Top NFL Draft busts of all time: Where are they now?

Tony Mandarich closed out his career with the Indianapolis Colts. (Tom Hauck /Allsport)

The road from top NFL draft pick to super-stardom is lined with the guys that didn’t make it.

The 2019 NFL draft will be the 53rd in league history, and there have been numerous first-round picks who have gone from can’t-miss studs to can’t-find flameouts. In some cases, it’s only taken a few short seasons to find that a guy with unlimited potential can only turn it into half-decent performance.

For every late-round surprise, there’s been a first-round flop. Here are some of the biggest NFL draft busts in history — and what’s become of them since:

Trent Richardson, RB, Browns No. 3/2012

Trent Richardson suited up for the Birmingham Iron stretches of the short-lived Alliance of American Football this spring. (Photo by John McCoy/AAF/Getty Images)

Richardson was viewed as a stable, durable three-down back coming from Nick Saban’s Alabama squad. He showed promise during his rookie season, but was traded to Indianapolis in 2013 and never really found his footing thereafter, bouncing through Oakland and Baltimore. He showed flashes of brilliance in a CFL stint, though legal problems prevented him from sticking in the league long-term.

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In 2019, he joined the fledgling AAF, playing a key role for the Birmingham Iron, though the league’s early demise cut off the 29-year-old’s momentum toward an NFL comeback.

Career NFL stats: 46 GP, 2032 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns

Vince Young, QB, Titans No. 3/2006

Vince Young spent the 2012 preseason with the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Young was an electric presence at the University of Texas, sparring with soon-to-be fellow NFL flame-out Matt Leinart. His performance in the 2006 Rose Bowl earned him plenty of pre-draft hype, even with concerns about his unorthodox throwing style and a low score on the Wonderlic test. Instead of being the unique combination of passing and running the Titans hoped for, Young never quite live up to his high ceiling, dealing with injuries and sparring with coach Jeff Fisher.

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By 2014, Young was out of pro football, gaining some notoriety for having gone bankrupt, despite a four-year, $25 million contract. In March, he was fired as a development officer at Texas for poor job performance.

Career NFL stats: 60 GP, 50 GS, 8964 passing yards, 57.9 completion percentage, 46 TD, 51 INT

JaMarcus Russell, QB, Raiders, No. 1/2007

JaMarcus Russell won just seven games in three years as an NFL starter. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The unwitting poster boy for modern-day NFL draft busts, Russell was a can’t-miss stud coming out of LSU, a combination of arm strength and size. The Raiders gave him a six-year contract worth up the $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed. His work ethic, fitness and inconsistency doomed his career, which lasted just 31 career games and ended after three seasons in 2009.

In 2016, he reportedly wrote letters to all 32 NFL teams offering to play a season for free but found no takers.

Career NFL stats: 31 GP, 25 GS, 4043 passing yards, 52.1 completion percentage, 18 TD, 23 INT

Tony Mandarich, OT, Packers No. 2/1989

Mandarich was the “best offensive line prospect ever” coming out of Michigan State: he stood at 6-foot-6, weighed 330 pounds, clocked a 4.65 40-yard dash, a 30-inch vertical and wowed at the Scouting Combine with an eye-popping 39 bench press reps at 225 pounds. His attitude and poor performance, however, saw him last three seasons with the Packers. He spent two years in a rehabilitation facility for drugs and alcohol and attempted a short-lived comeback with the Colts before retiring in 1998.

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It was years later that Mandarich admitted to steroid use during his playing days. The Packers passed on Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas, Deion Sanders and other long-time NFLers to draft him. Now 52, he’s 24 years sober and operates a photography studio/media company out of Phoenix.

Career NFL stats: 86 GP, 2 fumbles recovered

Charles Rogers, WR, Lions No. 2/2003

DETROIT - 2006: Charles Rogers of the Detroit Lions poses for his 2006 NFL headshot at photo day in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Getty Images)

Rogers broke numerous Michigan State and NCAA records before capitalizing on a junior-year catch in which he leaped two Notre Dame defenders to score a sensational touchdown in 2002. Broken clavicles in each of his first two seasons sent him down a path to drug addiction that ultimately ended his NFL career after three seasons, despite the highly touted package of hands, speed and size that garnered him all the attention.

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As of 2017, the former pass-catcher was working at an auto repair shop in Fort Myers, Fla.

Career NFL stats: 15 GP, 36 receptions, 440 yards receiving, 4 TDs.