15 worst quarterback draft picks in NFL history fans still can't get over

Quarterback is not only the most valuable position in the NFL, but it is the most valuable in all of sports. For that reason, teams go out of their way to do what they can to acquire a franchise quarterback. In most cases, this means using a top pick on a gunslinger. Each of the last three No. 1 overall selections has been quarterbacks, and seven of the past eight have as well. Fernando Mendoza, another quarterback, is expected to go No. 1 overall in 2026.

More often than not, a quarterback selected early in the first round of the NFL Draft pans out. I mean, that quarterback was taken early for a reason, and if there isn't a good quarterback, teams won't waste a top pick on one in most cases. Not every pick works out, though, even for the highly touted QBs. Here are the biggest QB busts that still sting to this day.

15. Todd Blackledge, Kansas City Chiefs

7th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft

The 1983 NFL Draft is considered one of, if not the greatest in the league's history, with a boatload of Hall of Famers, three of which came at the quarterback position. With that in mind, you'd think that the second quarterback taken, Todd Blackledge, would've had a bust in Canton. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

NFL fans can't get on the Kansas City Chiefs for not selecting John Elway, the player who went No. 1 overall, but they selected Blackledge seventh, ahead of Jim Kelly (No. 14 overall) and Dan Marino (No. 27 overall) - two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. It'd be one thing if Blackledge had even a respectable career for a No. 7 overall pick, but that wasn't the case.

While Blackledge finished with a winning record in parts of five seasons with Kansas City (13-11), he also had more interceptions (32) than touchdowns (26) and never started more than eight games in a single season. He was never the franchise guy he was drafted to be, and the guys taken after him turned into Hall of Famers.

14. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears moved up from No. 20 overall to No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft in order to take the player whom they hoped to be their franchise quarterback, Justin Fields. They were willing to part with a future first-rounder in order to get their hands on the Ohio State product. The infatuation made sense, as Fields was a two-way force at the collegiate level, possessing star-level traits. The results have never been there in the NFL, though.

Fields went 10-28 in parts of three seasons as the Bears' starter, completing just 60.3 percent of his passes, throwing only 10 fewer interceptions (30) than touchdown passes (40), and taking a ton of sacks. Now, the Bears admittedly never set him up well, particularly with their offensive line, but Fields never showed signs of development, particularly as a passer.

This reality has stuck elsewhere. He fizzled out in Pittsburgh and New York, and is now slated to be Patrick Mahomes' backup in Kansas City. Maybe Fields will figure it out with the Chiefs or elsewhere, but at 27 years old, he's running out of chances.

13. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

4th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

Locked in quarterback turmoil after Andrew Luck's sudden retirement, the Indianapolis Colts selected Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. This felt like a high-risk swing at the time, given Richardson's inefficiency throwing the ball in college, but players with his combination of arm power and athleticism don't come along often. The Colts took a shot, and it hs failed spectacularly.

Richardson has played parts of three seasons with the Colts, completing just 50 percent of his throws and throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (11). We've seen glimpses of stardom, but there has been a lot more bad than good, especially when considering his lack of durability.

The Colts have moved forward with Daniel Jones under center, and Richardson wants to be traded. Perhaps he'll latch on elsewhere and figure it out, and that's why he isn't higher on this list, but it's a lot more likely that he'll wind up a career backup at best after his failed Colts stint.

12. David Carr, Houston Texans

1st overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft

David Carr is probably the trickiest quarterback to evaluate on this list. On one hand, he had a wildly disappointing career for a No. 1 overall pick. He had a 23-56 record as a starter, threw more interceptions (71) than touchdown passes (65), and failed to complete 60 percent of his passes. He spent 10 years in the NFL, but only five of those came with the team that drafted him, and he has no accolades or playoff wins to speak of.

On the other hand, though, Carr entered the NFL in the worst situation of anyone else on this list. Carr joined the Houston Texans, an expansion team, and had to deal with some of the worst offensive line play you'll ever see throughout his tenure there. He took a whopping 76 sacks in his rookie year, an NFL record that remains to this day. Three years later, he took 68 sacks, the third-most in NFL history.

It's hard for any quarterback to succeed under the circumstances Carr was thrown into, but this is a No. 1 overall pick we're talking about here. No. 1 overall picks are supposed to make the most of bad situations, and Carr didn't really come close to doing this.

11. Tim Couch, Cleveland Browns

1st overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft

Tim Couch's career was similar to David Carr's in some ways. Both of these quarterbacks were taken No. 1 overall by an expansion team, and both were saddled with brutally awful offensive situations, particularly on the offensive line. Both also had putrid results.

Couch went 22-37 in five years as the Cleveland Browns' primary starter and went 22-37 in those years. He completed under 60 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions (67) than touchdowns (64). The Browns did unexpectedly make the playoffs in 2002, but it's not like Couch, who threw as many touchdown passes as interceptions that year, was the reason why.

Context matters, and Couch was thrust into a brutal situation, but again, a No. 1 overall pick simply has to do better. There's no excuse for a No. 1 overall pick being out of the NFL in just five seasons.

10. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

2nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft

With Jameis Winston off the board, the Tennessee Titans used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to select Marcus Mariota, who many thought should've gone No. 1 overall at the time. Unfortunately, while neither quarterback has reached star levels in the NFL, Winston has had a good amount more success than Mariota, who should be seen as a bust.

Despite being a No. 2 pick, Mariota spent only five seasons with Tennessee and never quite met expectations. Yes, he had a couple of winning seasons and even won a playoff game with Tennessee in 2018, but he never even threw for 3,500 yards or 30 touchdowns in a single season. Ultimately, there's a reason the Titans moved on from him when they did and why Mariota hasn't gotten a chance to start consistently since, barring injury to a team's starter.

He's a rock-solid backup, but that's not what you're looking for with a No. 2 overall pick. The Titans whiffed badly here.

9. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

3rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft

Blake Bortles was the first quarterback taken in the 2014 Draft when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the No. 3 overall pick, meaning expectations were sky-high. The Jags thought they were landing a franchise quarterback, but were way off with that assessment.

While Bortles did lead the Jags to an unexpected AFC Championship Game appearance in 2017, his defense and running game played a big role in the team's dominance that year. The remainder of his Jags career was pretty nightmarish.

If you remove the 2017 season, Bortles went 14-43 as a starter in Jacksonville. He eclipsed 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns only once in his career, and threw more than 15 interceptions three times, including a league-leading 18 picks in 2015. Bortles only played one season as a backup with the Rams before hanging up the spikes for good. Ultimately, you know a quarterback is a bust when he's 33 years old and hasn't played in seven years.

8. EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills

16th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft

EJ Manuel should not be held to as high a standard as most of the other quarterbacks on this list because while he was the first quarterback selected in the 2013 NFL Draft, he was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 16 overall selection. Knowing that he's graded on a curve relative to the other quarterbacks and still finds his way on this list speaks to how much he struggled at the NFL level.

Manuel started 10 games as a rookie despite some injury woes and struggled mightily. He looked so bad that he never started more than four games in a season for Buffalo ever again. The Bills gave up on him in record time despite using a first-round pick on him. He spent one year as a Raiders backup before retiring after the 2017 campaign.

Overall, he went 6-12, completing just 58.1 percent of his passes for 3,767 yards in 30 appearances and 18 starts. Fortunately, the Bills didn't have to wait too long to find their next franchise quarterback.

7. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns

22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft

Like Manuel, Johnny Manziel is graded on a curve, since he was not a high first-round pick. The Browns took him with the 22nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but like so many before and after him in Cleveland, even with lesser expectations given his draft slot, he was a massive disappointment.

Manziel, a first-round pick, totaled 14 appearances and eight starts across two seasons with the Browns. He went 2-6 in the games he started, completed just 57 percent of his throws overall, and threw as many interceptions as touchdown passes (7).

His on-field production was dreadful, and his off-field actions were even worse. Manziel entered the NFL with a lot of hype after he starred at Texas A&M, but that died quickly, and at the end of the day, there's a reason why he never got another shot.

6. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears

2nd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft

The Bears used the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 on Mitchell Trubisky, hoping he could finally give them the franchise quarterback they had searched for decades. Unfortunately, while Trubisky did help lead the Bears to the postseason in 2018, most of his Bears career was filled with maddening inconsistency. Trubisky never threw for 3,300 yards or 25 touchdowns in a single season, struggling to piece things together as a passer.

Trubisky only lasted four seasons in Chicago before the Bears had enough and went for Justin Fields. His Bears tenure was nothing more than a disappointment, but somehow, his on-field play wasn't the worst of it.

The Bears traded up to get the chance to select him. They parted with a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, a fourth-rounder in that same draft, and a future third-rounder to move up that one single spot. What's crazy about that deal is no Bears fan even cares what they gave up. The biggest issue to come from the Trubisky debacle is that Patrick Mahomes was selected eight picks later.

That's right — the Bears willingly traded up to pass on Mahomes (and even Deshaun Watson) and select Trubisky. The Bears didn't even get a serviceable starter by trading up, and watched the guy they passed on develop into a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. Yikes.

5. Zach Wilson, New York Jets

2nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

Speaking of franchises that can never seem to get their quarterback position right, the New York Jets used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Zach Wilson out of BYU. GM Joe Douglas overlooked concerns regarding his particularly weak schedule and his processing speed and used a very high pick on Wilson. The results were laughably bad.

Wilson spent two seasons as New York's starter, completing 55.2 percent of his throws and throwing more interceptions (18) than touchdown passes (15) before the Jets had enough and traded for Aaron Rodgers. Well, an Aaron Rodgers injury in the team's first drive of the 2023 campaign gave Wilson one more shot to prove himself, but that didn't go well.

Despite a supporting cast that many thought was elite, Wilson went just 4-7 as New York's starter that year, completing 60.1 percent of his throws and throwing eight touchdown passes to go along with seven interceptions. He has not started a game since. Barring something unexpected, I don't see that changing anytime soon.

4. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Wilson selection was bad, but at least the Jets gave him chances to prove himself. Despite being selected with the next pick in that year's draft, Lance appeared in eight games and started four with the team that drafted him. Is that good?

As if that isn't depressing enough, can we talk about what the San Francisco 49ers traded to acquire him? The Niners parted with three first-round picks and a third-rounder to earn the chance to draft Lance. They traded all of that, only to not even give him a chance. To be fair, Lance has never been good enough to warrant starting, but that doesn't make up for the trade and selection.

This massive whiff isn't discussed as much as it should be since Brock Purdy came along the next year as Mr. Irrelevant and saved the organization's bacon, but this couldn't have played out worse. Drafting essentially a non-factor at No. 3 overall is awful, and trading three first-rounders to do so is all-time bad.

3. Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals

10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft

The 2018 NFL Draft was absurdly stacked at the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield is a two-time Pro Bowler, Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl champion, Josh Allen is an MVP winner, and Lamar Jackson has two MVP trophies. All four of these quarterbacks were selected in the first round of that year's draft, but there's a fifth quarterback who most people forget was selected in that same first round. Josh Rosen is that quarterback.

Rosen had a ton of hype coming out of UCLA, but failed miserably at the NFL level despite being selected with a top 10 pick. Rosen completed just 55.2 percent of his throws for 2,278 yards in 14 appearances (13 starts) during his rookie year, throwing 11 touchdown passes to go along with 14 interceptions and 45 sacks. Rosen was bad, no matter how you slice it; so bad to the point where the Arizona Cardinals gave up on him after one year.

They selected Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in the next year's draft and traded Rosen for a second-rounder. Yes, the No. 10 overall pick, who happens to play the most valuable position in sports, was traded straight up for a second-round pick a year after he was drafted. It's not like he played well in Miami either, throwing five interceptions and one touchdown pass while completing 53.2 percent of his passes in six appearances (three starts).

Rosen was out of the league after 2021, just three years after being a top 10 pick. Truly wild stuff.

2. Ryan Leaf, San Diego Chargers

2nd overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft

Speaking of top 10 picks who lasted just three years, can we talk about Ryan Leaf? I mean, despite being a No. 2 overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf made just one more appearance and five more starts than Rosen. It was that bad.

Leaf was as hyped as any quarterback on this list. At the time, he had a legitimate shot to go No. 1 overall, ahead of Peyton Manning. The San Diego Chargers were so enamored with Leaf that they traded a second-rounder, a future first-rounder, and two players all to move up from No. 3 to No. 2 in order to select him, and it was hard to blame San Diego for pulling the trigger on such a deal.

The results, of course, were horrendous. Leaf ended his NFL career with a 4-17 record in 21 starts and he completed 48.4 percent of his passes in 25 appearances. Perhaps the most jarring statistic is that he had nearly three times as many interceptions (36) as touchdown passes (14). His on-field play was as bad as it gets, especially for a No. 2 overall pick, and somehow, Leaf's off-field troubles overshadowed his quarterbacking.

It goes without saying this is one the Chargers would've loved to have back.

1. JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders

The only reason Leaf doesn't top the list is that JaMarcus Russell exists. Russell was seen as one of the most electrifying draft prospects of all-time in 2007, with an arm that rivaled any other. It was a no-brainer for the Oakland Raiders to select him with the No. 1 overall pick that year, and even the biggest haters couldn't have predicted what happened next.

Russell lasted just three years with the Raiders and in the NFL, completing 52.1 percent of his throws and throwing more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (18). Somehow, Russell had more turnovers (45) than games played (31), and by a very wide margin.

While his on-field play was bad, Russell seemingly made no effort to improve his game, frustrating Raiders fans and the organization to no end. Conditioning was an issue from the jump, and Russell only seemed to get worse in all facets before the Raiders eventually cut ties.

You can argue that Leaf was a bigger bust, and I'd argue Leaf's overall career was worse, but since Russell was a No. 1 overall pick and an even higher-touted prospect, he takes the cake.

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