Texas football: 5 great Longhorns who were NFL busts

Considering that two years before Kenneth Sims ended up in Austin he was considering giving up football for good in high school, the fact that he went on to become an incredible player for the Longhorns is incredible in itself. However, it becomes even more remarkable when you then factor in that he became one of the most iconic Texas football players of the era.

After changing positions once he returned to the game in high school, Sims needed some polishing early in his career at Texas. He was basically a practice squad player in his freshman season and was a backup in his sophomore season, rarely seeing the field behind a strong upperclassman duo on the defensive line.

In Sims’ junior season, however, he exploded for an All-American season in which he registered 131 tackles. He continued his collegiate dominance the following year as he was named an All-American once again, also winning the Lombardi Trophy, the first in Texas football history to do so. Moreover, Sims ranks tied for fourth all-time in school history in career sacks with 29.0, matching one of his predecessors in Bill Acker.

After his highly touted career, Sims was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. And he certainly wasn’t a bust who was out of the league immediately. In fact, he played eight seasons in the NFL. Having said that, he managed only 17 career sacks and played in only 73 career games over that time. Sims just didn’t live up to the hype that comes with being the top selection in the draft, which is why he lands on this list.