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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Johnny Manziel #2 of the Cleveland Browns reacts after turning the ball over on downs against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half on December 27, 2015 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)

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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Johnny Manziel #2 of the Cleveland Browns reacts after turning the ball over on downs against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half on December 27, 2015 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
The term “bust” is thrown around way too often in the NFL. Any time a player doesn’t live up to expectations, they’re labeled a bust, but that term is used far too often nowadays. Just because a first-round pick isn’t a perennial Pro Bowler doesn’t mean they’re a bust.
The term bust should be reserved for those who made it to the NFL and then fell completely flat on their face. I’m talking guys who lasted a handful of seasons, and they never made anything of their careers. Today, I’ve compiled a list of 10 college football superstars who never panned out at the NFL level and deserve to be labeled as a bust.
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JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell is one of the first names that comes to mind when I think of CFB superstars that didn’t translate to the NFL. At LSU, Russell was excellent, throwing for 3,129 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a junior. The Raiders selected him first overall in the draft in 2007, but he never panned out, throwing for 4,083 yards, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in his career.
His struggles weren’t for his lack of talent, though. He just didn’t put in the work. He was late to meetings, never studied film and just didn’t give the effort that a quarterback needs to put in at the NFL level. What made this even worse was that the Raiders gave him $39 million guaranteed, which back then was a boatload of money. Just a huge swing and miss from the Raiders.
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Johnny Manziel

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Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) warms up before the start of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Can’t talk about busts without mentioning Johnny Manziel. He was one of the most electric athletes in college football during his time at Texas A&M, but he slid in the draft due to some off-the-field concerns, and he just never panned out. In two years with the Cleveland Browns, Johnny Football threw for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 259 yards and one score.
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His whole “the more I party, the better I play” thing didn’t really stick in the NFL. Another example of a guy just not caring enough.
David Carr
David Carr also has a case for being the biggest bust in NFL history. He was selected first overall by the Houston Texans after a stellar college career at Fresno State, but he never really panned out. The Texans gave him five years to prove he was their franchise guy, but he just wasn’t. In his 11 years in the NFL, Carr totaled 14,452 passing yards, 65 touchdowns and 71 interceptions. To get five years as a starter and still have a negative TD to INT ratio is mind-boggling. He would’ve been ditched halfway into year two nowadays.
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Ryan Leaf
You guys thought I forgot about Ryan Leaf, huh? He was in the running for the first overall pick with Peyton Manning, but ultimately ended up going No. 2 overall to the Chargers, and man, the Colts couldn’t have made a better choice.
Manning become a five-time NFL MVP and won two Super Bowls, including one with the Colts. Leaf, on the other hand, lasted three years, threw 14 touchdowns to 36 (!) interceptions and was arrested. I hate to kick a man while he’s down, but I don’t think you could script two opposite careers.
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The funniest part about all of this is that there have been reports throughout the years that Leaf sabotaged his draft process with Indy so he’d end up going to the Chargers. Pure comedy.
Tim Tebow

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Jun 14, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Tim Tebow (85) participates in passing drills during minicamp at Dream Finders Homes practice complex Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Tebow is another classic example of an NFL bust, but I think even NFL scouts knew it. It always felt like his game wouldn’t translate to the NFL level, which is why he fell to the 25th pick despite being one of the most successful college quarterbacks of his era.
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Once he got to the NFL, it was clear 24 teams made the right move by passing on him. He completed less than half of his passes for 2,422 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 989 and 12 scores. The TD to turnover ratio wasn’t that bad, but he just wasn’t a good quarterback. He even tried to move to tight end as a last-ditch effort to stick around, but nothing ever came of it.
Some guys are just built to be college quarterbacks, and that’s exactly what Tebow was.
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Justin Blackmon
Alright, enough with the quarterbacks. Let’s talk about Justin Blackmon. He was pure electricity at Oklahoma State, totaling over 3,300 yards and 38 touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Cowboys. He was so good that the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him fifth overall in 2012, making him one of the highest-drafted receivers of all time, but some off-the-field stuff kept him from reaching his potential in the pros.
In 20 games, Blackmon caught 93 passes for 1,280 yards and six touchdowns. Not bad for someone straight out of college. But then he was arrested multiple times and violated the league’s substance abuse policy. He never played another snap after 2013.
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Unlike most of these guys, it wasn’t a talent issue for Blackmon. He just couldn’t get his stuff together off the field, and he is now one of the biggest what-ifs in recent memory.
Tavon Austin
Every kid grew up watching Tavon Austin’s West Virginia highlights. It’s one of the most viewed sports videos on YouTube, and for good reason. He was special in college as a receiver and as a returner. So much so that the St. Louis Rams drafted him eighth overall in 2013, and while he was a decent receiver for the first few years, you expect much more from your eighth overall pick.
Austin lasted nine years in the NFL where he caught 244 passes for 2,239 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a returner, he totaled over 1,900 yards and scored three touchdowns, but he just didn’t last. After his fourth year in the league, Austin never logged more than 250 receiving yards in a single season.
If Austin were a late-round pick, nobody would talk about him as a bust. He was a solid player for four years, but he never peaked like he did in college.
Trent Richardson
I don’t think I’ve ever been as wrong on a player as I was with Trent Richardson. This guy looked like the truth coming out of Alabama, where he rushed for 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2011, but he just never found his footing in the league.
Richardson was selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns, but after 18 games where he totaled 1,055 yards and 11 touchdowns behind a 3.5 average, he was shipped to Indianapolis. He would spend two seasons with the Colts, where he ran for less than 1,000 yards and struggled to average 3.3 yards per carry.
Richardson looked like the next great running back coming out of college, but he just didn’t translate to the NFL. Which is kind of crazy, considering rookie running backs typically adjust to the NFL faster than other positions.
Reggie Bush

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Credits: Imago
Putting Reggie Bush’s name next to the other guys on this list is probably a bit unfair. He was a really solid NFL player for the better part of a decade, and even won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, but he just didn’t live up to the extreme hype he had coming out of college.
Coming out of USC, Bush was supposed to be this incredible, can’t-miss prospect who could transform any offense. He was a great runner, but his true value came as a receiver out of the backfield. While he wasn’t a total bust, he certainly didn’t live up to the hype. In his 11-year NFL career, Bush totaled 5,490 rushing yards, 3,598 receiving yards and 54 total touchdowns.
Again, he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned alongside Ryan Leaf and Trent Richardson, but his career was definitely underwhelming.
Archie Griffin
For all you old timers, this one’s for you.
Archie Griffin was a superstar at the college level. He won the Heisman trophy twice in 1974 and 1975, totaling over 5,100 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in his four-year college career. Despite his success at Ohio State, he was selected 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he really struggled.
Over his seven-year NFL career, Griffin never eclipsed the 700-yard rushing mark, and had three seasons with fewer than 200 yards. He also found the end zone just seven times, including a four-year stretch from 1977-1980 where he didn’t score a single one on the ground. He did find some success as a receiver, totaling 1,607 yards and six scores through the air, but it was still an incredibly underwhelming career for the only two-time Heisman winner.
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