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10.) David Carr, QB, Houston Texans, 2002
As a rookie, Carr took an NFL-record 76 sacks behind the expansion Texans’ papier mache offensive line. He led the league in sacks taken in three of his first four seasons. Between that and his tutelage from QB bust guru Jeff Tedford (who also taught Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller), it’s safe to say that there were some extenuating circumstances in Carr’s failure. Yet it doesn’t atone for a career 65 touchdowns vs. 71 interceptions, nor his inability to help Houston sniff the playoffs in a generous five seasons as the starter. At 31, Carr is on his fourth team.
9.) Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers, 2005
The former Utah Ute likely wouldn’t have been tabbed for the top overall slot had USC’s Matt Leinart not opted to return to school, but he did and the signal caller-shy Niners were all too eager to make Smith their consolation prize. That eagerness trumped good sense, as lost amidst their desperation, as well as Smith’s physical tools and predraft workouts, was the truth that Smith never had to read complex coverages playing in Urban Meyer’s spread offense. It caught up with him in the NFL, where his career 57.1 completion percentage and 51-53 TD-INT mark likely will consign him to a backup role starting next season, whether it’s in San Francisco or somewhere else.
8.) Aundray Bruce, LB, Atlanta Falcons, 1988
Standing a chiseled 6-foot-5, 255 pounds and able to run a 4.5 40, Bruce was hyped as the next Lawrence Taylor as an All-American at Auburn. His pro career even had an auspicious start, too, as Bruce compiled 70 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season. Things went dramatically downhill from there, as Bruce showed no progress in his second season before falling off entirely soon after despite never suffering a major injury. He wound up spending 11 seasons in the league but started only 42 total games, a byproduct of his mental grasp of the game never catching up to his immense physical gifts.
7.) Courtney Brown, DE, Cleveland Browns, 2000
A devastating pass rusher out of Penn State, Brown turned in a decent rookie campaign (70 tackles, 4.5 sacks) but played in only 31 of 64 games over the next four seasons because of injuries. He recorded only 10.5 sacks in that span. A 2005 stint with the Broncos revived his career as a reserve but it was short-lived, as a torn ACL in the 2006 preseason ended his season and ultimately his pro career at age 28.
6.) Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland Browns, 1999
It’s safe to say no team has ever blown back-to-back picks quite like Cleveland did with Couch and Brown as successive top overall selections. NFL talent evaluators drooled over Couch’s 6-foot-4 frame and rocket-launcher arm, all the while ignoring that Kentucky purposely simplified its playbook as much as possible to limit the number of schemes Couch had to learn, and ran a spread-based Air Raid offense similar to the Run and Shoot scheme that killed the pro careers David Klingler and Andre Ware. Looking through that lens, Couch’s subsequent failure, which included five lackluster seasons and a 75.1 QB rating, isn’t so surprising.
5.) Ki-Jana Carter, RB, Cincinnati Bengals, 1995
For some first-pick flops, it was a multitude of injuries that did them in, a constant struggle to stay healthy over the balance of their career. In Carter’s case, it was one: a torn ACL on his third carry in his first-ever NFL preseason game. He never recovered the burst that made him special. Although he carved out a seven-season career as a 225-pound, bruising backup, he was a shell of the player who possessed such an artful blend of speed and power. Carter retired at age 31, having never rushed for more than 464 yards in a single season.
4.) JaMarcus Russell, QB, Oakland Raiders, 2007
It took a real effort, or lack thereof, for Russell to wind up this high on this list before his 26th birthday. The former LSU star was every bit bankrupt of intangibles as he was physically gifted, yet talent evaluators everywhere ignored the red flags en route to his being drafted first overall by Oakland. He spent his brief pro tenure being overweight and uninterested and, regrettably, his NFL career is likely over after three seasons, with 4,083 total yards and an 18-23 TD-INT ratio.
3.) Tom Cousineau, LB, Buffalo Bills, 1979
It is one thing if you play badly enough to earn bust status on merit. It’s another if you do that after being traded for two Hall of Famers. When the Bills traded O.J. Simpson to the 49ers in 1978, the package of draft picks included a 1979 first-rounder. That wound up as the top overall pick, and the Bills used it on Cousineau. A contract dispute with Buffalo saw Cousineau take his talents to the Canadian Football League, where he played three seasons before trying his hand in the NFL in 1982. Buffalo traded him to Cleveland for a first-round pick that wound up being franchise icon Jim Kelly. Cousineau finished his quiet career in San Francisco, of all places, for two seasons, 1986-87.
2.) Terry Baker, QB, Los Angeles Rams, 1963
Baker’s collegiate resume is one not seen before or since. A multisport standout at Oregon State, Baker is the only player ever to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four, and his athleticism made a him an easy top overall selection by the Los Angeles Rams. Unbelievably, Baker played a total of only 18 games in the NFL and threw a mere 21 passes, 19 of which came in his rookie season. Also deployed at running back, he didn’t fare much better there, either, averaging 3.6 yards per carry on 58 total carries. His NFL career finished at 26, Baker left the league without ever throwing a touchdown pass
and the WORST EVER #1 DRAFT PICK IN NFL HISTORY IS/WAS
1.) Steve Emtman, DL, Indianapolis Colts, 1992
Think Ndamukong Suh, only even better. That’s how dominant Emtman was with the Washington Huskies. Entering the NFL, it was inconceivable Emtman could fail, but he did after his body failed him. Emtman finished each of his first three seasons on injured reserve, blowing out his left knee as a rookie before tearing his right patellar tendon and two torn ligaments in his second season. Somehow, he made it back, but then he suffered a herniated disc in his neck in his first game back the next season. Eventually, the injuries did him in and Emtman retired at age 27, with only eight career sacks. The most disappointing top overall pick ever, because we wonder just how good he could have been had his body held up.
-Mike Piellucci, Fox Sports Southwest
As a rookie, Carr took an NFL-record 76 sacks behind the expansion Texans’ papier mache offensive line. He led the league in sacks taken in three of his first four seasons. Between that and his tutelage from QB bust guru Jeff Tedford (who also taught Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller), it’s safe to say that there were some extenuating circumstances in Carr’s failure. Yet it doesn’t atone for a career 65 touchdowns vs. 71 interceptions, nor his inability to help Houston sniff the playoffs in a generous five seasons as the starter. At 31, Carr is on his fourth team.
9.) Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers, 2005
The former Utah Ute likely wouldn’t have been tabbed for the top overall slot had USC’s Matt Leinart not opted to return to school, but he did and the signal caller-shy Niners were all too eager to make Smith their consolation prize. That eagerness trumped good sense, as lost amidst their desperation, as well as Smith’s physical tools and predraft workouts, was the truth that Smith never had to read complex coverages playing in Urban Meyer’s spread offense. It caught up with him in the NFL, where his career 57.1 completion percentage and 51-53 TD-INT mark likely will consign him to a backup role starting next season, whether it’s in San Francisco or somewhere else.
8.) Aundray Bruce, LB, Atlanta Falcons, 1988
Standing a chiseled 6-foot-5, 255 pounds and able to run a 4.5 40, Bruce was hyped as the next Lawrence Taylor as an All-American at Auburn. His pro career even had an auspicious start, too, as Bruce compiled 70 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season. Things went dramatically downhill from there, as Bruce showed no progress in his second season before falling off entirely soon after despite never suffering a major injury. He wound up spending 11 seasons in the league but started only 42 total games, a byproduct of his mental grasp of the game never catching up to his immense physical gifts.
7.) Courtney Brown, DE, Cleveland Browns, 2000
A devastating pass rusher out of Penn State, Brown turned in a decent rookie campaign (70 tackles, 4.5 sacks) but played in only 31 of 64 games over the next four seasons because of injuries. He recorded only 10.5 sacks in that span. A 2005 stint with the Broncos revived his career as a reserve but it was short-lived, as a torn ACL in the 2006 preseason ended his season and ultimately his pro career at age 28.
6.) Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland Browns, 1999
It’s safe to say no team has ever blown back-to-back picks quite like Cleveland did with Couch and Brown as successive top overall selections. NFL talent evaluators drooled over Couch’s 6-foot-4 frame and rocket-launcher arm, all the while ignoring that Kentucky purposely simplified its playbook as much as possible to limit the number of schemes Couch had to learn, and ran a spread-based Air Raid offense similar to the Run and Shoot scheme that killed the pro careers David Klingler and Andre Ware. Looking through that lens, Couch’s subsequent failure, which included five lackluster seasons and a 75.1 QB rating, isn’t so surprising.
5.) Ki-Jana Carter, RB, Cincinnati Bengals, 1995
For some first-pick flops, it was a multitude of injuries that did them in, a constant struggle to stay healthy over the balance of their career. In Carter’s case, it was one: a torn ACL on his third carry in his first-ever NFL preseason game. He never recovered the burst that made him special. Although he carved out a seven-season career as a 225-pound, bruising backup, he was a shell of the player who possessed such an artful blend of speed and power. Carter retired at age 31, having never rushed for more than 464 yards in a single season.
4.) JaMarcus Russell, QB, Oakland Raiders, 2007
It took a real effort, or lack thereof, for Russell to wind up this high on this list before his 26th birthday. The former LSU star was every bit bankrupt of intangibles as he was physically gifted, yet talent evaluators everywhere ignored the red flags en route to his being drafted first overall by Oakland. He spent his brief pro tenure being overweight and uninterested and, regrettably, his NFL career is likely over after three seasons, with 4,083 total yards and an 18-23 TD-INT ratio.
3.) Tom Cousineau, LB, Buffalo Bills, 1979
It is one thing if you play badly enough to earn bust status on merit. It’s another if you do that after being traded for two Hall of Famers. When the Bills traded O.J. Simpson to the 49ers in 1978, the package of draft picks included a 1979 first-rounder. That wound up as the top overall pick, and the Bills used it on Cousineau. A contract dispute with Buffalo saw Cousineau take his talents to the Canadian Football League, where he played three seasons before trying his hand in the NFL in 1982. Buffalo traded him to Cleveland for a first-round pick that wound up being franchise icon Jim Kelly. Cousineau finished his quiet career in San Francisco, of all places, for two seasons, 1986-87.
2.) Terry Baker, QB, Los Angeles Rams, 1963
Baker’s collegiate resume is one not seen before or since. A multisport standout at Oregon State, Baker is the only player ever to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four, and his athleticism made a him an easy top overall selection by the Los Angeles Rams. Unbelievably, Baker played a total of only 18 games in the NFL and threw a mere 21 passes, 19 of which came in his rookie season. Also deployed at running back, he didn’t fare much better there, either, averaging 3.6 yards per carry on 58 total carries. His NFL career finished at 26, Baker left the league without ever throwing a touchdown pass
and the WORST EVER #1 DRAFT PICK IN NFL HISTORY IS/WAS
1.) Steve Emtman, DL, Indianapolis Colts, 1992
Think Ndamukong Suh, only even better. That’s how dominant Emtman was with the Washington Huskies. Entering the NFL, it was inconceivable Emtman could fail, but he did after his body failed him. Emtman finished each of his first three seasons on injured reserve, blowing out his left knee as a rookie before tearing his right patellar tendon and two torn ligaments in his second season. Somehow, he made it back, but then he suffered a herniated disc in his neck in his first game back the next season. Eventually, the injuries did him in and Emtman retired at age 27, with only eight career sacks. The most disappointing top overall pick ever, because we wonder just how good he could have been had his body held up.
-Mike Piellucci, Fox Sports Southwest
OilMan's OLD AGE is showing... 
..Me too..we had to endure 2 more years of him than i would have liked
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