Power ranking: The 13 biggest running back busts of all-time
By Robert Judin
5. D.J. Dozier
Eleven draft picks after the Houston Oilers selected Alonzo Highsmith, the Minnesota Vikings took a shot with Penn State running back D.J. Dozier with the No. 14 overall pick.
Dozier had an up-and-down career with the Nittany Lions, but he left with a pretty solid resume. He racked up 3,227 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns by the time he moved on to the Vikings.
Dozier’s time with Minnesota started low and ended even lower. In four seasons, he compiled 643 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
By the time the 1990 season ended, Dozier realized football may not be the right path for him. so he decided to become a two-sport athlete and play minor league baseball.
As it turned out, that wasn’t a completely bad idea. Two years in, Dozier worked his way up to a spot with the New York Mets. During those 25 games he played for the Mets in 1992, he carried a .191 batting average. Dozier played two more seasons of AAA-level baseball and then called a quits.
Simultaneously, Dozier spent the 1991 NFL season with the Detroit Lions and had 48 rushing yards on nine carries in six games – riveting numbers.
What’s worse: seven touchdowns in five years or nine hits in 47 at-bats?
Luckily for Dozier, Highsmith’s unspectacular career overshadows his at times because Highsmith was a No. 3 overall pick. That being said, Dozier definitely qualifies as a bust with all that space between his expectations and his reality.
As we all know, the Vikings had better luck with running backs later on.
Next: Curtis Enis