15 biggest NFL quarterback busts of all-time
By John Buhler
player. 56. . Quarterback. Oregon Ducks. Akili Smith. 3
Five quarterback were taken in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Donovan McNabb starred for the Philadelphia Eagles and Daunte Culpepper had success with the Minnesota Vikings as the No. 2 and No. 11 overall selections, respectively.
Three of those first round picks ended up busting. Tim Couch failed as the No. 1 overall pick with the Browns. Cade McNown didn’t have the arm strength to be successful as the Bears’ No. 12 overall selection. The Cincinnati Bengals picked Oregon’s Akili Smith at No. 3 and he was horrific in the NFL.
Smith spent four seasons in the NFL with the Bengals from 1999 to 2002 during a time that the NFL’s franchise from Southern Ohio was known as The Bungles. He came to Cincinnati after only being a great college player for one season with the 1998 Ducks. Cincinnati believed that his raw athleticism as a baseball player and track star would be enough to counterbalance a lack of a proven track record while in college.
He missed significant parts of his rookie training camp in 1999 because of contractual disputes. It didn’t help that he couldn’t understand an NFL playbook, as Smith would only start in 17 games in four NFL seasons with the Bengals.
Smith made two NFL practice squads, spent a year in NFL Europe, and a year in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders. He called it a career after the 2007 CFL season. Smith threw for only 2,212 passing yards, five touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. His career quarterback rating was bad (52.8) and his career completion percentage could not have been worse (46.6).
Next: 2. JaMarcus Russell