or leadership and it began to show almost right away. After two wins to open his career, things went off the rails.
A disastrous game in Kansas City that saw him go 1-for-15 for four yards and two interceptions ended with an on-camera blowup on a reporter after the game. It was clear then the Chargers had made a mistake. Things only got worse. Leaf threw 13 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in just 21 games with the team before he was shown the door. He was out of the league before his 26th birthday and ended up in prison not long after.