Fansided

30 biggest draft busts in NFL history

By Nathaniel Reeves

SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf
SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 31
Next
TUSCALOOSA – OCTOBER 17: ESPN TV analyst Todd Blackledge walks on the field before the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 17, 2009. The Crimson Tide beat the Gamecocks 20-6. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA – OCTOBER 17: ESPN TV analyst Todd Blackledge walks on the field before the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 17, 2009. The Crimson Tide beat the Gamecocks 20-6. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

29. Todd Blackledge, QB, Kansas City Chiefs 

The first round of the 1983 NFL draft shaped the state of the league for the next decade and beyond, and Blackledge’s selection played a major role.

Blackledge was a three-year starter for Penn State and lead the Nittany Lions to the 1982 National Championship. During that season, Blackledge threw for over 2,200 yards and 22 touchdowns on his way to winning the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback.

The subsequent draft saw a record six quarterbacks taken in the first round, including Blackledge. John Elway was the first quarterback to go, picked first overall by the Baltimore Colts (and later traded to Denver), and Blackledge followed at seventh overall. Jim Kelly was selected at No. 14,  Ken O’Brien went 24th, while Dan Marino slid all the way to No. 27.

While those other four each went on to appear in at least one Super Bowl, Blackledge struggled to adjust to the NFL. Blackledge did start the majority of games for Kansas City from 1894-1986, but he finished his career with a quarterback rating of 60.2 and a TD:INT ratio of 29:38.

Blackledge went on to become a prominent college football broadcaster from 1994-2014, when he became a high school basketball coach. Kansas City fans still wonder what could have been if the first round of the 1983 draft played out differently.

Next: 28. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Home/Carolina Panthers