Teams exit the NFL Draft hoping they’ve landed several star players who can contribute for the next decade. However, all too often, organizations end up regretting their decisions within a few years.
Every draft produces several players that don’t live up to their draft stock. No matter how many evaluations scouts and teams do, a few organizations land busts every year.
While the NFL Draft is an excellent opportunity for young men to change their lives and fulfill dreams, it’s also a betting game teams play annually. There is no such thing as a no-risk prospect.
Sometimes prospects that scouts praise as immaculate can’t gain footholds in the NFL. For instance, the Cleveland Browns used the third overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft on Alabama’s Trent Richardson.
Richardson was supposed to be the next Adrian Peterson. Instead, he never ran for 1,000 yards in a single season and was no longer a starter after three years. Richardson hopped around the league in 2015 and 2016, failing to stay with a team long enough to even play in a regular season game.
Not every bust experiences the dramatic rollercoaster Richardson went on. Some cases are subtler, where a high first-round pick turns into a ten-year backup instead of a glorified starter.
Several players from the early rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft stand out as potential busts. Whether teams reached for a player or there are serious flaws in a prospect’s game, the following five players carry bust potential.
