8. Biggest NFL Draft busts of all-time – Cincinnati Bengals QB Akili Smith
The quarterback class of 1999 was certainly an interesting one. Five signal-callers went in the first 11 picks, including the top three, which was capped with the Cincinnati Bengals’ decision to take Akili Smith.
Smith wasn’t really on draft radars prior to his senior season at Oregon, where he dominated the Pac-12, leading the conference with 3,783 passing yards while tossing 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. A dual-threat quarterback, Smith impressed teams by running a 4.72 second time in the 40-yard dash, but his lack of experience at the college level was certainly a concern.
The Bengals were undaunted when they took Smith but were disappointed in his inability to pick up the entire playbook. Smith started just 17 games in four seasons as a Bengal, throwing just five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions before being released in 2003.
Green Bay and Tampa Bay took a look at Smith but cut him before he ever played a game with them. Smith’s short-lived NFL tenure is a cautionary tale for teams looking to draft quarterbacks with limited collegiate experience since the learning curve of going from college to the pros is immense for any prospect, making ones with few starts under their belts a much trickier proposition to develop.