30 biggest draft busts in NFL history

20. Kenneth Sims, DE, New England Patriots

One of the best college players of his era, Sims was unable to make much of an impact in the NFL.

Sims was a late bloomer, but went on to become a force on the defensive line as an upperclassmen at Texas in 1980 and 1981. After serving as a backup his first two seasons, Sims racked up 131 tackles in 1980 while receiving All-American honors. He was an All-American again the next year and also won the Lombardi Award.

New England had little choice but to pick Sims first overall from in was viewed as weak draft class in 1982. However, the Patriots quickly learned that Sims didn’t put in much effort in practice, which hurt his production.

Sims played a full 16 game schedule only once, and racked up just 17 sacks in his career. At most, Sims was a role player. His best season came in 1985 when he contributed 5.5 sacks for the AFC Champion Patriots.

New England released Sims following an arrest for cocaine possession in June of 1990. Sims fell out of shape, and did not play in the NFL again.

Next: 19. Blair Thomas, RB, New York Jets