When fans think of biggest quarterback busts, the first one that usually pops into their heads is Ryan Leaf. But when it’s all said and done, the biggest quarterback draft bust of all-time might have come from this decade. As part of our ongoing Decade Debate series, here is a top 5 ranking of the biggest quarterback draft busts of the past decade, as well as a separate list of two signal callers that might be well on their way to bustville.
5. Byron Leftwich (Year Drafted: 2003)
Things didn’t start off poorly for Leftwich. After the Jaguars took him with the seventh overall pick in 2003, Leftwich led them to a 9-7 record in his second year and helped Jacksonville earn a 12-4 record and a playoff berth in his third year before an ankle injury cost him the remaining five games of the season. But after returning from the injury in time to receive a 28-3 beat down from the Patriots in the postseason that year, things went downhill for Leftwich. He suffered another ankle injury in 2006 (one that cost him all but four games of the season) and then he was released in 2007 in favor of David Garrard. He was signed by the Falcons in September of that year, but was a minor disaster and couldn’t hold off Joey Harrington for the starting job. He did win a Super Bowl ring as Ben Roethlisberger’s backup with the Steelers in 2008, but he once again failed as a starter in 2009 after the Bucs signed him in the offseason. Even though he did have some success in the league, Leftwich never lived up to his top-10 billing. His big arm was a hit in college, but his slow release has often doomed him in the NFL and now it appears he’s destined for a life as a backup.
