For years it seems the NFL draft world recognized the drafting of Penn State running back [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] by the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft as one of the biggest draft busts in draft history. And, with the benefit of hindsight, the selection by the Bengals may have been ill-advised for the franchise at the time, but labeling Carter a bust always felt weird. But what if another Penn State player taken in the top 10 of that same draft was an even bigger bust?
USA TODAY Sports ranked the top 50 NFL draft busts of the last 50 years. And, not surprisingly, Carter does find himself ranked among the top 50 biggest busts of the past 50 years. This particular ranking listed the Bengals’ draft pick of Carter at no. 44 on its list and noted the selection of Carter may be unfair due to Carter’s early injury before things ever really got started for him in the league.
Here is what USA TODAY Sports said about Carter and the Bengals;
In fairness, he ripped up his knee in his first preseason game and was never the same. Of note, it could have been much worse for Cincinnati. Expansion Carolina only charged the Bengals the fifth and 36th overall picks to move up for Carter, sweetheart terms by today’s standards. Yet it worked out OK for the Panthers, who took QB Kerry Collins.
Yes, the Panthers traded down and took Penn State quarterback [autotag]Kerry Collins[/autotag] with their first NFL draft pick in franchise history. Collins wasn’t a bust, but another of Collins’ and Carter’s teammates selected in that same draft in the top 10 was ranked as a bigger bust than Carter. That would be tight end [autotag]Kyle Brady[/autotag], who was selected with the ninth overall pick by a franchise synonymous with bad draft picks, the New York Jets.
The Jets drafting Brady with the ninth overall pick in 1995 was ranked no. 29 on USA TODAY Sports’ ranking of the top 50 NFL draft busts. Brady had a solid career in the NFL, but the biggest strike against Brady was who the Jets could have had instead. From USA TODAY Sports;
New York could have had Warren Sapp. Or Ty Law. Or Derrick Brooks. But in typical J-E-T-S fashion, they screwed it up royally. (And the availability of Law and Brooks didn’t deter the Jets from taking DE Hugh Douglas 16th overall, either.)
In fairness, the Jets weren’t the only team that whiffed on Warren Sapp. The Philadelphia Eagles did the same thing by drafting Mike Mamula, a move that also appears on this same list. Ironically, the Eagles eventually ended up with Hugh Douglas, who became a fixture on a team that went on a ride to its best stretch of success in the Andy Reid era.
Was Brady a bigger bust than Carter? Admittedly, this is not a comparison I ever gave much thought to until now. It still feels rough to call Carter a draft bust because of the injury in his first preseason, and labeling Brady a bust following a 13-year season also feels a bit off.
Of course, no ranking fo the top 50 NFL draft busts of the past 50 years is complete without mentioning the teams that didn’t draft a hall of fame quarterback in the famous 1983 NFL draft. Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, that included national championship quarterback at Penn State [autotag]Todd Blackledge[/autotag]. Drafting Blackledge when Dan Marino was on the board is certainly a mistake that cost the Chiefs. The Chiefs drafting Blackledge was packaged with the New England Patriots drafting Tony Eason out of Illinois and Ken O’Brien of UC Davis being drafted by the — you guessed it — the Jets.
Blackledge stands out above the other two though because he was the second quarterback drafted (John Elway was taken no. 1 overall by the Baltimore Colts). Blackledge went before Jimy Kelly and Marino, two hall of fame quarterbacks. And at least O’Brien made the Pro Bowl during his career.
Which for these three was the biggest NFL draft bust out of Penn State? Honestly, the more you look at it, the more likely the answer could be Blackledge, who spent nine years in the NFL primarily as a backup.
Check out the full ranking of the top 50 NFL draft busts of the past 50 years from USA TODAY Sports.
[polldaddy poll=12183733]
Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
[mm-video type=video id=01gywdnz7han4zmv982n playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gywdnz7han4zmv982n/01gywdnz7han4zmv982n-d2d8d4043dd71037771c45d28dfeae73.jpg]