No executive is immune to bad draft selections. With the NFL Draft becoming even more of a lottery ticket than it was in the past, each team has its own fair share of misses over the last five seasons.
Today, we’ll look at each organization’s worst pick over the last five years, dating back to 2019 (no, the 2024 class doesn’t count yet). Let’s see how bad some of these misses are.
NFL Team’s Worst Draft Pick
There are different criteria for each organization when it comes to making a poor draft selection. For a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, their worst picks aren’t considered horrific misses due to the fact the team has done such a great job of drafting in the later rounds. A team like the New York Giants has had so many that it has cost the job of several different front-office leaders.
Every organization has a skeleton in the scouting closet, and the Chiefs are no different.
Let’s take a look and see the worst of the worst of draft busts in the last five years.
Arizona Cardinals – LB, Isaiah Simmons (2020 1st Round, 8th Overall)
The Cardinals have been known to misuse defensive players — just a few years before, Haason Reddick was the clearest example of that. Isaiah Simmons played in 50 games for the Cardinals and did rack up close to 100 tackles in back-to-back years, but he was never the same player he was out of Clemson.
Atlanta Falcons – QB, Desmond Ridder (2022 3rd Round, 74th Overall)
The Falcons are one of the few teams that have drafted really well for the most part, so their worst pick is one that came in the third round. The miss on Desmond Ridder — much like most of the 2022 quarterback class — was a bad miss that set the stage for the team to overpay for the likes of Kirk Cousins a couple of years later.
Baltimore Ravens – WR, Rashod Bateman (2021 1st Round, 27th Overall)
Rashod Bateman has dealt with injuries and ineffective play for most of his time in Baltimore. A disappointment of sorts considering the Minnesota product was the apple of many contending teams’ eye at the time. Baltimore is still high on the young receiver, but he’s running out of chances to make a significant difference on this contending team.
Buffalo Bills – CB, Kaiir Elam (2022 1st Round, 23rd Overall)
Kaiir Elam was expected to be a player who the Bills could rely on to cover the likes of the top receivers in the conference. So far, though, it hasn’t gone his way. He looks like a reserve early in camp for Buffalo and needs to produce quickly if he’s going to remain on an NFL field.
Carolina Panthers – OT Ikem Ekwonu (2022 1st Round, 6th Overall)
The only solace the Panthers should take in the Ikem Ekwonu pick is that there weren’t many top tackle prospects available that have panned out from the 2022 NFL Draft class. Still, the NC State product has been really bad in his career and has set the stage for Carolina to be one of the worst teams in football.
Chicago Bears – QB, Justin Fields (2021 1st Round, 11th Overall)
Much like the Panthers, the Bears have the benefit of saying that every quarterback from the 2021 draft class turned out to be a major bust — not just Justin Fields. The former Ohio State quarterback has the lowest completion percentage and passer rating in the fourth quarter over all other starters in the league. It’s no wonder why Chicago moved on to Caleb Williams.
MORE: 2019 NFL Redraft: Raiders Grab A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin Joins the Bills
Cincinnati Bengals – OT Jackson Carman (2021 2nd Round, 46th Overall)
The Bengals have tried again and again to find an offensive line combination that can keep Joe Burrow upright. Jackson Carman was expected to be part of that equation. Instead, he’s played in just five games in the last two years, and he looks like he’s fighting for a roster spot this season.
Cleveland Browns – CB Greedy Williams (2019 2nd Round, 46th Overall)
Thought to be the corner opposite Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams is now a free agent and looking for any team to take his services. He might have played his last down in a league game.
Dallas Cowboys – DT Trysten Hill (2019 2nd Round, 58th Overall)
The Cowboys are a team that has done a really good job of hitting on their first-round talents, but outside of that, their late-round selections have been awful. Perhaps that is why a player like Trysten Hill, who is currently on the Patriots after a quick three-year run with Dallas, is the reason why the Cowboys have yet to reach an NFC title game this century.
Denver Broncos – WR Jerry Jeudy (2020 1st Round, 15th Overall)
Jerry Jeudy was expected to be the best receiver in Alabama’s deep treasure trove at the position. Instead, he became a serviceable starter for Denver for a few years, but he never became the star that people thought he would become.
Detroit Lions – CB Jeff Okudah (2020 1st Round, 3rd Overall)
Jeff Okudah’s miss for Detroit should have sunk the Lions for a while. Instead, the Lions have bounced back with a couple of elite drafts that have set them nicely in the NFC. Still, they had to address the corner position in the offseason this year due to Okudah’s miss being that big.
Green Bay Packers – CB Eric Stokes (2021 1st Round, 29th Overall)
Eric Stokes has recorded just a single interception in his three-year run with the Packers and has played in only 11 games in the last two seasons. Hardly a solid pick by a Green Bay team that has turned its draft fortune around in recent years.
Houston Texans – WR John Metchie III (2022 2nd Round, 44th Overall)
It’s really hard to judge John Metchie III as a miss considering the whole reason he dropped out of the first round in 2022 was due to a torn ACL he suffered in the SEC title game. The fact that Houston traded for Stefon Diggs though means Metchie’s time could be running out in Texas.
Indianapolis Colts – CB, Rock Ya-Sin (2019 2nd Round, 34th Overall)
Rock Ya-Sin had a really nice season in 2023. The only problem was it came with the Ravens and not the team that drafted him in the Colts. Indianapolis got Ya-Sin for three seasons, in which the Temple product picked off just two passes and was shipped to the Raiders shortly after.
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Jacksonville Jaguars – CB C.J. Henderson (2020 1st Round, 9th Overall)
First-round cornerbacks are always gambles, and the Jaguars lost big when it came to C.J. Henderson. The Florida product had an up-and-down rookie season and was traded to the Panthers after just two seasons. He’s now with the Texans trying to fight for a roster spot.
Kansas City Chiefs – RB, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (2020 1st Round, 32nd Overall)
In his rookie season, Clyde Edwards-Helaire looked like a mix between Brian Westbrook and Jamal Charles. Now, he’s fighting for a roster spot while Isiah Pacheco dominates as Kansas City’s lead back. Quite a fall from grace for the former LSU product.
Las Vegas Raiders – Edge, Clelin Ferrell (2019 1st Round, 4th Overall)
Clelin Ferrell’s draft selection was seen as a major reach at the time, and it was only proved to be right in just a single season. The Clemson product hasn’t recorded over five sacks in a season in his career and is on his third NFL team now.
Los Angeles Chargers – WR, Quentin Johnston (2023 1st Round, 21st Overall)
You have to be really bad if a player tops this list after just one season. Somehow, Quentin Johnston and his drops accomplished that feat with a measly 56.7% catch percentage and his crucial drops in key moments.
Los Angeles Rams – OL Logan Bruss (2022 3rd Round, 104th Overall)
The Rams have done a great job with the later picks in recent memory, but Logan Bruss was the team’s first pick in 2022 and never played in an NFL game after tearing his ACL in the preseason. By default, he’s on this list.
Miami Dolphins – CB, Noah Igbinoghene (2020 1st Round, 30th Overall)
The most notable thing Noah Igbinoghene has done in his career is return a blocked field goal try for a touchdown on opening night. The bad news? That was for the Dallas Cowboys and not the Dolphins, who drafted him to help repair their secondary.
Minnesota Vikings – S Lewis Cine (2022 1st Round, 32nd Overall)
Lewis Cine has played in 10 games over the last two seasons and has not even started a contest once. He’s currently third on the team’s depth chart and could very well be cut in the coming weeks — certainly not what the Vikings envisioned when they took him 32nd overall.
New England Patriots – WR, N’Keal Harry (2019 1st Round, 32nd Overall)
Speaking of 32nd overall busts … is N’Keal Harry the biggest one on the list? He’s certainly close. Harry never recorded over 350 yards receiving, couldn’t make it work with Tom Brady, and is now trying out as a tight end. So, yeah, his career is going swell.
KEEP READING: NFL Offense Rankings
New Orleans Saints – Edge, Payton Turner (2022 1st Round, 28th Overall)
A general rule of thumb: If the team that drafted you took a player at your position group and that player has more sacks than you in a single season than you have recorded in three years, you may be labeled a bust.
Enter, Payton Turner, the player who has just three sacks in three seasons and is third on the team’s depth chart.
New York Giants – OT Evan Neal (2022 1st Round, 7th Overall)
While many people may think that Joe Schoen has the Giants on the right track, his pick of Evan Neal and some questionable free agent moves should say otherwise. The Alabama product has been nothing but a massive bust for Big Blue, and it continues to hurt the long-term goals of the offensive line.
New York Jets – QB, Zach Wilson (2021 1st Round, 2nd Overall)
There may not be a bigger bust at this point than Zach Wilson in New York. The BYU product was seen as a project but never got the proper coaching needed to succeed. It didn’t help that he simply wasn’t a good quarterback who set the Jets’ rebuild back a couple of years.
Philadelphia Eagles – WR, Jalen Reagor (2020 1st Round, 21st Overall)
Before Howie Roseman rebuilt the Eagles in two short seasons, he was on the hot seat for picks like Jalen Reagor. The TCU product was taken a pick ahead of Justin Jefferson and failed to record over 400 yards receiving once in his two-year run with the Birds — and this came on a team without any semblance of a pass catcher in 2020!
Pittsburgh Steelers – QB, Kenny Pickett (2022 1st Round, 20th Overall)
Kenny Pickett lasted two seasons in the town where he played college football. His accuracy was among the worst in the NFL, and despite his 14-10 record as a starter, he was clearly a detriment to the offense. Remember, Pittsburgh made the playoffs with Mason Rudolph at quarterback last season.
San Francisco 49ers – QB, Trey Lance (2021 1st Round, 3rd Overall)
If Wilson is considered the biggest bust on this list, Trey Lance is immediately behind him. While the Jets quarterback showed some spurts of competency, Lance has done nothing to prove he belongs on an NFL field. It’s a good reminder that even a top executive team like the 49ers can completely whiff on a top pick like this.
Seattle Seahawks – Edge L.J. Collier (2019 1st Round, 29th Overall)
L.J. Collier was a disaster of a draft pick for the Seahawks. He recorded three sacks just once in his sophomore year in the league, but he hasn’t recorded a sack since! These days, he’s on the Cardinals trying to help their rebuild get off the mat.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2021 1st Round, 32nd Overall)
It’s not that Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has been relatively bad compared to other draft picks, but he’s never been the kind of every-down edge defender the Buccaneers have sorely needed since they won the Super Bowl. They need to see more here.
KEEP READING: NFL Defense Rankings
Tennessee Titans – OT Isaiah Wilson (2020 1st Round, 29th Overall)
Isaiah Wilson played one game for the Titans, was suspended by the team for breaking the rules, and then demanded a trade from the team after one season. It doesn’t get much worse than that for any team — let alone a rebuilding one like Tennessee.
Washington Commanders – Edge Chase Young (2021 1st Round, 2nd Overall)
Chase Young was pegged as the best defensive player in the 2021 class, and many thought there was an argument he should have gone first overall. Instead, Washington watched him record 7.5 sacks once, tear his ACL, and struggle since his injury. The injury concerns clearly played a part, but Young was never as dominant as he was in college.