4. Biggest NFL Draft busts of all-time – Seattle Seahawks LB Brian Bosworth
If this list was going to be rated strictly in terms of personality, Brian Bosworth would be no. 1 with a bullet. Known infamously as “The Boz”, Bosworth made a name for himself in college as an electrifying linebacker who was an intimidating presence when he was on the field.
There were plenty of off-field controversies with Bosworth in college, however, including a steroid suspension, a fight with the NCAA and a tell-all article with Sports Illustrated exposing wrongdoing inside the Oklahoma program. Bosworth’s talent did prevail for the Seattle Seahawks, who took him in the first round of the 1987 supplemental draft and handed him a ten-year contract worth $11 million.
The Seahawks got plenty of swagger from Bosworth, who loved to talk trash on the field but didn’t always back it up with results. The most famous moment of Bosworth’s short career came when he publicly declared he would contain Raiders’ star running back Bo Jackson only to see Jackson blast Bosworth into the end zone on a touchdown run.
Bosworth’s pro career lasted only two seasons after he was forced to retire with a serious shoulder injury. It all turned out well in the end for Bosworth, who developed a nice acting career after his retirement, but Seattle never got the player they thought they drafted.