15 biggest NFL quarterback busts of all-time
By John Buhler
1. player. 13. . Quarterback. Washington State Cougars. Ryan Leaf
Entering the 1998 NFL Draft, there were two elite quarterback prospects that were expected to go No. 1 and No. 2 in some order. Both were Heisman finalists with eventual winner Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson and the eccentric Marshall wideout Randy Moss.
The Indianapolis Colts picked Tennessee’s Peyton Manning No. 1 overall, who went on to be one of very best to have ever played the quarterback position. The San Diego Chargers went with Washington State’s Ryan Leaf at No. 2 and that proved unbelievably disastrous.
Leaf didn’t have the maturity to play quarterback in the NFL after three years in Pullman. He frequently butted heads with Chargers head coach Mike Riley, teammates, the San Diego media, and the like. He spent a total of three seasons playing quarterback for the Chargers.
San Diego drafted Drew Brees in 2001 at the top of the second round and later received Philip Rivers in a trade with the Giants in 2004. Rivers remains the Chargers’ starting quarterback entering the 2016 NFL season.
Leaf in five NFL seasons three for 3,666 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. His career quarterback rating was an atrocious 50.0 and his completion percentage of 48.4 is almost unthinkable in this era of the NFL.
Immaturity, legal troubles, and a terrible Chargers team in the late 90s to early 2000s resulted in Leaf being not only the biggest quarterback bust of all-time, but probably the biggest draft bust in NFL history at any position.
Hindsight says Manning was the clear choice of the two, but Indianapolis was reportedly torn on both Heisman finalist quarterbacks before Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian decided to go with Manning as the face of the Colts franchise.
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