Fansided

Every NFL team’s biggest draft whiff of all time

By Brad Rowland

SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf
SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 24: Ryan Leaf /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – JANUARY 02: Defensive End Vernon Gholston #50 of the New York Jets follows the action against the Buffalo Bills when the New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills at New Meadowlands Stadium on January 2, 2011 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Jets beat the Bills, 38-7, in the final regular season game. (Photo by Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – JANUARY 02: Defensive End Vernon Gholston #50 of the New York Jets follows the action against the Buffalo Bills when the New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills at New Meadowlands Stadium on January 2, 2011 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Jets beat the Bills, 38-7, in the final regular season game. (Photo by Al Pereira/New York Jets/Getty Images) /

New York Jets – Vernon Gholston (No. 6 pick, 2008)

Boy, this got ugly in a hurry.

Vernon Gholston was a workout wonder who rose quickly on NFL draft boards because of insanely appetizing measurables. He was also a productive player at the college level during his time at Ohio State, and no one saw this type of disaster coming.

Gholston lasted only three seasons in the NFL (all with the Jets). Over that time period, he failed to record a single sack. That is basically impossible for a pure pass-rusher that appeared in 25 games, but Gholston was just that bad at the professional level. Throw in the fact that he was a top 10 pick in a draft that included a bunch of very good players (Ryan Clady, Joe Flacco, Duane Brown, etc.) and it looks even worse.

Gholston made this pick easy, but if not for him, the Jets would have caught flack for taking Mike Nugent, a kicker (!), in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Yes, the second round. Taking any kicker that early is a terrible idea, but when you also consider that Nugent was never an above-average kicker in the league… yikes.

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