Every NFL Draft is about hope. Even if it is not considered a strong class, 2026 is no different. The Las Vegas Raiders are set to fully embrace 2025 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is fresh off leading the Indiana Hoosiers to their first football national championship.
John Harbaugh has New York Giants fans brimming with excitement after the organization was able to flip disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the upcoming draft. That gives the Giants a chance to pick two new cornerstones at No. 5 overall and No. 10 overall. The Kansas City Chiefs hope they can revive their dynasty with a couple of first-round picks, including the ninth overall pick on Thursday night.
However, for as much joy as the draft brings the NFL's 32 teams, it can bring just as much sorrow when a prospect's potential isn't realized -- thus making them a certified bust. It's a certainty that a number of teams will be disappointed with their 2026 first-round picks in a year or two because that's life. Not every college hotshot pans out.
That's why looking back to see how brutal the first round of the NFL draft can be is a helpful dose of medicine to enter Thursday night with a healthy, balanced perspective. In this piece, we've compiled the list of every team's biggest draft bust ever. Enjoy the whiffs in order to smell the optimism come opening night in Pittsburgh days from now.
Career stats with franchise: 1 catch for 12 yards, 1 fumble in 7 career games including 1 start
Running back Larry Stegent was a three-time All-Southwest Conference running back for Texas A&M, but his production didn't translate to the NFL level after being selected inside the top 10 when the Cardinals were still located in St. Louis. A big factor was that he suffered a knee injury in his first preseason game, and medical technology wasn't as advanced as it is today.
Career stats with franchise: 61 carries for 197 yards rushing, 3 rush TD; 3 catches for 22 yards in 15 career games including 3 starts
Running back Joe Profit was a football pioneer in many regards, just not on the field for the Atlanta Falcons. He became the first black football player in the Gulf States Conference, which is now known as the Sun Belt Conference, during his days at the University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM). Profit shined brightly, becoming the conference all-time rushing leader with 2,818 yards on the ground.
Profit also became the first Falcons running back to receive a multi-year, six-figure contract. As a pro, he never finished as one of Atlanta's top two leaders in rushing. Profit was on pace to do so in 1971, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. His career was never the same afterwards.
Career stats with franchise: 43 catches for 576 yards and 3 touchdowns on 101 targets in 27 career games including 4 starts
Wide receiver Breshad Perriman's health and ineffectiveness prevented him from getting on the same page with quarterback Joe Flacco. He suffered a partially torn PCL injury in his knee that ruined his rookie season, and he was only able to earn one start in 2016 despite playing in all 16 games. A concussion Perriman suffered in October of the 2017 season limited him to 11 games played and 3 starts. After the 2017 season, Baltimore declined his fifth-year option, and they then released him at the end of the 2018 preseason.
Career stats with franchise: 24 catches for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns on 46 targets in 16 career games including 4 starts
Wide receiver Perry Tuttle is a Clemson legend. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the 1982 Orange Bowl to help clinch a national championship. However, things just never clicked for him in the NFL. He was just a few years too early as Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly wouldn't arrive as Buffalo's starting quarterback until 1986.
Career stats with franchise: 1 interception, 5 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 fumble return touchdown and 75 tackles in 27 games played including 9 starts
Rashard Anderson played standout level football at Jackson State where he helped the Tigers win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title as well as the 1999 SWAC Eastern Division crown. The Panthers made him the 23rd overall pick of the draft in 2000, and following the 2001 season, a year in which he started 9 of his 16 games and recovered three fumbles -- including taking one back for a touchdown -- he appeared to be turning the corner. However, he was suspended for an entire season in the spring of 2002 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Anderson's suspension extended into 2003 after he did not meet the requirements to be reinstated. When he was finally cleared to play again in 2004, Anderson was released and no other NFL team picked him up.
Career stats with franchise: 28 catches for 397 yards and no touchdowns on 48 targets in 14 career games including 5 starts
Wide receiver Kevin White's NFL career was never able to take off thanks to injuries. As a rookie he suffered a stress fracture in his shin in organized team activities (OTAs), and he never suited up in 2015 after having surgery that required a steel rod to be inserted into his tibia. Another left leg injury derailed him in 2016 when he fractured his fibula just four weeks into the season. Fast forward to 2017, and he fractured his left shoulder blade in Week 1 versus the Atlanta Falcons. Three years, three seasons ending on injured reserve.
The highlight of his career came in Week 7 of the 2018 season against the New England Patriots. He reeled in a 54-yard heave from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky as time expired, but he came up a yard short of the game tying touchdown in a 38-31 defeat. That was an encapsulation of his Bears career -- just not enough production. Chicago let him walk in free agency in 2019.
Career stats with franchise: 46.6% completion percentage, 2,212 passing yards (100.5 passing yards per game), 5 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 52.8 passer rating in 22 games including 17 starts for a 3-14 record; 70 carries for 371 yards rushing and 1 rushing touchdown
Akili Smith balled out in his senior year at Oregon: led the Pac-10 in completion percentage (58.8%), passing yards (3,307), passing yards per attempt (10.2), passing touchdowns (30) and passing efficiency rating (170.4). Nationally, he led college football in passing yards per attempt while ranking fifth in passing touchdowns and second in passing efficiency rating. Those efforts netted him the 1998 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year award, and the Cincinnati Bengals drafting him third overall in the 1999 NFL Draft.