Part IV in my series examining the five worst first round NFL draft picks each year since 2000. The 2003 was one of the more polarized drafts, with most picks either falling into the category of huge success or spectacular bust. Led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Carson Palmer at #1 overall, 10 of the 32 first round picks, including six of the first 11 taken, have made the Pro Bowl already. The rest, however, have left much to be desired.
5. Bryant Johnson, #17 Overall Pick, Wide Receiver, Arizona Cardinals - Johnson's most noteable accomplishment in the NFL is having been drafted by the same team that drafted Anquan Boldin in the second round of this same draft. Johnson was third in the NFL in receptions among rookies in 2003, but his teammate Boldin, taken #54 overall, was the leader. Johnson certainly never lived up to the Pro Bowl talent of his teammate, and with the Cardinals selecting another receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, in the top 5 in the 2004 draft, Johnson has never been more than a third option. He joined the San Francisco 49ers on a 1-year contract in 2008 after his rookie contract expired. Players selected later: RB Willis McGahee #23, TE Dallas Clark #24, RB Larry Johnson #27.
4. Jonathan Sullivan, #6 Overall Pick, Defensive Tackle, New Orleans Saints - Sullivan led a short and ineffective career in New Orleans. He failed to produce anywhere near the level of a #6 overall pick, and was traded to the New England Patriots prior to the 2006 season for backup wide receiver Bethel Johnson. Sullivan was arrested the same month he was traded on marijuana, among other things, charges and was released by New England in October of 2006. He has been out of football since. Players selected later: DT Kevin Williams #9, DE Terrell Suggs #10, CB Marcus Trufant #11.
3. Kyle Boller, #19 Overall Pick, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens/Rex Grossman, #22 Overall Pick, Quarterback, Chicago Bears - I lump these two quarterbacks together because their careers have followed very similar paths. Selected around the same time in the first round, each joined a strong defensive team that had significant aspirations, and neither was able to deliver. Boller has spent most of his time in Baltimore struggling to keep the starting job, despite starting 16 games in 2004. He missed 7 games in 2005 with turf toe and in 2006 the Ravens acquired Titans QB Steve McNair in a trade and he would lead the team the next two years. Even when McNair was hurt, which was a lot in 2007, Boller struggled to keep the backup job ahead of rookie sixth round pick Troy Smith. Grossman has been the subject of much disappointment in Chicago as he's shown flashes of being a quality quarterback and he has the physical tools, but he has been wildly inconsistent (to be kind) and has had games where he seems to be making plays for the other team. Despite this, since drafting Grossman, the Bears have made little attempt to upgrade the position with Brian Griese being the only veteran given a shot in 2006 and 2007 and no high draft picks invested in a replacement. Grossman lost the starting job as a rookie to the stellar tandem of Kordell Stewart and Chris Chandler, and missed most of 2005 with a broken ankle. And good news Bears fans, he's expected to compete for the starting job again in2008. Players selected later: RB Willis McGahee #23, RB Larry Johnson #27, QB Tony Romo (Undrafted).
2. Byron Leftwich, #7 Overall Pick, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars - Leftwich, a big quarterback with a huge arm, was expected to be the franchise QB the Jags needed to succeed Mark Brunell. Leftwich had some injury concerns in college but Jacksonville overlooked these to make the pick ahead of the Minnesota Vikings who had traded up, presumably to take Leftwich, then mysteriously missed their pick. (The Vikings ended up taken future Pro Bowl tackle Kevin Williams at #9.) Leftwich would play well for Jacksonville when he started, but recurring ankle injuries began to derail his career, and as he continued to miss time, backup David Garrard began to emerge as a quality quarterback himself. After the two split time at the position in 2006 due to Leftwich's injuries, Leftwich returned to the starting lineup for the playoffs, a controversial move by coach Jack Del Rio. The Jaguars offense struggled in the postseason on the road at New England, losing in the first round. Early in the following offseason, Del Rio named Leftwich the starting QB to the surprise of many. Leftwich would struggle in the preseason and be cut just prior to the start of the season. He would eventually sign with the Falcons and earn the starting job in week 5, playing well before again going out with an ankle injury, and though he returned briefly in week 11, he would lose the starting job to Joey Harrington and he was cut following the 2007 season. Players selected later: DT Kevin Williams #9, DE Terrell Suggs #10, CB Marcus Trufant #11.
1. Charles Rogers, Wide Receiver, #2 Overall Pick, Detroit Lions - Rogers is another player, like Leftwich, whose career never really got going because of injury issues. A popular pick by Lions fans at the time, Rogers was coming from nearby Michigan State University and expected to be the wide receiving threat that second year QB Joey Harrington needed to get the offense going. Unfortunately, just five games into his rookie campaign, Rogers broke his collarbone and was forced to miss the entire season. The following year, on the third play of the season, Rogers again broke his collarbone and again was forced to miss the season. In his third year, 2005, Rogers was suspended by the NFL for four games for his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. It was later reported that Rogers failed drug tests each year while at Michigan State. Rogers would play very little after returning from the suspension and would be released just days prior to the 2006 season. Players selected later: WR Andre Johnson #3, CB Terence Newman #5, DT Kevin Williams #9.
Up Next: 2004, the year of the Wide Receiver.
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3 comments:
I have to disagree with you on placing Leftwich higher than the Grossman/Boller combo. I think Leftwich was a more successful quarterback when he was healthy. He has better career numbers: a better QB rating, a better TD/int ratio, and a better completion percentage than either of the other two. I doubt that Garrard would have done much better against the Patriots in 2006. He was only so-so that season and the Patriots defense gives everyone trouble.
I would tend to agree that Leftwich is a better player than either Grossman or Boller, but both of the latter are still with the team that drafted them while Leftwich is not even signed this year after spending last year with the Falcons. Whether or not this is a reflection on the the players' ability can be debated, but it's hard to classify players entering their fifth year with their original teams as bigger busts than a guy that can't even sign as a backup somewhere.
Name one person outside of the Bears organization who thinks that it's a good thing the Bears still have Rex Grossman. The fact that he is still on the team I think reflects more on the ineptitude of the Bears than it does on Grossman's talent.
As for Boller, I don't think he's as bad as Grossman, but he's clearly only still around out of desperation on the Ravens' part. The fact that his main competition for the starting job at this point is a fifth rounder with two games experience should tell you something about that situation.
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