Biggest Bills Bust Post 1980

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

HTF can you NOT list Peterman!!!

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

I cheated, technically was 1979 but I voted other, Tom Cousineau.  1st overall pick in draft, never played a down for the Bills!

 

The only saving grace he was eventually traded to Cleveland for the 14th pick in the 1983 draft which was then used to to select Jim Kelly.  Since that pick was after 1980, figured it qualified.

[ExWNYer]

WR Perry Tuttle (Clemson)...#19 overall in 1982. After the joy of having experienced another Clemson WR in Jerry Butler, who was awesome prior to his injury, I think a lot of Bills fans were excited about Tuttle. Woof...

[Matt_In_NH]

I say Maybin because the decision was just terrible.  Some guys had injuries or whatever which to me explains their "bust".  The guy somehow weighed like 240 at the combine or something when he had no frame to support that.  There were better pass rush options at the time, pretty much everyone knew it except Nix.

[BringBackFergy]

Tub o’ goo. The dude with the Captain’s hat. 

[MarkyMannn]

Imo, the right answer is Maybin.  But! 2002, I'm at the Jim Kelly club for a draft day party.  We draft that stud Mike Williams and minutes later trade for Bledsoe! Everyone there is like Super Bowl!!  No one knew it was one of the darker days of the franchise

[machine gun kelly]

Can we stop with the drought threads and how many stupid decisions we made as a team, Mgmt, coaching and ownership?

 

We all know we sucked, made a Million stupid decisions and is a nightmare that a handful of posters want to keep reliving over and over again.

 

I’d rather focus on what we’re doing right now, and the hopefulness of having a bright future probably for the next decade or more.  Allen isn’t going anywhere, nor is Beane or McD.  The Pegulas seem to stay out of their way and we have a stadium planned that will keep us in Buffalo for the next 20 years and beyond.

[SoTier]

14 minutes ago, 13 Second Prevent Defense said:

I say Maybin because the decision was just terrible.  Some guys had injuries or whatever which to me explains their "bust".  The guy somehow weighed like 240 at the combine or something when he had no frame to support that.  There were better pass rush options at the time, pretty much everyone knew it except Nix.

 

That wasn't Nix.  He might have been on the Bills staff at that time, but it was Brandon and Jauron running the draft in 2009.   Jauron loved smurfs on defense because they were supposed to be faster (I still remember watching Bills LBs regularly being dragging downfield by RBs).  IIRC, Maybin had straight line speed even at 240 lbs (which was like 30+ lbs more than his playing weight at PSU) but he didn't have much agility so he couldn't develop the kinds of moves that lighter edge rushers use to get to QBs.

[Clark Rotary]

I have to go with Maybestraighttothedustbin but Sammy Watkins for TWO first rounders deserves an honorable mention. 

[First Round Bust]

Q. JD Williams or Mike Williams ?

A..both 

 

lesson learned...dont draft the williams boys in the first round

[SoMAn]

Booker Moore, 1st rounder who played in 51 games and ended his 4-year career with a total of 423 rushing yards.  RIP

[billsbackto81]

To me "bust status" is always magnified when it's a whiff on a QB.

 

So for me the pick is EJ Manuel.

 

As far as non QB positions I'd have to go with Mike Williams with an honorable mention going to QB Cravin' Maybin 😂

[dpberr]

I voted other.  

 

Dareus is my vote because he delivered on his potential and decided on his own to turn it off and stop being a great player.   

 

The interesting thing about all these busts is that the red flags about these players were well documented, in different draft evaluations.  It wasn't just one scout or commentator saying it, multiple people said it.  

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

Respectfully RIP, but you left off Booker Moore.  Although you have an "other" slot I just didn't have the heart to mark it.

 

1st round draft pick who had some sort of health disorder that eliminated his rookie season and then in his 4 active years with the team had he had 420 yards, 3.7 yards a carry and 1 TD rushing and 1 receiving.

 

Died of a heart attack at 50...way, way, way too soon.

Edited April 25, 2022 by dollars 2 donuts

[NoHuddleKelly12]

11 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

Respectfully RIP, but you left off Booker Moore.  Although you have an "other" slot I just didn't have the heart to mark it.

 

1st round draft pick who had some sort of health disorder that eliminated his rookie season and then in his 4 active years with the team had he had 420 yards, 3.7 yards a carry and 1 TD rushing and 1 receiving.

 

Died of a heart attack at 50...way, way, way too soon.

That’s a doozy on this Monday morn…ironically, I’d wager without looking it up that dollars to donuts his YPC still on par with what our run game was doing under Dabs’ tenure outside of Allen? 🧐

[Brandon]

Aaron Maybin.

 

This one is made even more disappointing by the fact that Brian Orakpo,  a four time Pro Bowler,  went two picks later and was the one most of us wanted on draft day. 

[chris heff]

8 hours ago, Motorin' said:

JP Losman, especially considering it cost us the next year's 1st round pick while Aaron Rodgers was still available.

Losman and Rogers were two different draft classes. Losman was 2004 and Rogers was 2005.

[Dr. K]

Williams was a number 4 pick, and thus was more of a disappointment than Maybin. 

[T master]

Seeing as in the NFL the QB is the biggest & most franchise changing position on the team i would have to say on your list it would be Emanuel .

 

But with that being said i feel the the Bills in general over the years may have had & did have some very talented QB's on their rosters that given the same type of coaching philosophy as they have with Josh may have been very good NFL QB's .

 

So one heading in your poll should be coaching because Losman, Emanuel, & others were not talentless QB's & if the coaching & or owners ship wouldn't have changed coaches so much in the past they may have had better results in their respective careers .

 

Thank god we now have the Pegulas as owners & although there are those here that after every season feel that McD needs to be gone or is on the hot seat after only being here 5 years  i hope the Pegs are more like the ownership of the Steelers & see that stability at the HC ing position (once you find a good one) is one way to stay relative in the NFL. 

 

But there will always be those here that like Ralph thought that changing a HC like let's say Phillips would be for the better of the team .

[Milanos Milano]

9 hours ago, Motorin' said:

JP Losman, especially considering it cost us the next year's 1st round pick while Aaron Rodgers was still available.

What’s your price for flight?