Players you were *convinced* would be very good... (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

I'll admit it, Ryan Leaf.

No shame there, my friend. He had everyone fooled.

 

[redman]

Has Michael Westbrook been mentioned yet?

 

[ProBowler88]

Lee Suggs

Simply put, he was a better back than Kevin Jones. The injuries and a weak body just couldn't take the pounding.

KJ was better from the start, yes he gets injured, but what RB doesn't get banged up? But it is nowhere near the fragility of Suggs

 

[Jedimaster21]

Charles Rogers

Chris Perry

Courtney Brown

Antone Davis

Cedric Benson

Koren Robinson

Lee Suggs

Ryan Leaf

 

[redman]

Agreed re Chris Perry. I wanted the 'Skins to draft Perry that year before they pulled the Portis trade.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Mike Williams was a beast in college.

I remember jumping for joy when he fell to the Redskins, and then cursing them when they took Rogers over him. I thought he was the best player in that draft by far. He had such great hands in college....still don't really know what happened.

 

[Assani Fisher]

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that some players fit better into certain schemes than others. A player might get drafted by a team with the correct scheme, but then there is a coaching change and he doesn't fit anymore. Or a player gets picked by a team with the wrong scheme for him. Another part of it is that football is a team game, and if the team around a guy is terrible, they can look bad. I would bet that several of the busts mentioned here could have found a home on a different team and had a lot of success. I think the Randy Moss situation really opens a lot of eyes. Here is a guy that was a total stud in the NFL. He goes to the Raiders and is awful. But he goes to the Patriots and is a stud again. Look how many experts were fooled by what he did with Oakland. EVERYONE thought he was done. Had he been drafted by the Raiders and played like that, everyone would think he was a bust and no-one would take a chance on him. They would write him off as a waste of talent, when in reality he just needed to right situation.We also saw it happened with Jeff Garcia. Everyone wrote this guy off. His career was over. Then he goes to the Eagles and does great. Now he's a viable starter with Tampa. Its amazing how unanimously wrong the experts are on these things. Massive blunders.

I agree and this is what fascinates me about the NFL. By far, no other sport makes you rely upon your teamates as much as football does. An average RB could get drafted by a team with a stud o-line and LITERALLY become a HOFer because of it. I really really wish we could have some alternate reality to see how certain players would've done in different situations. This is especially true imo for quarterbacks who so often get so much of the credit/blame, but so much of them looking good depends on their teamates.

 

[Assani Fisher]

J.J. Stokes--dude was a beast at UCLA; diddly squat in the NFL

VERY That's three UCLA guys mentioned already... Hicks, Mitchell, Stokes.

Foster makes four, although I wonder how good he would have been if he didn't have that major injury right off the bat.

Tommy Maddox... five.

Didn't he have one great year, with like... 5,000 yards?

Is this a fftoday joke that I remember from there?

 

[Lemmiwinks]

On defense: Mike Mamula (a workout wonder)

On offense: Matt Jones (all the measurables, none of the intangibles).

 

[Lord Lucan]

We didn't get footage of college football in the UK until last year, so my choice is clearly based on an over-reliance on numbers on my part.

So the numbers I was fooled with were:

140 receptions 1996 yards and 27 TD catches in his senior year

including 21 catches for 405 yards against the University of Nebraska.

Troy Edwards, cut from the Grands Rapid Rampage (Arena League) earlier this year...

 

[bcr8f]

I'll admit it, Ryan Leaf.

No shame there, my friend. He had everyone fooled.

No not everyone. There were rumors he was a punk before the draft.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Brian Bosworth

For a non star, I thought Tim Carter (the WR formerly on the Giants and I think on Washington now) was going to be a playmaker. It just hasn't happened.

 

[TinHat]

Tyrone Calico

 

[Breesisdaman]

Ontario Smith- Wizonator

 

[RC94]

Brian BosworthFor a non star, I thought Tim Carter (the WR formerly on the Giants and I think on Washington now) was going to be a playmaker. It just hasn't happened.

Forgot about Carter. I thought he was going to be really good as well.

 

[beergut]

David Carr.

Hard to believe he will be out of football soon.

 

[Raider Nation]

I'll admit it, Ryan Leaf.

No shame there, my friend. He had everyone fooled.

No not everyone. There were rumors he was a punk before the draft.

"Punks" succeed in the NFL all the time. Owens and Moss, to name two.

 

[Raider Nation]

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that some players fit better into certain schemes than others. A player might get drafted by a team with the correct scheme, but then there is a coaching change and he doesn't fit anymore. Or a player gets picked by a team with the wrong scheme for him. Another part of it is that football is a team game, and if the team around a guy is terrible, they can look bad. I would bet that several of the busts mentioned here could have found a home on a different team and had a lot of success. I think the Randy Moss situation really opens a lot of eyes. Here is a guy that was a total stud in the NFL. He goes to the Raiders and is awful. But he goes to the Patriots and is a stud again. Look how many experts were fooled by what he did with Oakland. EVERYONE thought he was done. Had he been drafted by the Raiders and played like that, everyone would think he was a bust and no-one would take a chance on him. They would write him off as a waste of talent, when in reality he just needed to right situation.We also saw it happened with Jeff Garcia. Everyone wrote this guy off. His career was over. Then he goes to the Eagles and does great. Now he's a viable starter with Tampa. Its amazing how unanimously wrong the experts are on these things. Massive blunders.

I agree and this is what fascinates me about the NFL. By far, no other sport makes you rely upon your teamates as much as football does. An average RB could get drafted by a team with a stud o-line and LITERALLY become a HOFer because of it. I really really wish we could have some alternate reality to see how certain players would've done in different situations.

Like what would have become of Emmitt if he played the majority of his career on a team with a lousy O-line?

 

[Da Guru]

1. Chuck Long

2. Andre Ware

3. Joey Harrington

4. Drew Stanton

5. The next QB the Lions draft.

 

[JimboJim]

Qunicy Carter

I envisioned him being the next McNabb/Culpepper and was overjoyed when the Cowboys drafted him in the second round.

 

[oneohh]

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that some players fit better into certain schemes than others. A player might get drafted by a team with the correct scheme, but then there is a coaching change and he doesn't fit anymore. Or a player gets picked by a team with the wrong scheme for him. Another part of it is that football is a team game, and if the team around a guy is terrible, they can look bad. I would bet that several of the busts mentioned here could have found a home on a different team and had a lot of success. I think the Randy Moss situation really opens a lot of eyes. Here is a guy that was a total stud in the NFL. He goes to the Raiders and is awful. But he goes to the Patriots and is a stud again. Look how many experts were fooled by what he did with Oakland. EVERYONE thought he was done. Had he been drafted by the Raiders and played like that, everyone would think he was a bust and no-one would take a chance on him. They would write him off as a waste of talent, when in reality he just needed to right situation.We also saw it happened with Jeff Garcia. Everyone wrote this guy off. His career was over. Then he goes to the Eagles and does great. Now he's a viable starter with Tampa. Its amazing how unanimously wrong the experts are on these things. Massive blunders.

I agree and this is what fascinates me about the NFL. By far, no other sport makes you rely upon your teamates as much as football does. An average RB could get drafted by a team with a stud o-line and LITERALLY become a HOFer because of it. I really really wish we could have some alternate reality to see how certain players would've done in different situations.

Like what would have become of Emmitt if he played the majority of his career on a team with a lousy O-line?

That's a rediculous cheap-shot. tom brady would look like the 6th rounder he is without that O-line.

 

[Raider Nation]

1. Chuck Long2. Andre Ware3. Joey Harrington4. Drew Stanton5. The next QB the Lions draft.

I see a pattern here... can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[redman]

Mike Williams was a beast in college.

I remember jumping for joy when he fell to the Redskins, and then cursing them when they took Rogers over him. I thought he was the best player in that draft by far. He had such great hands in college....still don't really know what happened.

He could have had a productive pro career despite his mediocre speed, but his lack of work ethic was the killer IMHO. It never showed up at USC because his size and ability to use his body to get position were superior to the DB's he faced, and speed was less of an issue there.BTW - I'm NOT claiming I called this ahead of time.

 

[Cable]

Tim Worley

Sammie Smith

Brent Fullwood

Freddie Mitchell

Joey Harrington

 

[sho nuff]

Qunicy Carter I envisioned him being the next McNabb/Culpepper and was overjoyed when the Cowboys drafted him in the second round.

You might have been the only one.The guy was not that good in college and was in jeopardy of losing his starting spot at UGA.Dallas reached for him in the 2nd...and he washed out.

 

[Norseman]

Anthony Thompson (RB Indiana) who was just selected for the college football hall of fame.

 

[William Munny]

will add my favorites at some point considering I have a handful every year. Rashaun Woods 49ers

 

[socrates]

David KlinglerKi-Jana CarterMike WilliamsTony MandarichSteve EmtmanThese were absolute locks to be studs, imo.

Good list. They are certainly ones I thought were can't-miss prospects. Add to that list Todd Marinovich, Ryan Leaf and Blair Thomas . . .

 

[AmpLee]

Robert Gallery (I thought he was gonna absolutely dominate)

Rex Grossman (really liked him coming out of college and thought he looked pretty good early on)

Charles Rogers (thought he was gonna be a Moss/TO type)

Ashely Lelie

Tim Couch

 

[Tanner9919]

Most recently, Tatum Bell comes to mindSeemed at first like the Broncos found their replacement for Portis, but the wheels fell off

oh come on now, you're just trying to motivate him. Derek Brown, NYG TE...was a beast at ND, don't know WHAT happened once he got to NY.LaVar Arrington had a few decent years, nothing outstanding, for a guy that was as good as he was in college, I am a surprised he never materialized into the next great LB.Curtis Enis, Rasham Salaam, The Rocket, Blair Thomas, Johnny Mitchell ( ), Ron Dayne ( although he seems to be a nice fit in Houston now), Matt Leinart

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

A few names come to mind

Michael Westbrook I thought would be like Michael Irvin with more speed.

Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington. Injuries played a big role for both of them but I really thought they would be dominating NFL players. Arrington may have approached that level but he had started to tail off even before the major injuries hit.

 

[Rozelle]

The list is long, but ...

Jeff George

What a talent ... and what a waste of it.

someone mentioned Tim Worley, he was another I thought would be very good.