While he’s not at the top of this list, I would have him #1 if I made this ranking subjective. Sorry, Molly.
Okay folks, I’ve done plenty of write ups regarding first-round pick failures. We have each person’s worst pick of all-time, which is a good read and of course I always did a full log of everyone’s first round prior to the 2013 season. This one is different. Here are the top-30 worst picks in the last 10 years in this league.
Note: To keep things simple, I ranked these players based solely on how they were ranked at the end of the season.
30. Reggie Bush, RB-NO | 1st pick, 2006 | Pos Rank: #16 (BOB) In a stunning move, with the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, Bob selected rookie running back Reggie Bush (the only rookie to be drafted first overall in fantasy football). Sharing the touches with Deuce McAllister, the former Heisman trophy winner was never able to truly get going. He endaed up with 565 yards rushing (3.6 yards per carry) and 742 yards receiving, which isn’t terrible. However, it was only good enough for him to finish 16th among all backs. That’s good enough to be a mid-level RB2, but as the top overall pick, Bob needed to do better.
29. Edgerrin James, RB-ARI | 7th pick, 2006 (Keeper) | Pos Rank: #22 (MATT) In 2004, Matt landed James in an offseason trade with Calderon (for Jamal Lewis). For two seasons, the trade looked like a steal as the Colts running back delivered a 1,800-yard season. However, in 2006 James was traded to Arizona, but that didn’t stop Matt from keeping him in round one. Without Peyton Manning handing him the rock though, James rushed for just 1,159 yards, averaging a pathetic 3.4 yards per touch. Matt never found a better option and produced his worst season in Robioland, winning just three games.
28. Calvin Johnson, WR-DET | 2nd pick, 2014 | Pos Rank: #24 (ERIC) Heading into 2014, the man known as Megatron had produced four straight All-Robio seasons, including three straight first-team All-Robio’s. In the prime of his career, playing in a high-octane, pass-happy offense, Johnson was far and away the best wide receiver and a easy selection for Eric with the second pick. Of course this being Eric (as we will see further down on this list), things didn’t workout. Johnson ended up missing three games, barely passing 1,000 receiving yards. By the time he was close to 100%, Eric’s season was over and he was shipped off to Bob on a trade-deadline swap. The trade put the Lions receiver on his first championship team (he scored 206 fantasy points in Bob’s win). I’m sure Eric was happy for him.
27. Marion Barber, RB-DAL | 11th pick, 2009 | Position Rank: #25 (ROBIO) I’m the unofficial king of first-round picks, because in 16 years of fantasy football, this is the only pick that failed to crack the top 10 at his position and this is the only first-round pick I’ve made on this list. Despite never starting in his career, Barber had nearly cracked 1,000 yards the previous three seasons, but in 2009 he and Felix Jones would be switching places, as Jones would become the change of pace guy off the bench while Barber got the start. In the end, it made no difference, as the pair continued to share. Despite averaging 4.4 yards per carry, Barber got just 214 touches and failed to hit 1,000 yards. I won two games all season, as I never was able to find a replacement for my worst first-round pick.
26. Arian Foster, RB-HOU | 3rd pick, 2013 | Pos Rank: 25 (COLBY) Heading into 2013, the top three picks were a true mystery. We knew who the top-three picks would be (Jamaal Charles, Arian Foster and Calvin Johnson), but we had no idea what order they would go in. Jeff would eventually select Charles first. That paid off as the Chiefs back was the top back in football that year. With the second pick, Don selected Calvin Johnson. Of course Don missed the playoffs, but Megatron deserved no blame, as he finished first among wide receivers.
With the third pick, Colby snagged Foster and at first he was alright, producing 531 yards through six games. Solid, but a little below par for the guy who was the best back in football the previous three seasons. However, things took a turn for the worse in week seven, when Foster was knocked out of the game after just four carries. The following week he tried to play, but was gone after one series. His season…over. Colby would end up recovering, turning over nearly his entire roster (just four players he drafted remained on his team until the end), as he still managed to pull out eight wins.
25. Reggie Bush, RB-NO | 10th pick, 2007 (Keeper) | Pos Rank: #26 (BOB) Look…it’s Reggie Bush and Bob appearing twice on the list…the only player/person combo to do so. After using the top pick in the 2006 draft to grab the rookie running back, Bob was rewarded with the 16th best back that year. However, drafting at the bottom of the first-round, Bob decided Bush would make a solid keeper, as he expected him to make a nice freshmen to sophomore jump. He even caught a break when Deuce McAllister was knocked out for the year in week three. The back field belongs to Bush.
Unfortunately, the former Heisman Trophy winner was unable to take advantage of it. He barely delivered 1,000 total yards (588 rushing, 417 receiving) and he himself was knocked out for the season right as Bob headed into the post-season. Ironically in the playoffs, Bob was able to grab the Saints third-string back, Aaron Stecker, who managed to do twice in the playoffs what Bush did just five times in 12 games…produce 100-yard games (248 total yards). The next year, Bob would officially end the Reggie Bush experience.
24. Terrell Owens, WR-PHI | 10th pick, 2005 | Pos Rank: #27 (RICH C) Although his numbers the previous two season (2003-04) were down (he had three straight 1,300 seasons prior, but failed to break 1,200 the last two years), Owens was considered one of the best receivers in the business (behind only Randy Moss). However, using a early pick on him was risky. He had caused problems all off-season, first by bitching about Eagles management not letting him play in the NBA summer league, then later by holding out for a new contract. Yet, the biggest issue was his relationship with Donovan McNabb, as he spent the offseason calling out his QB for getting tired in their Superbowl loss the previous season.
Despite these red flags, Calderon took the second receiver in the draft with the 10th pick. At first, it looked like an amazing pick, as Owens was putting together the best season of his career. Through seven games he had 763 yards on 47 receptions. He was on pace for 1,744 receiving yards, easily putting him on pace for first-team All-Robio. Calderon was enjoying the success, ending the first-half of the season at 4-3. However, underneath all the productivity, Owens continue to divide the locker room by slamming McNabb. Eventually, Andy Reid had enough and suspended the receiver for four games, which would have been fine, because it would have brought Owens back for the post-season push. However, that four-game suspension became a permanent suspension and just like that, the best wide receiver in 2005 was gone. Rich would finish the season 2-5, missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.
23. Larry Johnson, RB-KC | 11th pick, 2008 | Pos Rank: #27 (RICH C) Hey, it’s Calderon back-t0-back and ironically, the situation between this failure and the Terrell Owens one above are similiar, because both players had great skill, but both players came into the season with heavy baggage and any decision to draft them was a risk. One would think he would have learned from 2005.
Over the previous two seasons, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was one of the most productive backs in the history of football. He delivered 4,292 total yards and 40 touchdowns, despite just starting in 25 of the 32 games. Heading in the 2008 season, with his numbers he should have been the top overall pick without question. However, Johnson had a history domestic violence issues and in that offseason he was again arrested in February. On top of that, he also held out of training camp. The Chief eventually made L.J. the highest paid running back in the NFL.
Yet, nearly every team in our leage passed on him in the 2008 draft, until Calderon ended the slide with the 11th pick. If Johnson paid off, he could be the steal of the draft. Too bad the only theft that took place was Johnson stealing Rich’s first-round pick. Through eight games, the Chiefs back slugged his way to 559 yards, just two touchdowns, averaging a career low 3.5 yards per carry. Johnson was eventually forced to throw in the towel in week eight after injuring his foot. He was done for the season and he would never rush for 1,000 yards again. As for Calderon, his season was salvageable as he was able to replace Johnson with Steve Slaton (a 9th round pick). The Texans running back, along with Drew Brees and Calvin Johnson, led Rich to a nine-win season.
22. Priest Holmes, RB-KC | 6th pick, 2005 | Pos Rank: #29 (ROB M) The Priest Holmes story has already been told in great detail, so let’s get this over quickly for Masterson’s sake. Between 2001-203, Holmes was the best back in football, producing three straight 2,000+ total yard seasons. Rob Masterson got to enjoy a third of those 6,000+ yards by drafting Holmes in round one in 2003. In 2004, he kept him, but Holmes only played eight games. However, because the Chiefs running back had produced 1,200 yards in those games, Masterson had to roll the dice and keep Johnson again in 2005.
Yet, for the second year in a row, the running back failed to finish, playing in just seven games. Worse yet, unlike the previous season, even when he was playing, he wasn’t producing. He had just 451 yards rushing, averaging a career low, 3.8 yards per carry. Rob would end the year with five straight loses, which could have been avoided if he would have drafted Holmes handcuff. Unable to replace Holmes and other injured stars, Rob missed the playoffs for the first time in Robioland history.
21. Ladainian Tomlinson, RB-SD | 2nd pick, 2009 | Pos Rank: #30 (ROB M) Since joining the league in 2001, L.T. was far and away the best back in football, having earned six All-Robio awards (three first teams, three second teams). He had at least 1,800 total yards for six straight years (2002-2007), including four 2,000+ seasons. However, despite leading Matt Neatock to a title in 2007, his numbers had dipped. He rushed for a career low 1,110 yards, although still topped 1,500 total thanks to receiving yards. Masterson knew the risk, but grabbed Tomlinson anyhow, hoping for one more glorious run in San Diego.
The Chargers running back never sniffed 100 yards rushing in a single game and had jut 154 receiving yards on the season. He finished with 884 total yards. Eventually, Masterson benched LT for Pierre Thomas and managed to end a two-year playoff drought by winning seven games…all while Tomlinson sat on the pine.
20. Ryan Mathews, RB-SD | 8th pick, 2010 | Pos Rank: 32 (JEFF) Obviously some rookie backs have really taken off in this league. However, the league members have proven that predicting which one will hit the ground running, is a bit of a challenge. After nine glorious years, Ladainian Tomlinson was shipped off to the Jets and the Chargers drafted Ryan Mathews to take his place. A solid back out of Fresno State, he was expected to deliver big in a running back-friendly offense.
Jeff was coming off a very successful season, his first since 2003, without Colby riding his back. Looking to keep the wins coming, he gambled on the rookie with the 8th pick in the draft. Unfortunately, Matthews fumbled twice on opening day and was quickly benched by the Chargers. While he would re-gain the starting spot in San Diego, he was in and out of Jeff’s starting lineup for the remainder of the year. By the time Mathews was knocked out for the season in week nine, Jeff’s season was about over, as he managed just four wins, missing the post-season.
19. Ray Rice, RB-BAL | 11th pick (Keeper), 2013 | Pos Rank: #33 (ERIC) Between 2009-2011, Ray Rice was a beast, producing 5,885 total yards for the Ravens (33% of that coming from receiving yards). He earned both a first-team (2011) and second-team (2012) All-Robio award. In 2012, Eric grabbed Rice with the first overall pick in the draft. Despite a small dip in his numbers (1,143 yards rushing, 478 receiving), the Ravens running back still managed to earn a second-team All-Robio award. He led Eric to his best season ever and into the title game where he scored 316 fantasy points in Eric’s defeat.
He was a no-brainer keeper in 2013, as the 11th overall pick. Yet, something happened, we’ll call it the Superbowl hangover, as Rice and the Ravens simply couldn’t produce. Despite only missing one game all season, he had just 660 yards rushing (averaging an awful 3.1 yards per carry), pulling in 321 yards receiving. Eric was never able to replace Rice with anything better and ended up with just four wins on the year.
18. Kevin Jones, RB-DET | 12th pick, 2005 | Pos Rank: #34 (BOB) Before there was Bob failing with Reggie Bush in the first-round, there was Kevin Jones. Heading into 2005, Jones was a hot commodity. As a rookie in 2004, the Lions running back had 1,133 yards, not bad, but 906 of those yards came in the season’s final eight weeks, so Jones looked like a sleeping giant and a potential steal for the defending champ with the last pick in the first-round.
Um, no. Despite sharing a backfield with awful backs like Artose Pinner and Shawn Bryson, Kevin Jones was a huge bust. He produced just 553 rushing yards through 11 weeks, never breaking even 90 yards in any one game. Bob was never able to replace him, leaving him in as a starter for most of the season, which helps explain why he had his worst season ever in Robioland (and arguable the league’s worst title defense), winning just three games.
17. Shonn Greene, RB-NYJ | 3rd pick, 2010 | Pos Rank: #35 (Molly) These rankings are based solely on the player’s ranking that season, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. If I had to be subjective, in my opinion this is the worst first-round pick in league history. Coming off rookie year where he produced 5.0 yards per carry (540 rushing yards) as a backup, Greene was a popular sleeper pick in 2010 after the Jets cut Thomas Jones. Sure they went and got Ladainian Tomlinson, but LT was on the back end of his career and was projected to be a nice backup for the emerging star.
I didn’t do a mock draft that year, but I certainly remember thinking that Green would be a decent grab at the end of the second-round, but a great pick in the third-round. Yet, Molly stunned the league when she took the Jets back third overall. That year a lot of great backs were being kept, so I understand the gamble, but it certainly took some balls.
However, Molly must have sensed something, because she decided to bench the third overall pick of the draft in week one. Good thing, as Greene proceeded to fumble and under-produce his way out of the starting job, as Tomlinson passed him on the depth chart. The two would split time all season long, Green would deliver just 766 rushing yards and he would never play in a single game for Molly. To this day, he’s the only non-injury related first-round pick to not start a single game for his team. The decision was costly for Molly, as she never filled that hole at RB, winning just three games and missing the post-season party for the second straight year.
16. Shaun Alexander, RB-SEA | 2nd pick, 2007 | Pos Rank: #38 (ERIC) Hey look, it’s Eric again. Of course it’s not surprising to see his name a lot on this list, as Eric’s epic first-round history has been well documented. That doesn’t mean we can’t keep doing it. Between 2001-2005, the Seahawks running back was on par with players like Ladainian Tomlinson and Priest Holmes. In 2005, he delivered 1,880 yards rushing and a stunning 27 touchdowns for Griff. However, in 2006 the wheels finally came off, he missed six games due to injury and finished with just 896 yards.
Now this is a classic situation in fantasy. It’s the first-round and your up and on the board is a legit veteran star, who is coming off a year he couldn’t finish due to injury. The player doesn’t have a history of injury, so it could just be a fluke, but at the same time, he’s no spring chicken. Do you gamble on him producing one more good season?
Well, Eric did, ignoring Alexander’s 3.6 yards per carry the previous season in the 10 games he did play. The decision was a bad one, as the Seahawks running back’s best year were behind hm. He ended up missing three games, got benched for three more and finished with just 716 yards rushing, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Eric had no choice but to bench Alexander, yet oddly enough, he was able to overcome this and the loss of Ronnie Brown (the league’s top back until he went out with a season-ending injury) to win eight games and make his first ever appearance in the post-season.
15. Steven Jackson, RB-ATL | 9th pick, 2013 | Pos Rank: #41 (RICH B) Heading into the 2013 season, Steven Jackson led the league in rushing yards among active backs. That’s the good news…the dude has been really, really good for so long, rushing for at least 1,000 yards for eight straight years. Of course the bad news was the dude was fucking old, at least for a running back, turning 30 prior to the season. Even the Rams saw the writing on the wall and shipped him off to Atlanta. Too bad for Burrier, he didn’t see the writing.
Rich took Jackson with the 9th pick in the draft and right away the Falcons running back failed him. He was knocked out in week two and would end up missing four games. By the time Jackson came back, Burrier was already 1-6 and the back would struggle to get back into Rich’s starting lineup. He finished the season with 543 yards rushing. The following year, Jackson would be taken in round 10.
14. Cedric Benson, RB-CHI | 5th pick, 2007 | Pos Rank: #42 (GRIFF) Griff makes his first appearance on the list with his first pick in the 2007 draft. That year, the top four picks in the draft were all veteran running backs, with a proven track record. Griff decided to shake things up when he selected Benson with the fifth pick. The Bears running back had spent his first two seasons backing up Thomas Jones and did alright, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, producing 647 yards off the bench the previous year. With Jones off to the Jets, Benson was a classic unproven player with the perfect opportunity in place for a breakout year.
Yet, Benson was unable to take advantage. He delivered just 674 yards through 11 games (averaging 3.4 yards per carry), catching around 1.5 balls per game out of the backfield. The pick, as well as a few others, was costly, as Griff never was able to fill the Benson-sized hole. He ended up missing the post-season, producing his worst season in Robioland.
13. Clinton Portis, RB-WAS | 10th pick, 2009 | Pos Rank: #45 (MOLLY) I’ll let someone else crunch the numbers, but Clinton Portis’ first four years in this league may have been four of the best ever when you consider just those first four seasons. Spending two seasons with Denver and then two with Washington, Portis rushed for over 1,500 yards in three of those first four years. The one year he didn’t, he had 1,315 yards (missing one game). After an injury-plagued season in 2006, he rebounded nicely in 2007 (earning third-team All-Robio) and 2008 (producing over 1,700 total yards). My point…there was no reason to suspect trouble from Portis when Molly drafted him in 2009.
Yet, things started off slowly, as he managed just 494 yards rushing and just one touchdown, eight weeks into the season. However, the end game in week eight, as a knee injury knocked Portis out for the season. He would gain just 227 more yards for his career. Molly did managed to grab Rashard Mendenhall in round nine and pickup Ahmad Bradshaw, but those good decisions did not help enough as Molly missed the playoffs, winning just five games in 2009.
12. Willie Parker, RB-PIT | 9th pick, 2008 | Pos Rank: #45 (BOB) Look, it’s Bob again. This is his fourth and final appearance on the list and if you haven’t noticed, all four picks are running backs. Now you start to see why he hasn’t drafted one in the first-round since this pick in 2008.
Parker’s short career was an odd one in the NFL. After doing nothing as a rookie in 2004, he had three solid years (2005-2007). He never earned an All-Robio award, but he did finish 13th, 7th and 16th among backs during that time, peaking in 2006 with nearly 1,500 yards rushing. Yet, despite his success, the Steelers went out and got Mewelde Moore from the Vikings and then drafted Rashard Mendenhall in the first-round. Clearly, Parker’s shot at being an elite back were over, right?
Either Bob wasn’t buying it or Bob wasn’t paying attention, but either way, Bob took Parker with the 9th overall pick. I know I was stunned. In my mock draft (that I released only after the draft), I had Parker as a late third-round pick. Anyhow, at first, I looked wrong and Bob looked smart, as Parker produced 138 yards and 105 yards to open the season. However, a week three injury cost him four games and by the time he came back, the backfield in Pittsburgh was crowded. Parker would produce more games below 50 yards (four) then games over 100 yards (two).
Fun fact…this was the same year Bob dropped DeAngelo Williams for some reason in week five. I picked him up and he lead the league in rushing. Luckily Bob did managed to overcome both Parker and Williams, by drafting Chris Johnson in round seven. He and Peyton Manning led Bob to nine wins that year, before he fell in the quarterfinals to my DeAngelo Williams led team. Bob would end up not drafting a running back in the first round again (as of 2014).
11. Larry Fitzgerald, WR-ARI (K) | 4th pick, 2012 | Pos Rank: #48 (RICH B) For seven years, Fitzgerald had produced 1,000 yards receiving in six of those seasons (the one year he didn’t, he managed 946 yards, despite missing three games). My point…the dude was a stud. He was certainly first-round worthy, but where in the first-round? That season, I had the fourth pick and decided to trade out of the first-round, giving up my pick to Burrier, for his second round pick and swapping picks in two later rounds (I would eventually trade back in with Don). This gave Burrier two first-round picks (he was keeping Drew Brees with his actual first-round pick). With the fourth overall pick, he ended up grabbing Fitzgerald, despite the warning signs?
What warning signs were those? The fact that there was no quarterback out in the desert. The Cardinals would end up starting four awful quarterbacks that season (Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer). Those four arms combined four just 11 touchdowns and 21 interceptions and they absolutely killed Fitzgerald’s season. The receiver had his worst season since his rookie campaign, catching just 71 balls for 798 yards. So unlike so many players who had bad seasons because they suffered injuries, Fitzgerald actually earned his 48th best receiver ranking.
10. Deuce McAllister, RB-NO | 4th pick, 2005 | Pos Rank: #50 (MOLLY) Prior to 2005, McAllister had produced three straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons, including a 1,641-yard effort in 2003. He was in the prime of his career (just 27) and had only missed three games because of injury. My point…the dude had no risk factor, when Molly landed him with the fourth pick, especially when a ton of great backs were kept that year.
After a slow start to the season (where he failed to top 70 yards in his first three games), the Saints running back finally broke out in a week four win over the Bills, rushing for 130 yards. However, the following week, McAllister would tear his ACL and would become the first big name running back to go out for the year. Molly struggled to recover, being forced to go three-wide and ended the season riding a five-game losing streak (including the quarterfinals).
9. Rudi Johnson, RB-CIN | 4th pick, 2007 | Pos Rank: #50 (RICH C) For a good four-year run, Rudi Johnson was a solid, if not spectacular, running back in this league, producing three straight 1,300-yard rushing seasons. He was a workhorse, always good for a four-yard gain, but not a breakaway kind of back. Without keepers in this league, Rudi would be a mid-second-round pick, but with keepers in full effect, Calderon had to get Rudi the Reliable with the fourth pick in the draft. However, the Bengals running back became mister unreliable as he got banged up early. In week three, he rushed for just nine yards on 17 carries. He would end up missing three of his next four games.
At first it looked like Calderon would be okay, as he landed Rudi’s backup, Kenny Watson, who put together some good stats. However, once Rudi came back in week eight, the duo started to split time, making both pointless. Watson ended up starting for Rich during his improbable title game run, after Johnson was declared out after week 14 in the NFL season. Rudi would play one more season in the NFL before retiring.
8. Chad Johnson, WR-CIN | 12th pick, 2008 | Pos Rank: #51 (MATT) Chad Ocho Cinco was one of the best pair of hands starting into 2002 all the way leading into the 2008 season. In the previous two years, he had delivered over 2,800 yards receiving on 184 receptions. However, like so many wide receivers of that era, the dude couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He spent the offseason ripping the Bengals and Marvin Lewis, even threatening to hold out if he wasn’t traded. His threat looked legit as he was a no-show for mini-camp. He eventually made it to training camp, before suffering a slight shoulder injury in a preseason game.
Despite all the warning signs, Matt, coming off his first league title, made Johnson the last pick in the first round. The Bengals receiver struggled early, failing to reach 40 yards in any of his first four games. However, things got worse when Carson Palmer was knocked out for the season in that week. Johnson would go on to play the rest of the fantasy season, but he never sniffed 100 yards receiving in game. He finished with just 540 yards and four touchdowns. Matt was never able to shake him out of his starting lineup and suffered for it, as the defending champ had his worst season in Robioland.
7. Andre Johnson, WR-HOU | 12th pick, 2011 | Pos Rank: #53 (BOB) When healthy, Andre Johnson was without a doubt one of the best receivers in football. In seasons’s prior to 2011, when he played a full year, he produced. In fact, he delivered back-t0-back 1,500-yard seasons in 2008-09. In 2010, he produced 1,216 yards and eight scores, despite missing three games. Sadly, one of those games he missed was Bob’s title game that year, as he was stuck watching from the pine.
Yet, with the last pick in the first round in 2011, Bob decided to keep Johnson for a third straight season and the former Miami Hurricane was ready to roll. He delivered three straight 230-point fantasy games to start the season, but in week four he went down untouched with a brutal hamstring injury. He was out indefinitely. Bob would struggle without his star, dropping three straight, starting the season 2-4.
However, a young kid named Cam Newton exploded onto the scene. The rookie arm allowed Bob to ship starting QB, Tom Brady (and a not-quite ready for primetime Antonio Brown) to Colby for Jordy Nelson and Mike Wallace (and Josh Freeman). This closed Bob’s hole at WR and allowed him to ship Johnson (right before he was ready to return) off to me for Steven Jackson. We of course faced off in the title game. While Andre Johnson didn’t play (out with another injury), Bob got 614 points from his new players (Nelson, Wallace and Jackson) to add to Cam Newton’s 509, handing him his second straight title.
6. BRIAN WESTBROOK, RB-PHI | 5th pick, 2009 | Pos Rank: #54 (ERIC) Wow, Eric really should consider trading out of the first-round each season. This is his fourth appearance on this list and it won’t be his last. Anyhow, let’s move on. Brian Westbrook spent the first three years sharing the backfield. He always looked like a star in the making, but he didn’t crack 1,000 yards until his fifth season in the league. From there he’d produce back-t0-back solid years, delivering 4,021 total yards as one of the league’s best pass-catching backs.
However, in 2008 he stumbled. He failed to rush for 1,000 yards (finishing with under 1,400 total yards for the year), having missed two games. This was concerning for the Eagles (he had never played 16 games in one season) and was always an issue when it came time to draft him in fantasy. Worse yet, in 2009 the team used a second-round pick on LeSean McCoy, a back who had a similar set of skills. This didn’t stop Eric from grabbing Westbrook with the fifth overall pick.
The season proved to be a disaster for the Eagles running back. He split carries from day one, getting 13 carries in each of his first two games, but never more than nine the rest of the way. By mid-season he was hurt, which probably felt like a blessing at that point. Eric would eventually replace Westbrook and an injured Ronnie Brown with Joseph Addai and Ricky Williams, good enough to sneak into the playoffs as an 8-seed, but how big of a miss was Westbrook? The next four picks after Eric’s selection were Randy Moss, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Reggie Wayne. Those four were the top four wide receivers in 2009.
5. LaMont Jordan, RB-OAK | 3rd pick, 2006 | Pos Rank: #56 (ERIC) Yep, Eric again. However, this one was a little different. Unlike the Shaun Alexander pick in 2007 and Brian Westbrook in 2009, LaMont Jordan wasn’t an aging star, who Eric had hoped could deliver one final year of glory. Jordan was a young pup with fresh legs. After coming off the pine in four years in New York as a Jet, Jordan went out west and opened up a can of whip-ass, producing over 1,500 total yards and 11 touchdowns in just 14 games as a Oakland Raider. That one year of success was all Eric needed to see and he selected him with the third overall pick.
Sadly, Jordan proved to be a one-hit wonder. He delivered just 55 yards on 29 carries in the season’s first two games and he would crack 100 yards just once all year. By midseason he was splitting carries, getting double digit carries just once after week six. He finished with 434 yards, over 1,000 yards less than he had the previous season. He finished on the bench for Eric’s three-win team in 2006.
4. Randy Moss, WR-NE | 5th pick, 2010 | Pos Rank: #76 (ERIC) Christ, it’s Eric again. It could be a lot worse if I had include seasons prior to 2005. We’ve already seen 2006 (Jordan), 2007 (Alexander) and 2009 (Westbrook). You notice that little run was broken in 2008. That was the year Eric decided to mix things up and take a wideout…Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals wide receiver finished first among all receivers and to this day is still the best first-round pick Eric has made.
This is why it made sense for him to shake it up again in 2010, skipping over running backs for Randy Moss. The former Vikings and former Raiders receiver had found a new home in New England in 2007, when he destroyed the record books by recording 1,493 receiving yards and scoring a stunning 23 touchdowns. The following two years, he never approached those same digits, but he still had over 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns. Heading into 2010, rumors began to spread that Moss wasn’t that happy, yet Eric went ahead and grabbed him with the fifth pick.
Despite scoring three touchdowns in the season’s first three weeks, it was clear Moss was taking too many plays off. In week four he was targeted just one time and then shipped off to Siberia, back to Minnesota. With Brett Favre throwing the rock, Moss looked good in his first game as a Viking, getting 81 yards and a touchdown. However, his numbers dipped in every game afterward and after four weeks, he was gone. He eventually landed in Tennessee where he disappeared, catching just four balls the remainder of the year. He finished with just 28 catches and 393 yards on the season. He would end up playing one more year out west in San Francisco, but that would be all.
3. Marvin Harrison, WR-IND | 9th pick, 2007 | Pos Rank: #102 (ROB M) Now we’re down to our bottom three, but it’s hard to give too much shit to these teams. All three of the worst first-round picks are here because they got hurt early in the season. In 1999, Marvin Harrison was an unknown wide receiver who went un-drafted in our first season in Robioland. In week two, I picked him up via free agency. By season’s end, he had 1,663 yards and 12 touchdowns. For the next three seasons, Harrison would put up those kind of numbers, earning three first-round All-Robio’s and a third-team during that four-year stretch.
During the next four seasons, Harrison’s numbers dipped, although he always caught over 80 balls and delivered over 1,100 yards. In 2006, he had his best season in years, producing 1,366 yards and a fourth first-team All-Robio (second most by a WR in league history). By the time 2007 rolled around, he was the most consistent receiver in football, producing eight straight 1,000-yard seasons, missing just two games in that span.
There were no signs that Harrison wouldn’t do it again, so Rob took him with the ninth pick. It was the first time Masterson had ever drafted a receiver in round one. Two weeks in, it looked like a smart decision, as Harrison produced back-to-back 80 yard games, scoring once. However, he would produce just 77 yards in his next three outings before going out with a season-ending injury in week six. Rob would drop five of his last seven as his dream of a monster three-headed WR attack fell apart.
2. Ryan Grant, RB-GB | 12th pick, 2010 | Pos Rank: #121 (MATT) Coming off back-t0-back 1,200 yard seasons, Grant looked like a great pick for the defending champ. He was in the prime of his career and the best back in a high powered Packers offense. Yet, he never made it out of week one. Grant carried the rock eight times for 45 yards before tearing his ACL.
Yet, proving that losing your first-round pick isn’t the end of the world, Matt went into wheeling and dealing mode, performing five trades in the season’s first six weeks that included 16 different players, trading away big names like Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, Hakeem Nicks, Aaron Rodgers, DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. He was able to eventually land LeSean McCoy to replace Grant as his top back. While Matt didn’t repeat as champion (or even win a post-season game), he finished the season winning his final four games, earning nine victories on the year, going undefeated (6-0) in his division. Not bad for a guy who basically went without a first-round pick.
1. Domanick Davis, RB-HOU | 8th pick, 2006 (K) | Pos Rank: N/A (DON) Of course Matt (above) building a winning team despite losing his first-round pick is impressive, but how about winning it all with no first-round pick?
With 12 people with lives outside of fantasy football, sometimes you just got to do the draft when you can and in 2006 we had to do it early. That year Don decided to keep Domanick Davis with the 8th overall pick. The Texans back had delivered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career and nearly did it a third time, despite missing five games in 2005 due to a knee injury. Despite that injury, Davis (who is now called Domanick Williams) seemed like a safe bet. Yet, that’s the thing about ACL injuries…they are random. Davis’ ended up ripping up his ACL in the preseason after we had already drafted in our league and Don had to began the season with no lead back, because he failed to land Davis’ handcuff.
Don never really filled that hole, going three-wide all season long. He did manage to win 7 games, but he was just 9th in scoring, so he wasn’t considered a threat in the post-season. However, in the semifinals he grabbed a suddenly hot Ron Dayne and the rest was history, as Don won his first title the following week…despite not having a first-round pick.
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