Former Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers stars are among the biggest quarterback busts in NFL history

The Carolina Panthers’ decision to bench Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, shows once again the unpredictable nature of making choices in the draft. The Panthers decided to select Young, even though C.J. Stroud was also available that year. While Young has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, Stroud was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and is thriving in Houston.

Making the right choice at quarterback can mean acquiring a franchise player and success for years. Making the wrong choice can set a franchise back into the dark ages, cost the jobs of head coaches and general managers and saddle a player with the term “bust” for the rest of his career.

Here are 10 of the biggest quarterback draft busts in league history.

Terry Baker

Oregon State University; Los Angeles Rams – No. 1 pick, 1963

Baker won just about every award imaginable after his senior season at Oregon State, including the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year. However, his arm strength was questionable and he reportedly struggled throwing deep passes during training camp in his rookie season. He started at quarterback in the season-opening game and threw three interceptions in 1963. That would be his only start at quarterback in his three-year NFL career. He was converted to running back in 1964 and was out of the league a year later.

Jamarcus Russell

Louisiana State University; Oakland Raiders – No. 1 pick, 2007

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Russell was viewed as a rare combination of size, athletic ability and arm strength after an amazing pro day at Louisiana State. Russell began his NFL career with a lengthy holdout and then reportedly arrived out of shape, a problem that continued throughout his NFL career. Weight issues and laziness ended his career after three years.

Ryan Leaf

Washington State University; San Diego Chargers – No. 2 pick, 1998

Leaf and Peyton Manning were considered the top-two quarterbacks in the draft. The Indianapolis Colts possessed the top pick and wisely chose Manning. The Chargers, enamored with Leaf’s size, cannon-like arm and gaudy statistics at Washington State, gladly selected Leaf even though there reports about his immaturity. Leaf played two seasons in San Diego, finishing with just 13 touchdown passes, 33 interceptions and a 48% completion rate in 21 games.

Akili Smith

University of Oregon; Cincinnati Bengals – No. 3 pick, 1999

Smith struggled during his first year at Oregon amid questions about his work ethic and commitment. However, he erased those doubts with an amazing season – 30 touchdowns, seven interceptions – in 1998. His accuracy was a shaky 57.3% in college – but the Bengals, still searching for a quarterback after the David Klinger fiasco, selected Smith. Smith reportedly struggled to learn the playbook and wasn’t eager to visit the film room. The Bengals cut him after he posted a 3-14 record over three seasons.

Zach Wilson

Brigham Young University; New York Jets – No. 2 pick, 2021

Some officials in the Jets’ organization believed that Wilson was better than Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick of the 2021 draft, an indication of how delusional the staff was about Wilson. Wilson’s numbers were impressive at BYU, but what the Jets overlooked was he played behind a very good offensive line giving him clean pockets and all day to throw. He also faced one of the easiest schedules – including Navy, Troy, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Western Kentucky and North Alabama – in the nation during his breakout season in 2020. His days were numbered when the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in 2023 and they traded him to the Denver Broncos in 2024.

Trey Lance

North Dakota State; San Francisco 49ers – No. 3 pick, 2021

It’s interesting how head coach Kyle Shanahan has received little criticism for this selection. The 49ers sent three first-round picks (2021, 2022, 2023), a third-round pick in 2022 to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the No. 3 spot to select Lance, a raw and relatively untested – he appeared in 19 games – player at North Dakota State. He was named QB1 for the 2022 season, but suffered a season-ending broken ankle in Week 2. Brock Purdy took over after an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, guided the 49ers to the NFC championship game and hasn’t looked back. Lance then lost the competition for the backup job to Sam Darnold and was traded to the Dallas Cowboys the following season.

Art Schlichter

Ohio State Unviersity; Indianapolis Colts – No. 4 pick, 1982

He was the last quarterback to start at Ohio State under legendary coach Woody Hayes. However, Hayes and successor Earle Bruce failed to acknowledge Schlichter’s well-known gambling problems that only worsened in the NFL, where his debts reached well into seven figures. Schlichter was suspended by the league after he went to the FBI and gave information on gambling bookies in 1983. Schlichter appeared in just 17 games with six starts in three seasons.

Andre Ware

University of Houston; Detroit Lions – No. 7 pick, 1990

The Heisman Trophy winner produced big numbers in a ‘run-and-shoot” offense at Houston and he seemed like a perfect fit for the Lions’ “Silver Stretch” offense, a version of the run-and-shoot that featured All-Pro running back Barry Sanders. Not so fast. Head coach Wayne Fontes favored Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer and Ware played in just 14 games over four seasons for Detroit, starting six times. After the 1993 season, Ware never played in the NFL again.

Matt Leinart

University of Southern California; Arizona Cardinals – No. 10 pick, 2006

He was the quarterback during the golden age of USC football. He led the Trojans to an undefeated season and won the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 2004. There were questions about his accuracy and arm strength entering the draft, but the Cardinals were thrilled when he fell to them at No. 10. Leinart was okay in his rookie season – throwing for more than 2,500 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he did throw 12 interceptions in 12 games. Leinart started the first five games of the 2007 season, but was injured and placed on season-ending injured reserve and replaced by Kurt Warner. Leinart spent two more seasons in Arizona and was out of the league after the 2012 season.

Johnny Manziel

Texas A&M; Cleveland Browns – No. 22 pick, 2014

He was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, but Texas A&M’s “Johnny Football” admittedly didn’t take playing football too seriously and seemed more interested in being a celebrity than a quarterback. The Browns ignored his well-known penchant for partying and run-ins with the law. Manziel reportedly said he didn’t watch film on opponents before games and didn’t study the playbook very much. He was gone within two seasons, never to be seen in the NFL again.