Worst of the First (32-19)
Now that we have seen the best, it's time to address the worst.
Not every first round talent is a diamond. Some are just the rough. For every Cam Newton and A.J. Green, there is a Ryan Leaf. Some of these guys get away with highway robbery when they get paid and don't produce. These picks could have been due to injury, substance abuse, or just simply live up to the hype.
Under each analysis, there will be a "Best Available" included, showing who would have been a better pick at the same position.
Without further ado:
32. WR Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio St.) - 2007 - Indianapolis Colts
Other Option: RB David Wilson (2012)
Anthony Gonzalez was surrounded by college studs like Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Heisman Trophy Winning quarterback Troy Smith at Ohio State. He was the sixth receiver drafted in 2007 after the Colt's Super Bowl season. After two seasons playing second fiddle to Marvin Harrison, he would get his chance to start alongside Reggie Wayne. A week one injury against the Jaguars did him in for the season. After that, he was released, had a short stint with the Patriots and ultimately retired. Gonzalez ended his career with 1,307 yards on 99 catches with seven touchdowns.
Gonzalez went on to Stanford Graduate School to get a masters in business in 2012.
Best Available: Sidney Rice, Jacoby Jones
31. CB Kelly Jennings (Miami) - 2006 - Seattle Seahawks
Other Option: Chris "Beanie" Wells (2009)
Jennings had a promising end to his rookie season, capitalizing on secondary injuries to start the final two games of the regular season and two postseason games. He was moved to nickelback is sophomore season (2008) and proved to be very capable, recording 42 tackles and and 12 pass defense. Everything went downhill after he was traded.
On August 29, 2011, Jennings was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. He played 13 games for the Bengals and was then released after one season. The NFL has not seen him since those days.
Jennings is now married with two daughters.
Best Available: Tim Jennings, Will Blackmon
30. WR A.J. Jenkins (Illinois) - 2012 - San Francisco 49ers
Other Options: WR Craig Davis (2007), TE Dustin Keller (2008)
Jenkins was the fourth receiver selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, and trust me, he is not the only wideout that makes this list from that draft class. Jenkins played only 32 offensive snaps with the 49ers before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He recorded his first catch a year and a half after being drafted. He was released from the Chiefs in early 2015. He was signed to the Dallas Cowboy Practice Squad for the preseason before being released a month later.
His career currently stands at 17 receptions for 223 yards and no touchdowns.
Best Available: Alshon Jeffrey, T.Y. Hilton
29. DT Kentwan Balmer (UNC) - 2008 - San Francisco 49ers
Other Options: OT Gabe Carimi (2011), CB Kyle Wilson (2010)
Balmer was drafted at defensive tackle, but moved to the edge for his rookie season. He ended that season with seven tackles in 16 games played. Balmer went down with a shoulder injury late into the 2009 season and was traded the following year to the Seattle Seahawks. He was waived a year later after his best season. Balmer amounted 43 tackles and one pass defense. The Carolina Panthers claimed him off waivers in 2011, only to waive him six days later.
His time with the Redskins was interesting. He missed two days of camp at the beginning of training camp in 2012. His agent made no comments as to where he had been. The team made contact with Balmer nine days after the incident. He was later released.
Best Available: Red Bryant, Nick Hayden
28. DE Lawrence Jackson (USC) - 2008 - Seattle Seahawks
Other Option: G Laken Tomlinson (2015)
Jackson was the fourth defensive end taken in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played every game in his rookie season, but only managed a measly 29 tackles and two sacks on the year. He did improve the following year, doubling his sack total, but was then traded to the Detroit Lions before the start of the 2010 regular season. He did even better that season, recording six sacks and 36 tackles in 11 games. This was the season Ndamukong Suh had his rookie year. After that season, Jackson slumped and was released at the end of the 2012 season. He had a short stand with the Minnesota Vikings on the practice squad in 2013, but was release that same year.
Jackson was decent, but it is hard to award worst player to someone who has been in the league for a year.
Best Available: Calais Campbell, Kendall Langford
27. WR Robert Meachem (Tennessee) - 2007 - New Orleans Saints
Other Option: CB Antoine Cason (2008)
Meachem is another receiver from, what I am now realizing, that aweful 2007 wide out class. Clearly all of the talent in this class went to Dwayne Bowe and Calvin Johnson. Meachem did not see the field his rookie year due to knee surgery. He only had 12 receptions his sophomore season, but this was for 289 yards (~24.1 ypc) and three scores. He ended his first go with the Saints with over 2,000 yards on 141 catches. Once he went to San Diego, he took a nose dive. He did not live up the $25 million contract San Diego was paying him and the Chargers cut him after one season into a four-year deal. After that, he lived off of two one-year contracts from the Saints.
It is still unclear if he will make the roster this season.
Best Available: Sidney Rice, Jacoby Jones
26. DT John McCargo (NC St.) - 2006 - Buffalo Bills
Other Option: WR Jon Baldwin (2011)
McCargo was slated to be a late second-round to early third-round pick of the 2006 draft. After looking at his career, the draft analysts were right. McCargo played four games his rookie season and spent the rest of his time on the IR. There is even a story where he passed out at rookie mini-camp due to the heat. After two years with the Bills, McCargo was going to be traded to Indianapolis, but he failed his physical with the team doctors.
This is where everything gets worse. Within a nine month span (August 20, 2011 - May 2, 2012). McCargo was signed and cut from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers THREE TIMES! His first signing lasted 13 days. His third signing lasted 6.5 months, and his second signing was for one day. Talk about bad luck.
McCargo ended his career with 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Best Available: Kyle Williams
25. QB Tim Tebow (Florida) - 2010 - Denver Broncos
Other Option: N/A
This will likely be the only player on this list that everyone will know.
There was not another option here. Seriously. Tebow was a Heisman winner and a two-time BCS Champion. He was drafted by the Broncos in hopes of replacing an aging Kyle Orton. Tebow took over for Orton halfway through the 2011 season when the Broncos started 1-4. Somehow, Tebow lead the Broncos to a playoff appearance where Tebow would link up with Demaryius Thomas for an OT win. Once the Broncos signed Peyton Manning that off-season, Tebow Time was no more.
Tebow went on to have a one season as a Jet, and two preseasons as a Patriot and an Eagle. Since then, he has been on commentary for the SEC Network.
Best Available: Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy
24. DT Peria Jerry (Ole Miss) - 2009 - Atlanta Falcons
Other Option: DE Bjorn Werner (2013)
Honestly, I was sweating bullets thinking I was going to have to say that a former Seminole was the worst. Luckily, for me, Jerry was worse.
Jerry began his career with the Falcons by injuring his knee in week two, putting him out for the remainder of the season. He came back in 2010 to play every game that season, but he did not start due to being pushed out by rookie Corey Peters. He announced his retirement from football before the 2014 season began.
He ended his career with 67 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries.
Best Available: Terrance Knighton, Sen'Derrick Marks
23. OT Danny Watkins (Baylor) - 2011 - Philadelphia Eagles
Other Options: N/A
Watkins holds the record for being the oldest person drafted at 26 years old. He was also drafted by the CFL in 2010 at fourth overall by the BC Lions. Watkins did not see the field his rookie year until week five. He was inactive for three games and sat on the bench for one. He played 23 games for the Eagles before being release a week before the start of the 2013 season.
Watkins was signed to a one-year deal four days later by the Miami Dolphins. He played one game in South Beach.
Watkins officially retired in 2014 and became a firefighter in Frisco, Texas.
Best Available: Derek Sherrod, Orlando Franklin
22. QB Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma St.), & Brady Quinn (Notre Dame) - 2014, 2012, & 2007 - Cleveland Browns
Other Options: N/A
I could have picked one, but I felt like this needed to be a group pick considering Cleveland's history at the 22nd pick. Between the three of these quarterbacks, they have a 40-42 TD-Int ration and a total win-loss record of 9-31 for the dog pound. Manziel had trouble with partying too much. Weeden did not have any protection, and Quinn was dealt a terrible hand. Either that, or we could say that these were all terrible picks due to how the Browns fix their problems.
Best Available: Kevin Kolb (2007), Russell Wilson (2012), Teddy Bridgewater (2014), Derek Carr (2014)
21. OT Sam Baker (USC) - 2008 - Atlanta Falcons
Other Options: DE Phil Taylor (2011), RB Laurence Maroney (2006)
The Falcons really wanted Baker, sacrificing two second round and a four round pick to get him. While the other two had some bad seasons statistics and behavior wise, Baker is injury ridden throughout his six season in Atlanta. He had two season where he played all 16, 2010 and 2012. He was released before the beginning of the 2015 season.
This is not about performance or behavior. Sometimes, a player's body cannot take the work load.
Best Available: Carl Nicks, Josh Sitton, Duane Brown
20. DE Adrian Clayborn (Iowa) - 2011 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Other Options: WR Nelson Agholor (2015)
Clayborn was the fourth defensive end taken in the 2011 draft behind J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, and Ryan Kerrigan. He, like Baker, was plagued by injury. He played two full seasons with the Bucs while the other two were cut short due to knee injuries. He played a total of four games in the 2012 and 2014 seasons. He is now riding the bench on a poor Falcon defense. They just signed him to a two-year $9 million deal.
In total, Clayborn has 124 tackles, 16 sacks, and five forced fumbles in five seasons.
Best Available: Cameron Jordan, Muhammad Wilkerson
19. OT Jeff Otah (Pitt) - 2008 - Carolina Panthers
Other Options: C Cameron Erving (2015)
The Panthers were high on Otah going into the draft, trading up for him with the Eagles. He started 12 of the 16 games his rookie year. He missed the first four due to injury. This is where it started. The following season, he played 13 games. He started all of them, but was then place on IR. In 2010, he was placed on IR in November having not played a game that season. His final season with the team included three games where he started. This was all due to a nagging knee injury that had kept with him throughout his time in Carolina.
He was later traded to the Jets and immediately placed on the Players Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This voided the trade and the Panthers released him two days later.
Best Available: Carl Nicks, Josh Sitton, Duane Brown
