The impending trade of Marvin Harrison Jr. is a development few could have seen coming when Arizona took with the 4th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Harrison Jr., the son of Hall-of-Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, was one of the most well-regarded prospects in his draft class, who was many viewed as a "can't miss" player in a year where six quarterbacks went within the Top 12 picks.
Things went poorly for Harrison, who was on thin ice with the Cardinals entering the year, and a poor start seemed to seal his fate. While we wait to find out who will give Harrison a second chance, let's see where he ranks among the most notorious draft busts in the past five years.
Honorable Mentions
The list as a whole skews more towards 2021 and 2022 since we have more of a track record with those players, but we will use this space to mention a few players trending in the wrong direction. Cam Ward's failure to take a leap forward this season is concerning while a few high picks in the 2024 draft, such as Jets' tackle Olu Fashanu and Atlanta's Michael Penix, have had a mixed bag over their first few years in the league.
10. Alex Leatherwood, OT, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were looking to bolster their offensive line in the 2021 draft when they took Leatherwood 17th overall out of Alabama. The pick looked like a reach at the time and played out as such, as Leatherwood struggled mightily in Las Vegas, lasting just one season before getting waived. After spending a few games with the Bears in 2022, Leatherwood latched onto practice squads the next two years but hasn't played an NFL game in four years.
9. Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders
There was a big run on receivers at the start of the 2022 draft as Drake London, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave all went in the first 11 picks. Washington tried to join the trend by taking Dotson at No. 16 out of Penn State but he wasn't in the same class of playmaker as the top players at his position. Dotson has already become a journeyman, with Atlanta marking his third team in five seasons in 2026, and he has yet to top either 49 receptions or 523 receiving yards in a season.
8. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
The 2021 quarterback class will make frequent appearances on this list and Fields is the lowest because he showed flashes of brilliance with the Bears and Steelers. Chicago moved on when they had the opportunity to draft Caleb Williams in 2024, which proved to be the right move, and Fields hasn't become a consistent passer across several organizations. The hope for Fields is that a year backing up Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City will give him a chance to develop better passing mechanics to reset the next phase of his career.
7. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers clearly reached in 2022 when they took Pickett with the 20th pick even though most evaluators didn't have him as a first-round-caliber passer. Pickett showed flashes of being a game manager in his first two years but lost his job in Pittsburgh after getting hurt and being benched for Mason Rudolph entering the playoffs. That decision marked the end of Pickett's time as a starter, and he has been a backup for three different teams since, currently playing behind Bryce Young in Carolina.
6. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
The top four on this list are quarterbacks, making Harrison the top skill position player to be a bust in the past five years. The combination of prospect pedigree and the fact that Arizona passed on both Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze to take Harrison has made his failure for the Cardinals even worse. Harrison failed to break out across multiple coaching staffs and connect with multiple quarterbacks, which isn't a good sign for his chance of reviving his career elsewhere.
5. Evan Neal, OT, New York Giants
GM Joe Schoen had two Top 10 picks go poorly in his first draft in 2022, but Neal's flop is the most egregious. Seeking a tackle to protect Daniel Jones, the Giants took Neal as a "can't-miss" prospect out of Alabama, only to watch him egregiously miss at multiple positions while taking shots at fans that were booing him in 2023, notably calling himself a lion who should be unconcerned with the thoughts of sheep and saying the people criticizing him are likely flipping burgers and hot dogs. The Giants tried moving Neal to guard, but he failed there too, getting cut this summer and landing on the Raiders' practice squad.
4. J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
It feels early to label McCarthy a bust, but the fact the Vikings moved on from him already is a very bad sign for his long-term prospects. Minnesota tried to annoint McCarthy as their long-term answer at quarterback, letting Sam Darnold walk after a 14-win season to hand him the keys, but McCarthy couldn't make it work despite having a strong offensive line, receiving corps and strong coach in Kevin O'Connell. The Giants gave up a fifth-round draft pick to see if they can recoup value out of McCarthy, but the history of teams giving up on quarterbacks so soon is not in their favor.
3. Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers
This is undoubtedly the biggest mistake of Kyle Shanahan's tenure in San Francisco, where they gave up three first-round picks to move up to land Lance in the 2021 draft. The COVID pandemic stunted Lance's development in college, where he was already behind the eight-ball playing at North Dakota State, and a slew of injuries further hurt him. The 49ers got bailed out when Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 class, became their starter as Lance is now on the backup circuit with the Chargers.
2. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
The 2023 version of Lance, the Colts took Richardson with the fourth pick despite the fact he had limited experience at Florida. Richardson showcased raw talent but quickly fell out of favor with his teammates and fans, asking out of a game near the goal line because he was tired, and his inconsistent play led to him getting benched multiple times. Indianapolis has kept Richardson around as a backup for several years, failing to generate enough trade interest to get something back for a former Top 5 pick.
1. Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets
The Jets got unlucky in 2020 that their worst season in a generation couldn't get them the top pick, which saw Trevor Lawrence go to Jacksonville, and GM Joe Douglas took Wilson No. 2 out of BYU. Despite immense physical tools, Wilson never seemed to grasp the mental side of the game, failing to complete basic plays and drawing the ire of his teammates for shirking responsibility for his poor performance in a loss to the Patriots in 2022. Douglas ended up trading for Aaron Rodgers to replace him in 2023 but was forced to turn back to Wilson, who sunk the season again, and they moved on after the season, as Wilson has never sniffed a starting assignment since across three different teams.
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