Fansided

Best player NFL teams passed on in the draft since 2000

By Mike Phillips

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals while playing the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals while playing the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Defensive end J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans looks on from the sideline in the second half during the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Defensive end J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans looks on from the sideline in the second half during the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Jacksonville Jaguars: DE J.J. Watt (2011 1st Round)

Shield your eyes Jaguars fans: Watt could have been the centerpiece of your defense for the past decade. Instead of selecting Watt, who went on to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award three times in a four-year span, Jacksonville opted for quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Any football fan will agree that it was a very poor decision as Watt continues to terrorize Jaguars’ quarterbacks twice a season.

Kansas City Chiefs: OT Lane Johnson (2013 1st Round)

The Chiefs got the first-overall pick in 2013, a year where there was no great quarterback or dominant player available.

Eric Fisher was the route Kansas City went and he has been good, but they passed on a better tackle in Lane Johnson. Philadelphia got Johnson three picks later and has seen him become one of the best right tackles in football.

Las Vegas Raiders: WR Calvin Johnson (2007 1st Round)

The 2007 draft saw the then-Oakland Raiders take JaMarcus Russell first overall only to see him become one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Making matters worse is that the next two players off the board went on to put up Hall-of-Fame worthy careers. We’ll go with Calvin Johnson, who became the best receiver in football after Detroit took him second in 2007.

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