Top 10 Biggest NFL Draft 1st Round Trade Busts

I'm sure I'm leaving a few out, but I'm going by how much a team gave up just to get a big-name player that didn't work out for long.

Let's find out the deals and the downfall for both parties.

1. Ryan Leaf

   

   Ryan David Leaf is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for four seasons. He was selected as the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, behind Peyton Manning. Leaf played for the San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks.... read more

   Don't really need to say much here. This is the second biggest bust trade. Neither team really won much here. The biggest winner was Jim Irsay picking the right QB. Meanwhile, the Chargers were set on taking Ryan Leaf no matter what. The Cardinals took a defensive lineman who didn't last too long in the league either. Still, Leaf was the most immature and atrocious QB I have ever witnessed. Don't talk to me, alright? KNOCK IT OFF! Your franchise QB, San Diego.

2. Mitchell Trubisky

   

   Look away, Bears fans! Do I really need to say how this went down? It was an atrocious trade where Ryan Pace could have waited at 3 and still taken him. Instead, he gave picks away to John Lynch. What are you doing? Even worse, they never really contacted Trubisky before the draft, which makes this a bad process all around by the Chicago personnel. Even more painful were the stars you decided to pass on: Deshaun Watson (great) and Sir Patrick Mahomes (HOF).

3. Ricky Williams

   

   Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams Jr. is a retired American football running back who played eleven seasons in the National Football League and one season in the Canadian Football League. He was known for his time with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens. Williams won the Heisman... read more

   I really wanted to put this one higher because it was a legendarily bad trade for New Orleans. Ricky Williams was a heck of a player in his short time with the Saints. The problem was the whole team didn't get much better by giving up the whole draft load that year. Washington got a boatload of picks. Stunningly enough, though, none of those players lasted long, so you're lucky not to give Washington much, with their GM having bad eyesight.

4. Trent Richardson

   

   Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back best known for his college career at the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, he was recognized as an All-American and played on two BCS National Championship teams.... read more

   This might be the opposite of how Ricky Williams ended up. Trent Richardson at first had a good start at the NFL level when the Browns believed in him. When the team decided to trade him, Richardson struggled and had some atrocious yards per carry during his time with Indy. It was nice to see him play in the AAF for a brief period, though. The Vikings ended up getting a tackle to help out their below-average QB (Ponder) at the time.

5. Josh Rosen

   

   Josh Rosen was the 4th QB taken in the 2018 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the team that traded up for him set him up to fail. They had no identity when he got to Arizona and gave him little chance in just one season. Meanwhile, the team that traded down, the Raiders, looked to have the better of the two UCLA players in Kolton Miller.

6. Derrick Harvey

   

   Derrick Harvey was a guy not even projected to go as high as he did. Baltimore traded down to get Joe Flacco, who worked out well. Meanwhile, Jacksonville, coming off just missing the playoffs, tried to go all-in on Derrick Harvey. Harvey pretty much did not live up to his high overarching status, as Kiper and company ripped the pick, and deservedly so.

7. Robert Griffin III

   

   Robert Lee Griffin III, nicknamed RG3, is an American former football quarterback who played in the NFL. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2012 NFL Draft and won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Griffin later played for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens... read more

   Sure, RG3 did have a great rookie season, but when he broke his leg, his playing ability evaporated fast. Luckily for Washington, they managed to get a backup QB in Kirk Cousins, who played for them for a good length of time in RG3's absence. The Rams ended up trading down, and they were still in limbo, not getting much better for a long time. RG3 soon had his starting job cut short, only to get one last chance with Cleveland, which led to nothing as he played in the backup position afterward.

8. Justin Blackmon

   

   Right next to Claiborne would be the guy that went one higher, who was also traded by another team to Jacksonville. Justin Blackmon had quite the talent on offense. The problem was his off-the-field issues and demons caught up to him in the end. Tampa Bay didn't get much of a better pick in Mark Barron, who you could also make a case for.

9. Morris Claiborne

   

   Oh hey, another Rams trade where they traded down. Michael Brockers is still in the league and can play at an above-average level for a defensive lineman. On the other hand, Jerry Jones put high stakes on Morris Claiborne. The last time Jerry made a big splash at corner was getting Primetime. Seeing that comparison at the time, he just screamed out bust then, and while he isn't terrible, he did not live up to his high status being picked at 6.

10. Dion Jordan

    

    This was a case where neither team came out with a stud. The Dolphins moving up all the way to 3 to get Dion Jordan was a big bust. He only recorded 3 sacks with the team and got into some trouble during that time, which says a lot about the waste of space he was on defense.