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For every Peyton Manning, there’s a Ryan Leaf. And for every Patrick Mahomes, there’s a Paxton Lynch.
The NFL draft entered its common era in 1967 when the American and National Football Leagues decided to merge instead of acting separately. This was part of the agreement reached the year prior, something that didn’t take place on the field (save for the Super Bowl), until the ’70 season.
In the 55 drafts since the on-field merger, there have been plenty of picks that resulted in great value, Hall of Fame talent and the building of dynasties.
You won’t find any of those selections here.
Instead, we’re looking at the biggest draft busts of the aforementioned era, including quarterbacks, who in some cases, failed to start even five games. Let’s get started by looking at every team’s worst pick of all time, but first, here are a few guidelines for our choices.
We’re starting with the 1970 draft, coinciding with the AFL-NFL merger.Value matters. A lot. Nobody cares about some seventh-round pick who never played.If you’re a first-round quarterback who didn’t pan out, look away.Arizona Cardinals: Steve Pisarkiewicz, QB (No. 19, 1977)
Taken 19th pick out of Missouri, Pisarkiewicz was supposed to succeed Jim Hart as the signal-caller for Big Red. Instead, Pisarkiewicz became a forgettable figure. He started just four games over two seasons for St. Louis before going to the Green Bay Packers, where he played in one game as a backup before dropping out of the league.
