First-round picks are supposed to save your franchise, but sometimes, things go south. This is most often seen at the quarterback position — think about the biggest NFL draft busts of all time and I bet you mostly name quarterbacks — but sometimes players at other spots don't work out either.
These four former first-round picks feel like they're basically done with the team that drafted them. Whether it's via trade or by straight-up cutting them, their teams should cut bait and move on at this point.
QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Look: I feel bad for J.J. McCarthy. He was drafted to be The Guy in Minnesota, the Kirk Cousins replacement, and then he promptly got hurt and missed his rookie season. His replacement had a breakout campaign, and suddenly McCarthy had a ton to live up to. In his first year as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback, he did not live up to it.
Then, his spot at the top of the depth chart was further threatened when the team brought in Kyler Murray at the veteran minimum — a fluke confluence of events — this offseason. If the Vikings think they're a team that's a quarterback away from being a real contender, Murray is the kind of good-but-not-great guy who you're definitely willing to start.
While McCarthy had a chance to win the starting job, he's struggled in the preseason and it's pretty clear that Murray is the starter. Minnesota also has a perfectly good backup in Carson Wentz, so you start to think about the long-term future for McCarthy. He definitely hasn't shown enough to earn his fifth-year option, so should you start to send out some trade feelers in an attempt to get something of value back for him? It's clear his future is not in Minnesota at this point.
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
We knew Anthony Richardson was a project when the Indianapolis Colts drafted him. His college tape had some huge highs on it, but he was largely an inconsistent player whose NFL future depended on him figuring out how to refine an arm that could throw the ball a mile while also struggling immensely wth the very idea of accuracy.
The Colts have already declined Richardson's fifth-year option and he has no shot at starting in 2026 unless Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard both get hurt, so I think we can kind of call it: Richardson's days in Indianapolis are basically over. The only question now is when.
Surely the team doesn't go into Week 1 with him on the roster, right? Spending a roster spot on a developmental quarterback who won't even be on your team beyond this season is a really bad use of resources. The only question is whether a team in bad shape at the quarterback position would throw a conditional seventh to the Colts, or if Richardson just gets cut here soon.
OT Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers
Back in 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up for offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Now, in 2026, the team might be ready to move on from him, as he just hasn't lived up to the billing.
Jones was a project when he was drafted, someone who had the upside to be a high-level tackle in the NFL but who didn't necessarily have the game tape to support that just yet.. And that's ... basically been how things have played out for him at this level, as Jones struggled at both tackle spots.
Now, the team added Max Iheanachor in the first round of this year's NFL Draft, and with both Troy Fautanu and Dylan Cook also already on the roster, it's looking like there just isn't room for Jones. While the Steelers could hold on to him as a backup, he's also on the final year of his rookie deal. If he's not in your future plans, why not see if a team with need at a premium position wants to take a chance on him in exchange for a late pick swap?
CB Deonte Banks, New York Giants
The New York Giants used a first-round pick on cornerback Deonte Banks back in 2023. He now enters the final year of his rookie deal and it's not really clear if he has a role on this Giants team.
Banks is in a fight for a corner spot after the team signed Greg Newsome II and drafted Colton Hood this offseason. Banks has been a bit of a surprise in camp as he's made some good plays, but he's coming off of an awful 2025 campaign. His 42.4 PFF grade ranked 112th of 114 qualifying corners, and his grade has never ranked in the top 100 at the position over a full season.
Is it a case of too little, too late here? Probably. Even if Banks looks good in the preseason, the Giants have three years of evidence that he is far below replacement level in regular-season action, so that surely has to be factored into things here. There's just no way you can trust him to go out there on the field if your goal is to fight for a playoff spot.
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