Draft Busts

There's a strong possibility that there will be a lot of draft Flickering in the next few weeks. It is that time of the year, enhanced by the lockout locking out other fun stuff.

I have never much cared for the practice of blindly labeling players as draft busts. Certainly there have been players that have enthusiastically embraced the title, Jamarcus Russell. There are just too many players that have the title that have done nothing to deserve it. So many things factor into the success of a professional football player. Some are beyond their control. By the strictest definition, Ernie Davis could be tagged as a draft bust, but that doesn't seem at all fair. Injuries aren't fair either, but they are most certainly part of football. The Colts selected Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman first overall about 20 years ago. He was a monster. I can't recall a more dominant, more powerful defensive lineman. He was scary in college and appeared headed in that direction as a professional. Injuries destroyed his career, and he is often considered a bust. If John Elway had followed through with his threat to play baseball if the Colts did not trade him, would he be tagged as a bust? Probably. We have to label everyone. Going way back, college phenom Tom Harmon was drafted first overall but chose other opportunities. By the current definitions, he gets the label too. He did nothing for the Bears. Sometimes a player never gets his proper footing with a team because of the system or coaching. He just doesn't fit. In 2005, the Vikings tried to force first round receiver Troy Williamson to be Randy Moss. There were some problems other than the fact that Williamson wasn't Moss. He couldn't catch. Worse than Terrell Owens. Something that I never would have thought possible. It was a nightmare to watch Williamson try to catch. Now, this is something that the Vikings should have noticed. This is also a perfect example of my biggest issue with freely throwing the "bust" label at players. Outside of deaths and injuries, it's often the fault of the teams. Look at any of Matt Millen's drafts with the Lions. How that guy kept his job for even a day is a miracle. Everything about Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Lawrence Phillips, Charles Rogers, etc. screamed "do not touch". Labeling a player as a bust conveniently transfers the blame from the team to the player.