NFL Draft biggest blunders: Calvin Johnson makes the list

The NFL Draft is a meticulous evaluation process that aims to assess a prospect's potential to succeed in the league. It requires teams to look beyond a player's college success and determine whether their skills can translate into the NFL. However, it is not an exact science, and some diamonds in the rough fall through the cracks. The 2007 NFL Draft saw JaMarcus Russell chosen over Calvin Johnson, which turned out to be a blunder as Russell became one of the biggest busts in NFL history, while Johnson went on to become one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

Key Points

• The NFL Draft is a complex evaluation process that aims to assess a prospect's potential in the league.
• JaMarcus Russell was chosen over Megatron in the 2007 NFL Draft.
• Russell went on to become one of the biggest busts in NFL history, while Johnson became one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

NFL Draft biggest blunders: Calvin Johnson makes the list

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently released a list of the biggest NFL Draft blunders of all time, and the Raiders selecting Russell over Johnson made the cut.

It's never a good thing when the highlight of your pro career is draft day, but that exactly how it unfolded for JaMarcus Russell. The former Raiders No. 1 overall pick is looked at as one of the biggest busts in NFL history. After he was taken with the top spot in the 2007 NFL Draft, he lasted just three seasons in the league. Russell appeared in 31 games as a pro and went 7-18 in his 25 starts for Oakland. In his final season in the league in 2009, Russell completed just 48.8% of his passes and threw just three touchdowns along with 11 interceptions while the Raiders went 2-7 in his starts that year. Yuck. 

Meanwhile, the very next pick after Russell at that draft wound up to be Calvin Johnson, who is considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers of his era and has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Over his career, Johnson set the NFL receiving yards recent for a season with 1,964 and has the most consecutive 100-yard receiving games (8) in league history. Every which way, Megatron was a dominant force on the field, which the Raiders just missed out on having. To make matters worse with this pick, legendary left tackle Joe Thomas came off the board at No. 3 overall. That means two Hall of Fame talents were called right after Russell. Ouch. 

Bottom Line – Draft day decisions can make or break a team's future

The decision to select a player can be the difference between success and failure, as exemplified by the choices made in the 2007 NFL Draft. While some players, like JaMarcus Russell, fail to live up to their potential, others, like Megatron, go on to become legends in the sport. There is no doubt about it that taking Russell over Calvin is one of the biggest draft blunders of all time.