The least-spectacular 1st-Rd of an NFL draft?

[Jay Z]

Some bad ones throughout history:

1959. Packers got Paul Hornung with the bonus pick 2 years earlier. No bonus pick any more, but 1-10-1 gets them the #1. QB Randy Duncan never signs, goes to Canada, flops both there and in the AFL. Other two QBs taken in the 1st round are Don Allard and Lee Grosscup, also flops. Dick Bass is the best player. Only one HOFer in the entire draft, and he's questionable in Dick LeBeau.

1966. A year after Butkus/Sayers/Namath. Tom Mack is the lone HOFer, and Tommy Nobis goes #1. Some real crap here like Dick Leftridge, Charlie Gogolak, Carl McAdams... a lot of players who struggled to even start consistently.

1972. Predicted to be a bad draft going in. Franco makes the HOF, along with Cliff Branch in later rounds. Linemen and QBs (Jerry Tagge, John Reaves) are terrible.

For 1980s drafts, I think someone mentioned 1986, but 1984 could be worse. No HOFers in the entire draft. Wilbur Marshall is the best 1st rounder. Irving Fryar went #1. No QBs in the 1st round.

Superficially, 1991 has more All Pros than 1992 but it might be a worse first round overall. Herman Moore had more APs, but I don't know if he's better than Troy Vincent. Favre and Aeneas Williams are HOF but they weren't in the 1st round. 1991 falls off more quickly. Tommy Maddox from 1992 is indeed better than Dan McGwire and Todd Marinovich.

[Gary Najman]

Some bad ones throughout history:

1959. Packers got Paul Hornung with the bonus pick 2 years earlier. No bonus pick any more, but 1-10-1 gets them the #1. QB Randy Duncan never signs, goes to Canada, flops both there and in the AFL. Other two QBs taken in the 1st round are Don Allard and Lee Grosscup, also flops. Dick Bass is the best player. Only one HOFer in the entire draft, and he's questionable in Dick LeBeau.

1966. A year after Butkus/Sayers/Namath. Tom Mack is the lone HOFer, and Tommy Nobis goes #1. Some real crap here like Dick Leftridge, Charlie Gogolak, Carl McAdams... a lot of players who struggled to even start consistently.

1972. Predicted to be a bad draft going in. Franco makes the HOF, along with Cliff Branch in later rounds. Linemen and QBs (Jerry Tagge, John Reaves) are terrible.

For 1980s drafts, I think someone mentioned 1986, but 1984 could be worse. No HOFers in the entire draft. Wilbur Marshall is the best 1st rounder. Irving Fryar went #1. No QBs in the 1st round.

Superficially, 1991 has more All Pros than 1992 but it might be a worse first round overall. Herman Moore had more APs, but I don't know if he's better than Troy Vincent. Favre and Aeneas Williams are HOF but they weren't in the 1st round. 1991 falls off more quickly. Tommy Maddox from 1992 is indeed better than Dan McGwire and Todd Marinovich.

You have to remember that in 1984 many rookies jumped to the USFL, so there was a NFL Supplemental Draft where future Hall of Farmers Reggie White, Steve Young and Gary Zimmerman were chosen in the first round (and very sure there would have been first rounders if there was not another league).

[7DnBrnc53]

1972. Predicted to be a bad draft going in. Franco makes the HOF, along with Cliff Branch in later rounds. Linemen and QBs (Jerry Tagge, John Reaves) are terrible.

Joe Gilliam, an eleventh round pick, was the best QB in that draft. Tagge was terrible, but Reaves never really got a chance. The Eagles got a new coach after his first year, and he preferred veterans over young players.

[JohnTurney]

1982 comes to mind - - -

[Jay Z]

1982 comes to mind - - -

1982 was below average, but Marcus Allen and Mike Munchak made the HOF from the first round. McMahon won the SB as a QB. Some bad early picks, but not the worst of the worst.

[Hail Casares]

1976 had a weak First Round ...

Seattle drafted Steve Niehaus, a DT from Notre Dame, 2nd overall. I remember reading a story from 1972 where Walt Patulski and Mike McCoy referencing the saying "it takes you 2 years to unlearn what you learned at Notre Dame"...which referenced the numerous high DL draft picks from Notre Dame who all struggled (with the exception of Alan Page) in the NFL. In general, it seemed like Notre Dame DLs never developed any pass rushing technique, yet their DTs would usually be moved to DE in the NFL because they were too small/weak to hold the point of attack. Has anyone else heard of this saying? I guess I find it odd that Seattle would draft Niehaus so high if the general axiom in the NFL was that Notre Dame produced shoddy DLs.

During this time, Ara was famous for moving guys around to positions that suited ND from a scheme standpoint but not from an NFL profile standpoint. It happened a lot along the OL and DL's.

Niehaus flamed out due to injuries though. He was DROY in 1976.