Top 10 Worst No. 1 Overall NFL Draft Picks
Normally, when you have the rare chance of picking 1st overall, it usually means something good, right? Well, no. In this case, these guys never lived up to their expectations and have been considered flat-out busts.
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JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Trenell Russell is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at LSU, where he finished 21-4 as a starter and was named MVP of the 2007 Sugar Bowl. Russell was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.... read more
Many have argued to be not only the worst #1 overall selection in NFL history but the absolute worst player of all time. With a completion percentage of 52.1% and in 31 games, that is horrible. Yet again, though, it was one of the last times the Raider unknown existed, but this is the worst offender of all.
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Walt Patulski
This is probably the Bills' darkest moment in history, selecting Mr. Patulski. Based on all the data I could trace, he did nothing despite being moderately healthy. That's got to be unreal to see.
The only notable highlights show five sacks. I guess that's something, even if it's very hard to come up with conclusive evidence like a reference in a basketball game.
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Tom Cousineau
Another notable Bills bust, Tom Cousineau, never even played for them. Instead, he stayed in the CFL for many of those years until taking his ball and going to the Browns, rejecting the choice to play for Buffalo. Ouch!
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Courtney Brown
For what he has produced overall, considering he was a monster at Penn State, it just seems like the school hit a major curse for many of its professionals. Courtney Brown, with the stats shown, just doesn't represent what a #1 overall pick should. To put it in better terms, go look at Myles Garrett. He already has more sacks than Courtney Brown in his 5-year tenure with Cleveland.
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Steve Emtman
He, along with three other defensive bust picks by the Colts, set the team back in the '90s. Emtman only played 9 games, somehow rallying to haul in 3 sacks. In the next five games, sack production dropped to two.
In the final year, four games showed pretty much the same lack of production in a guy picked 1st overall. How very unfortunate.
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Ki-Jana Carter
Ki-Jana Carter was probably the biggest of the four tailbacks to come out of Penn State to be hit the hardest. He had much trouble staying healthy, and the ACL injuries pretty much killed his career. The best he had to offer was 728 yards and 15 touchdowns.
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Aundray Bruce
With the size and athleticism he had at the time, how could you not take a talent like this? Even with the tackles, it's very disappointing to come up with only 16.0 sacks in his 4 years with the Falcons.
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Kenneth Sims
Sure, he got 17 sacks in his time with the Patriots, but man, was he an incredibly inconsistent player. Sims had trouble staying on the field healthy, and when he was on the field, he would not always produce the way fans hoped for, thus staying way too long with the team in the '80s.
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Ricky Bell
One year after selecting Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, the Bucs were picking at the top spot again after one of their most notoriously bad seasons in NFL history. Unfortunately, Ricky Bell never lived up to such high status value overall and faded very quickly.
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Jameis Winston
Jameis L. Winston is an American football quarterback who signed with the New York Giants in March 2025 on a two-year, eight million dollar contract. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns. Winston earned a Pro Bowl selection during his rookie season... read more
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Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals. Palmer was selected first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft and earned three Pro Bowl selections during his career.