Detroit Lions: 5 worst NFL Draft picks in franchise history
2002-05. Joey Harrington. 4. player. 50. . QB
People will argue that Joey Harrington shouldn’t be considered one of the worst Lions picks of all time, but when you look at the expectations surrounding him and what he actually did for Detroit, he surely belongs on this list.
Starting three seasons for the Oregon Ducks from 1999-2001, Harrington completed just over 55 percent of his passes and had accounted for 6,911 yards, 56 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He looked to be the best, or second best, quarterback in the 2002 NFL Draft and was drafted No. 3 overall by the Lions.
Unfortunately for Detroit, that turned out to be a terrible year for quarterbacks as both he and David Carr (the No. 1 overall pick) had early ends to their careers.
Harrington took over an offense that wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard and went just 3-9 as a starter in his rookie year. He didn’t look very sharp, completing about 50 percent of his passes for 2,294 yards, 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. It didn’t get any better from that point on.
In his four years with Detroit, he was just 18-37 as a starter with 10,242 yards, 60 touchdowns and 62 interceptions before getting traded to the Dolphins before the 2006 season for a third-round pick. Talk about a fall from grace.
Next: 3. Mike Williams