Which NFL player did you think was going to be good but turned out to be a bust?

[stuvian]

Dorial Green-Beckham - a physical specimen, a mental child

 

Chester McGlockton - Reggie White like power, Albert Haynesworth like motivation

 

John Manziel - the Hangover that never ended

 

Josh Rosen - could have been a great journeyman like Fitz, at least

 

Jeff George - John Elway's arm, Ryan Leaf's maturity

 

David Dixon - thought he was Randall Cunningham 2.0

[Mark Vader]

Desmond Howard.

 

He has his historic moment in the Super Bowl, but that's it.

[Rc2catch]

Limas Sweed I’m not sure why but I was obsessed with that guy and how good he’d be 

[Mark Vader]

Keith McCants.

 

A monster Linebacker from Alabama, who I think was a teammate of Cornelius Bennett. I really thought he'd have a great NFL career, but he disappeared.

[MrEpsYtown]

21 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

There are too many to list:

 

Sammy seemed like a sure thing. Not a bust but disappointing. 

 

Hardy for sure. 

 

The TE Shawn Nelson. We were all so happy w him then he never got going. 

 

Trent Edwards. Not a high pick and did not expect much, but after about his first 16 games looked to be a solid NFL QB. 

Nelson did fumble in that Patriots game. 

[stuvian]

Gaines Adams quickly came and went as did Aundray Bruce

[Maynard]

Blast from the past: Andre Ware and Rick Mirer. 

[Southern_Bills]

Aaron Curry LB out of Wake Forest. Seahawks took him 4th overall and I thought he would be an instant HoF player, I was dead wrong lol.

[Billl]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

He's had an entire career now to judge him by, not just his time with the Bills.

Calling him a bust is ridiculous.  If he was a bust, then only 3 Bills WRs at most have ever not been busts.  He’s got 364 catches for 5,384 yards and 34 TDs so far in his career.  Those are basically Lee Evans numbers.  That’s not what Buffalo was hoping for after 2015, but he’s not a bust.

[Paup 1995MVP]

1 hour ago, BarleyNY said:

The Pro Bowl selections still meant something when Clowney got them. You should know that. And as mentioned above, Clowney was taken first overall and while he hasn’t lived up to that he’d have been a very worthwhile first round selection. I just think it’s hilarious that people argue he busted when that’s obviously not the case and because Reggie Bush, who was thought of as a lock for that first overall pick and went second, really did bust. Easy money right there, but some people would rather ignore the limitless list of real busts to talk about how bad they think Clowney sucked. 

You have got to be kidding about Clowney right?  He has been an afterthought most of his NFL career.  Doesn't seem like a bad dude.  But he has hardly left his mark on the NFL.  I don't think he has sucked.  But he has not been a difference maker.  People thought he would be at the level of JJ Watt in his prime.  That's a high standard.  But he has not even been remotely close to that.  Has not played at the level of what you want your 1st round picks to play at.  

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Florida Bills Fanatic said:

Darius was a major disappointment for me.  The guy was a beast at Alabama and did crap in Buffalo and was even worse after he got paid.

 

 

He was an All Pro in Buffalo before Rex arrived and Terry Pegula let Todd France write a contract for Dareus with no penalty for transgressions..........but yes..........Dareus was a potential HOF'er.    Would love to have seen what a talent like that would have done if he came into the league in a culture situation like the Bills have now.   He was the most talented DT the Bills have ever had.......he could have been a 100 career sack guy from the interior.........and he could have been seen in the same light as Von Miller is now.   

[MrEpsYtown]

45 minutes ago, stuvian said:

Gaines Adams quickly came and went as did Aundray Bruce

Gaines is a tough call. He was good his first two years, not top 5 overall pick good, but decent sack production. Then he fell off and dies at 26. 

[Maynard]

26 minutes ago, Southern_Bills said:

Aaron Curry LB out of Wake Forest. Seahawks took him 4th overall and I thought he would be an instant HoF player, I was dead wrong lol.

Oh, that’s a great one! Thought he was going to be a stud no doubt! 

[KCNC]

Watkins was first Bill that came to mind.

[BillsSbSoon]

48 minutes ago, Southern_Bills said:

Aaron Curry LB out of Wake Forest. Seahawks took him 4th overall and I thought he would be an instant HoF player, I was dead wrong lol.

I thought he was going to be a beast too. His tape was incredible. He looked like an instant plug and play pro bowler 

[Mister Defense]

Perry Tuttle!

 

Wide receiver out of Clemson, drafted by the Bills in the first round, #19, in the 1982 draft, one of the earliest I payed attention to/cared about.

 

He had over 17 yards per reception in his last two years at Clemson, and about 900 yards receiving a year during a time when that was very good.

 

Total bust in the NFL!    24 receptions and 368 yards in two years with the Bills--and one catch in in his one year, 5 games, after that.  NFL career: 375 yards

 

Tuttle was going to be a vital piece in the Bills taking the next step. It was as if his college playing years had no relevance to his actual NFL potential which was close to nil.

 

He did light it up in Canada after he left the NFL, but not an NFL caliber player.

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Mister Defense

[BarleyNY]

44 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

You have got to be kidding about Clowney right?  He has been an afterthought most of his NFL career.  Doesn't seem like a bad dude.  But he has hardly left his mark on the NFL.  I don't think he has sucked.  But he has not been a difference maker.  People thought he would be at the level of JJ Watt in his prime.  That's a high standard.  But he has not even been remotely close to that.  Has not played at the level of what you want your 1st round picks to play at.  

What level you want your first round picks to play at? No. But his career is pretty much what you’d expect from a DE picked later in the first round. 

 

Here’s the other thing about these arguments - players don’t choose where they get drafted. I don’t ding overdrafted players for that. The fault is that of some GM. Clowney has had a long, solid career as a player. That’s not a bust IMO. 

[John from Riverside]

4 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

The guy has played a long time but stinks.  Blaine Gabbert went like #5 overall and is still playing.  He’s not a bust?

Blaine Gabbert is in fact not a bust

[buffaloboyinATL]

I cheered for Penn State when I was younger, and I was convinced that Todd Blackledge was going to be a better pro than the guy at Pitt at that time, Dan Marino.  
 

not so much…

[stuvian]

I always felt there was a shroud of secrecy around the untimely death of Pats DT Ron Brace. He was supposed to be the heir apparent to Vince Wilfork