Every NFL team’s biggest draft whiff of all time
By Brad Rowland
New England Patriots – Ken Sims (No. 1 pick, 1982)
The 1982 NFL Draft was not the greatest of all time. Two Hall of Fame players, Marcus Allen and Mike Munchak emerged, but in contrast to the next year (1983), this draft was a bust.
Fittingly, so was its number one overall pick.
Ken Sims was a highly touted player coming out of Texas, and the talented defensive end certainly possessed the upside of a number one pick. Unfortunately for New England, he didn’t particularly enjoy working on his craft, and that laziness came through in his lack of production.
Sims did last eight seasons in the NFL, playing in 74 games and making 64 starts, but he achieved only 17 career sacks. Of course, sacks aren’t everything when it comes to defensive ends, but they are a good indicator of how often a player lives in the backfield. When combined with how Sims bounced back and forth from being a starter to a reserve, no one was particularly thrilled with this draft pick.
On the bright side, the Patriots have the honor of making the single biggest draft steal of all time with Tom Brady. That’s something.
Next: New Orleans Saints