What are some of the Top NFL Draft Busts ... and Where Are They Now?

Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma (Supplemental Draft, 1st round, 1987): Bosworth played in the NFL from 1987-89 but appeared in just 24 games after a star-studded career at Oklahoma. He's reportedly working in real estate and living in Malibu, CA, after a foray into acting.

JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU (1st overall, 2007): Russell was out of the league by 2009. He was arrested for “Purple Drank” in July of 2010, has had financial problems, and there were rumors that he was going back to school at LSU and trying to make a comeback. But in reality, it doesn't seem that Russell is doing much of anything just five years removed from being the top pick.

Akili Smith, Oregon, QB (No. 3 overall, 1995): Started just 17 games over four seasons with the Bengals and threw 13 picks to just five touchdowns during that time. Smith is coaching quarterbacks at St. Augustine H.S. in San Diego, where he's working toward his degree at a community college before finishing it off at Oregon.

How about good old Ryan Leaf? Can you believe that the scouts were deciding whether it would be him or Peyton Manning? What a joke of a person. LOSER!

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...ears-chicago--20120430_1_lazier-nfl-draft-day


Salaam: 'Better I got, lazier I got'
Bears' 1995 1st-round pick reflects on disappointing NFL career


These days, Salaam is back in San Diego, where he grew up, after spending time in Beijing, China, running a business that promotes mixed martial arts fights.

"I sold my percentage of the business, so right now I'm just relaxing and looking for the next venture to get into," he said. "I'm doing pretty good right now."

I asked Salaam, who won the Piccolo Award during his years with the Bears, what advice he would give to players drafted this weekend into the NFL.

"Work on your game. I didn't realize coming up how much work you had to put in once you got to the NFL," he said. "It's a whole different lifestyle. You have to change the way you live. You have to change who you hang out with. You have to totally get focused on your game. You have the athletic ability, but if you don't put the work behind it, nothing will come from it."

Salaam admitted many years ago that his partying and use of marijuana contributed to his downfall as a player.

"I had no discipline. I had all the talent in the world," he said. "You know, great body, great genes. But I had no work ethic and I had no discipline. The better you get, the harder you have to work. The better I got, the lazier I got."

Salaam, who said he is "a bachelor for life," now runs a camp for young athletes on Saturdays in San Diego to help mentor kids.

"My whole life, up until the Chicago Bears … everything was perfect," he said. "You know, (high school) Parade All-American, Heisman Trophy winner. … So I was bound to go through some challenges. Going to the pros at 20 years old and not being disciplined … it showed itself.




Salaam is reason #10 I am no longer a Bears fan.

It's one thing to be a "bust" in the NFL...and obviously the higher they are drafted the bigger "bust" they are. But it's another thing to be a high draft pick...end up a bust...then losing ALL of your money. It's unreal! The NFL puts these kids through classes, the teams have financial advisors, etc....and they are so stupid that they lose every single penny!

But what is even more ridiculous is the successful players who are completely broke within a few years of their playing days ending; Iverson, Brunell, Dykstra, etc....

---

I thought about this top pick today:

http://www.wnem.com/story/18770500/ex-lions-player-charles-rogers-surrenders-to-police


Ex-Lions player Charles Rogers surrenders to police

Posted: Jun 12, 2012 5:29 PM EDT
Updated: Jun 12, 2012 5:40 PM EDT
By Tom Plahutnik, Web Editor/Producer - email
*

Charles Rogers
SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -
Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers is back in jail.

The Saginaw native turned himself in Tuesday morning, just days after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Rogers was due in court last week for a preliminary hearing. He's accused of threatening to kill his mother over a $100,000 loan.

He was originally due in court next week, but that date has been postponed. No bond has been set for the former Michigan State football standout.

The 31-year-old is charged with making a malicious phone call and conspiring to commit that crime on March 5-6, and possessing marijuana, possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle on a suspended or revoked license in December.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft was scheduled to attend a pre-trial hearing*last Wednesday. The Saginaw News reports Rogers called court officials to tell them he didn't have transportation.

Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank gave Rogers until the end of the working day to appear. When Rogers didn't show, the judge issued a bench warrant.

Copyright 2012 WNEM (Meredith Corporation).* All rights reserved.

This guy in jail;


lawrence Phillips – 1996 Draft, 6th overall (Rams), Nebraska: Serving 10-year jail sentence in California State Prison for attempting to run over teenagers with car after pickup football game in LA.

Betallsports said:

Akili Smith, Oregon, QB (No. 3 overall, 1995): Started just 17 games over four seasons with the Bengals and threw 13 picks to just five touchdowns during that time. Smith is coaching quarterbacks at St. Augustine H.S. in San Diego, where he's working toward his degree at a community college before finishing it off at Oregon.

Click to expand...

This was the worst pick ever based on a true story im about to tell that many people either dont know or forgot.


Mike Ditka offered the Bengels almost twice as much for that pick to draft Rickey Williams then he ended up giving to Washington for the 5th pick.

The Saints gave Washington all of the Saints picks that year plus a 1 and 3 the next season.

Ditka offered the Bengels all the Saints picks that season plus all there picks the year after and another 1st the year after that.

The Bengals turned all of that down because they just had to have Smith.

That will go down as the worst rejected trade in sports history.

Betallsports said:

JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU (1st overall, 2007): Russell was out of the league by 2009. He was arrested for “Purple Drank” in July of 2010, has had financial problems, and there were rumors that he was going back to school at LSU and trying to make a comeback. But in reality, it doesn't seem that Russell is doing much of anything just five years removed from being the top pick. Is now sitting on the couch 350+ lbs and living off the millions in guaranteed money he received from the Raiders

Click to expand...

I elaborated on this story

Dead

[h=1]Charles Rogers, former Michigan State football, Detroit Lions star, dead at 38[/h]

5teamparlay said:

I thought about this top pick today:

http://www.wnem.com/story/18770500/ex-lions-player-charles-rogers-surrenders-to-police


Ex-Lions player Charles Rogers surrenders to police

Posted: Jun 12, 2012 5:29 PM EDT
Updated: Jun 12, 2012 5:40 PM EDT
By Tom Plahutnik, Web Editor/Producer - email
*

Charles Rogers
SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -
Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers is back in jail.

The Saginaw native turned himself in Tuesday morning, just days after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Rogers was due in court last week for a preliminary hearing. He's accused of threatening to kill his mother over a $100,000 loan.

He was originally due in court next week, but that date has been postponed. No bond has been set for the former Michigan State football standout.

The 31-year-old is charged with making a malicious phone call and conspiring to commit that crime on March 5-6, and possessing marijuana, possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle on a suspended or revoked license in December.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft was scheduled to attend a pre-trial hearing*last Wednesday. The Saginaw News reports Rogers called court officials to tell them he didn't have transportation.

Saginaw County District Judge A.T. Frank gave Rogers until the end of the working day to appear. When Rogers didn't show, the judge issued a bench warrant.

Copyright 2012 WNEM (Meredith Corporation).* All rights reserved.

Click to expand...

Vince Young, black QB from Texas.

Bumming around Austin I guess. He blew his NFL money.