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The worst NFL draft pick of all time by every team

By Erik Lambert

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders in action 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 in action 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) /
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3 Oct 1999: Akili Smith #11 of the Cincinnati Bengals carries the ball during a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rams defeated the Bengals 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
3 Oct 1999: Akili Smith #11 of the Cincinnati Bengals carries the ball during a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rams defeated the Bengals 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /

7. Cincinnati Bengals

Oregon. Akili Smith . 7. player. 56. . QB

Akili Smith was a brutal lesson that teams were still learning at that point about drafting quarterbacks. Always be wary of the one-year wonders. He had one good year at Oregon in 1998, throwing for over 3,600 yards with 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. Keep in mind this was before the PAC-12 became the more respectable conference it is today. Still, that didn’t stop the QB-starved Bengals from taking him 3rd overall in 1999.

With Daunte Culpepper still on the board, mind you. To be fair the Bengals were a train wreck at that time. They had no sense of direction, poor coaching, and didn’t understand how to build around a quarterback properly. Even so, Smith simply wasn’t that good. NFL defenses rattled and confused him. They were far more complex than he was used to seeing and the Bengals threw him out there anyway.

Five TD passes and 13 interceptions were what they ultimate got in four years.

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