The hope of every general manager (and fan base) in the league is that they select the right player in the first round of the NFL Draft. Nothing is worse than to look back at a top pick and to realize that player turned out to be one of the biggest busts in draft history.
According to a list compiled by USA Today, they looked at the top 100 NFL Draft busts of all-time and our Detroit Lions have four players who made the cut.
Here are the Lions’ draft picks to make the list, along with the rationale from USA Today.
34. WR Charles Rogers, 2nd overall 2003
Sadly, he couldn’t evade drugs or injuries. Also, Andre Johnson went to Houston with the next pick. More on the Matt Millen debacle later …
57. QB Joey Harrington, 3rd overall 2002
He went 18-37 in 55 starts for Detroit. Even more on the Matt Millen debacle later …
63. QB Andre Ware, 7th overall 1990
Welp. Apparently mastering the run and shoot in college won’t necessarily make you a great pro. Fellow Houston Cougar product David Klingler made this a cautionary trend two years later as the draft’s sixth overall selection (to Cincinnati, naturally).
76. WR Mike Williams, 10th overall 2005
The third Round 1 wideout Detroit took over three consecutive drafts, he caught 37 balls in two years in Motown before being shipped out. See why Millen went 31-84 in seven-plus seasons running the franchise? (FWIW, the other receiver was 2004 first rounder Roy Williams, who was largely disappointing but did manage one Pro Bowl before later costing the Cowboys a first-round pick in a disastrous 2008 trade deadline move.)
Nation, which of these players was the biggest bust in Lions draft history? Or do you have someone else in mind?
