The 2016 NFL draft was just a little over a week ago and all 32 teams have high hopes for their new draft picks. Some of the picks may work out for the better and some may fall flat on their faces as we have seen so many of them do over the years.
You never know about how a player is going to transition from the college game to the pros, just look at Tim Couch, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and for Titans fans, Vince Young, as some of the more recent draft busts.
It really all depends on an athlete’s work ethic and how well he fits into the team’s system to find out how successful he or she will really be. I’ve compiled a list of the top busts in all of sports history and believe me there are a lot of them, but here’s to hoping your teams don’t have any players on this list for the years to come.
Ryan Leaf, 2nd overall pick of the San Diego Chargers, 1998 NFL Draft. Leaf could quite possibly be the biggest sports draft bust of all time. I remember the Colts couldn’t decide between Peyton Manning and Leaf leading up to the draft but they chose wisely by going with Manning over what would later be a disgruntled Leaf. Leaf was one of those can’t-miss prospects, coming out of Washington State but only lasted in the NFL for three seasons, 1998-2001, spending time with four NFL teams.
Darko Milicic, 2nd overall pick of the Detroit Pistons, 2003 NBA Draft. Milicic was the second pick, behind Lebron James in the loaded 2003 NBA draft and was noted as being the next franchise changer. Milicic was selected in front of players, such as Carmelo Anthony (No. 3), Chris Bosh (No. 4) and Dwayne Wade (No. 5). What could’ve been for the Pistons?
JaMarcus Russell, 1st overall pick of the Oakland Raiders, 2007 NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders have had some horrible luck in drafts and got it wrong yet again with the pick of Russell in the 2007 NFL draft. Russell was a terrific player in college, leading LSU to a national championship victory but horrible training and work ethic cut his career short.
Greg Oden, 1st overall pick of the Portland Trailblazers, 2007 NBA Draft.  The pick of Oden plagued the Trailblazers as it did when they drafted Sam Bowie in 1984. It wasn’t Oden’s play on the court, it was injuries that shortened his career, leading to his release in 2012 and he never became the player he could’ve been.