Seahawks biggest draft bust

[Optimus25]

Ahh, you guys are too damn young.

The worst draft choice EVER by the Seahawks is without a doubt Andre Hines, an offensive tackle out of Stanford. In 1980, we selected him in the 2nd round, #44 overall. He was so bad that a rumor started that we drafted him by mistake, getting him mixed up with one of his OL teammates from Stanford. Here's what Jack Patera had to say about Owens:

"He was absolutely terrible", former Seahawks coach Jack Patera said. "Our scouting department said that this guy was going to play 10 years. He had no intestinal fortitude. He couldn't push himself to do anything. I don't know if he could run down the field and throw a block because he never did. He was in worse shape than I was (Patera at the time was at least 50 pounds overweight)".

Hines took part in 9 games and was out of the league after his first season. The only reason to argue that he wasn't the biggest bust in team history is that we spent "just" a 2nd rounder on this guy.

sorry, but 2nd rounders come and go in this league, past and present, so often that it makes the draft beatniks as reliable and laughable in retrospect as a local weatherman.

but completely and utterly missing on a #4 overall pick the way the team pissed away the Curry pick reigns supreme in this discussion. and it wasn't just his lack of an efficient nfl career, I don't remember the guy ever having an efficient nfl game.

remember when trivia: the 2009 draft also was the draft when johnny knox was picked up by Chicago in the 5th round. anyone remember the bears vs seahawks game when there was a loose ball on the field and he tried to scoop it up and was literally bent backwards? ended his career, and the guy was quite an electric player. IIRC he had just came off a pro bowl year as a returner/receiver type.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Owen Gill. He never even made the final roster. 2nd rounder 1st pick of our draft that season.

Rick Mirer gets a pass. He had a pretty good rookie year and was absolutely pummeled his time here. I bet he still hears footsteps in his sleep.

I agree. Nobody short of Russell Wilson would have survived that pounding (Mirer) with psyche intact.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Thank Ken Behring for GelBLAUGH. He forced that guy on Knox.

 

[RiverDog]

Ahh, you guys are too damn young.

The worst draft choice EVER by the Seahawks is without a doubt Andre Hines, an offensive tackle out of Stanford. In 1980, we selected him in the 2nd round, #44 overall. He was so bad that a rumor started that we drafted him by mistake, getting him mixed up with one of his OL teammates from Stanford. Here's what Jack Patera had to say about Owens:

"He was absolutely terrible", former Seahawks coach Jack Patera said. "Our scouting department said that this guy was going to play 10 years. He had no intestinal fortitude. He couldn't push himself to do anything. I don't know if he could run down the field and throw a block because he never did. He was in worse shape than I was (Patera at the time was at least 50 pounds overweight)".

Hines took part in 9 games and was out of the league after his first season. The only reason to argue that he wasn't the biggest bust in team history is that we spent "just" a 2nd rounder on this guy.

^This.
When defining "draft bust", one must first determine what constitutes a bust. I personally don't think Curry, Mirer, Tapp, Jackson or some of the other names mentioned are "draft busts". To truly be a bust, a player would have to have almost no playing time, impact or draft return. Curry is not really a draft bust under this criteria simply because he played and started for a couple of years and netted a draft pick upon trade. Mirer had a fairly good rookie year and also started a number of games and netted a #1 pick in return. Tapp played and started and returned draft capital. Jackson also started. Are these guys "draft busts" or merely draft disappointments? Too many fans think that if a 1st or 2nd pick isn't a dominant perennial all pro then he is a bust. IMO, the two biggest busts are Hines and Owen Gill. When you draft a guy who can't even make the team as a rookie then that is the definition of "draft bust".

I remember this now , but had totally forgotten. I choose to subscribe to the urban legend that we drafted the wrong guy, sounds better that way . Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Awesome!

The notion that we had selected Hines by mistake was pretty well refuted by Patera and John Thompson, the GM at the time. Nevertheless, the rumor continued to circulate. The ironic thing was that in that same draft, we selected what was arguably one of our two best and most productive picks of the 1980's in Jacob Green (the other being Kenny Easley).

 

[RiverDog]

Curry taken 4th because you have to consider all the other players you could have had instead (basically everyone)

You also have to consider the dollars being such a huge issue in recent years

As I recall, the draft we took Curry in was filled with lemons, at least at the top. There were a lot of rumors that we were going to select Mark Sanchez, who was snapped up by the Jets right after us. Jason Smith, the #2 overall taken by the Rams, was beat out by a rookie the following season and was no more productive than Curry.

Everyone remembers Brian Bosworth because without a doubt he was the most heralded #1 pick in team history and with his Mohawk haircut and stunts like arriving at practice in a helicopter, he made the biggest initial public relations splash. But he did play relatively well and contributed for several years before he was diagnosed with a degenerative shoulder problem, and was rumored to have known about the condition before he signed his guaranteed contract.

 

[ChiefHawk]

Dan MCGuire.

That guy caused the departure of Kreig before we had a replacement, missed opportunity for Farve who Knox wanted, and disrupted an additional first round in 1993 when we had to burn another first round pick on his replacement because he was so bad.

That pick can legitimately be blamed for costing us most of the 1990's, where we were foundering trying to find a QB and missing out on exploiting such freakishly good talent we had through our hands in the 90's.

 

[Steve2222]

How could anyone say Daryl Tapp? Lmao he was the 63 overall pick. I don't really consider any player picked outside of the first round eligible. Not only that, he was pretty solid for us for a few years and is still active on an NFL roster. He was drafted in 2006. Pretty decent career.

Stop overthinking it. Aaron Curry, #4 overall, who we traded away after three years, and was entirely out of the league in five years after getting drafted, is their biggest bust. He was an OLB. Usually a position that has some longevity. Over such positions like QB, HB, OL. He wasn't even good enough to become a journeyman in the NFL. After being the #4 overall pick!

I'd really like to see the list of Top 5 picks who lasted only 5 years in the league, not counting a career ending injury.

 

[Jerhawk]

Aaron Curry. Jim Mora Jr bought into his "safe pick" status and went with it. Terrible player.
Only good thing that came out of that draft from Mora Jr was the trading of our 2nd round pick to Denver for their 1st rounder the following year, whom Seattle used to pick Earl Thomas

 

[Chapow]

Seriously? No Tharold Simon?? This guy was talked/hyped a lot, but resulted in nothing.

The thread title is Seahawks biggest draft bust.

Simon was a 5th round draft pick.

5th.

It's extremely common for guys taken in the mid to late rounds to not make it in the NFL. How could a guy taken in the 5th round be even remotely in the conversation for biggest draft bust?

 

[Chapow]

Gotta be Mirer right? QB, 2nd overall, big expectations. Doesn't get more busty than that without being on a Ryan Leaf-esque level.

Curry is definitely a close 2nd. I remember Kiper telling us all after he was picked that he was the only can't miss great player lock of the entire first round.

I have a hard time voting for Mirer though. We got bailed out by Chicago with a 1st round pick.

He also had a pretty good rookie year. Broke all-time NFL rookie records for attempts, completions and yards which stood until they were broken by Peyton Manning. He was also offensive rookie of the year runner up.

Dan McGwire, while not taken quite as high as Mirer, was still a 1st round pick and did absolutely nothing in the NFL. IMO, he is a bigger bust than Mirer and to me, it's not really that close.

But I gotta go with Curry as the biggest draft bust. Quality LBs are found all throughout the draft and even as UDFAs. The guy was the #4 overall pick and turned out to be a below average LB in the NFL. The vast majority of people thought he was destined for greatness but he only made it a few years in the league. And if we're being honest, the only reason he made it that long is because of where he was picked in the draft. If he hadn't been a high 1st round draft pick, I wonder if he even would have made an NFL roster.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

Aaron Curry, I think by far. Just because of what the Browns did in this draft. Trading down 3 times from #5 to #21 picking up 2nd Rounder and 2 6th rounders.

Seahawks could have got:

#21 C, Alex Mack
Still trade original 2nd to Denver
#52 OT, Sebastian Vollmer
Trade 3rd Rounder for 2010 2nd Rounder
#105 OT, TJ Lang
Don't trade for Keary Colbert, but package the 5th and 2 6ths for 2010 4th Rounder.

End the draft with Jason McCourty, Julian Edleman, and Michael 'freakin' Bennett over Nick Reed, who we develop.

2010:

Trade the 2010 #6 plus the extra 2nd and 4th we acquired to the Redskins for OT, Trent Williams.

Don't trade for Charlie Whitehurst instead take TE, Ron Gronkowski at #40.

Trade up 2 spaces in 3rd to select OT Jared Veldheer using that 6th rounder we used trading for Lendale White.

Trade back up into the 3rd Round using the pair of 4th rounders to select LB Navarro Bowman.

2011:

Trade 2011 1st and 3rd Rounder , 2013 1st, 3rd Rounder, and 7th rounder + 2015 1st Rounder to the Browns for #5th pick. Select Julio Jones. See what I did there.

Make same trade with Detroit with our 2nd but end up with

DT Jarell Casey
LB KJ Wright
TE Julian Thomas
CB Richard Sherman
CB Byron Maxwell

Let's say Seahawks win 10 games instead of 7 in 2010 but still end up with #25 losing to Chicago. 2011 is still an injury riddled let down with no QB, still nets us #12 in 2012.

2012... exact same draft.

We don't over spend in 2011 bringing in Rice, Miller, and Gallery instead saving cap for upcoming big time free agents.

Offensive Line would look like:

OT Trent Williams
LG Jared Veldheer
OC Alex Mack
RG TJ Lang
RT Sebastion Vollmer

Skill position players that include Lynch, Jones, Baldwin, Edleman, Gronk, and Julian Thomas.

2012 DL that is more of a 3-4 base, 4-2 Nickel... Clemons, Wright at OLB, Bowman, Wagner at ILB. Starting Branch, Mebane, Bryant at DT. With Casey, Bennett, and Irvin coming in as reserve/specialists.

Win 5 straight Superbowls from 2012-2016, because of not drafting Aaron Curry.

 

[Josea16]

1. Curry
2. Maguire
3. Jennings

 

[chris98251]

Tim Ruskell

 

[Josea16]

Tim Ruskell

Nice.

 

[RiverDog]

sorry, but 2nd rounders come and go in this league, past and present, so often that it makes the draft beatniks as reliable and laughable in retrospect as a local weatherman.

but completely and utterly missing on a #4 overall pick the way the team pissed away the Curry pick reigns supreme in this discussion. and it wasn't just his lack of an efficient nfl career, I don't remember the guy ever having an efficient nfl game.

I'll agree that the higher the selection, the greater the 'boom' in the 'bust'. That's why I qualified my remarks as saying that the only argument against Hines not being the worst bust is that we spent "ONLY' a 2nd round, #44 overall on him.

Curry did contribute, started for several years for us before we threw in the towel. And it's not as if we took a gamble or reached for him. At the time, Curry was the consensus best athlete in the draft, labeled a can't miss. So you really can't blame Ruskell or Mora for the pick. The entire scouting system in the NFL was fooled. Those kinds of group mis judgements happens occasionally. Jason Smith, selected ahead of Curry in the same draft, contributed even less. As I recall, Cleveland, the next team up behind us in the draft, was salivating over Curry and would have wasted no time running to the podium had we passed on him.

By contrast, Hines WAS a reach, so much so that the Hawks had to defend themselves about getting him mixed up with his college teammate. The debacle was such a huge boner that the Hawks instituted changes in how they rated potential draftees:

Thompson said the Seahawks moved quickly to introduce draft changes the following season to ensure that nothing like the Hines pick happened again. Assistant coaches were added to the talent search, which already had four or five layers of scouts. "Jack didn't want his assistant coaches involved, but, as a result of the Hines incident, we changed that," the former executive said. "We didn't lean on them, but we put them in the drafting process."

http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/footbal ... 202198.php

Ever heard of a draft bust so bad that the team re-vamped their talent evaluation process because of it? I haven't.

 

[onepicknick]

1. Rick Mirer: even he would rank 1 on all time draft bust in the entire NFL, Unbelievable Randy Muller got something for him in the trade
2. Brian Bosworth: When Bo Jackson ran over him pretty much solidified his career.

 

[Hawkspur]

If we're going to use hindsight to say they should have traded down for Alex Mack or Clay Matthews, say, as they have turned out to be better players in the long run, could you also use hindsight and say that if Curry was great with a 10 sack, 4 int rookie season that Pete and John would probably not have been in charge in 2010?

Curry's the biggest bust in my time of following the Seahawks though, by a long shot.

 

[garrylt4]

1 Dan Mcgwire- Really the only true number 1

2 Aaron Curry- Mcgwire of the Defense

3 Jeremy Stevens- idiot with a big mouth and small brain.

4 Kelly Jennings- just not a good player.

5 Koren Robinson - what could have been


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[RiverDog]

1 Dan Mcgwire- Really the only true number 1

2 Aaron Curry- Mcgwire of the Defense

3 Jeremy Stevens- idiot with a big mouth and small brain.

4 Kelly Jennings- just not a good player.

5 Koren Robinson - what could have been


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I can't argue about McGuire. You can thank our owner at the time, Ken Behring, to thank for that one, proof positive that owners involvement with the team should consist no more than a weekly lunch with the head coach.

Stevens did contribute, and was a key component of our SB run in 2005. No way was he a bust, but he did disappoint later in his career.

Jennings started a number of games. No doubt he was horrible at fighting for jump balls, but he was a good cover guy. He should have been relegated to a nickel back rather than being put on an island as he was for so much of his career with us.

Koren Robinson was pretty much a bust. The guy couldn't catch a cold. Him and DJack had a contest in 2004 to see who could drop the most passes.

 

[Steve2222]

1 Dan Mcgwire- Really the only true number 1

2 Aaron Curry- Mcgwire of the Defense

3 Jeremy Stevens- idiot with a big mouth and small brain.

4 Kelly Jennings- just not a good player.

5 Koren Robinson - what could have been


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I can't argue about McGuire. You can thank our owner at the time, Ken Behring, to thank for that one, proof positive that owners involvement with the team should consist no more than a weekly lunch with the head coach.

Stevens did contribute, and was a key component of our SB run in 2005. No way was he a bust, but he did disappoint later in his career.

Jennings started a number of games. No doubt he was horrible at fighting for jump balls, but he was a good cover guy. He should have been relegated to a nickel back rather than being put on an island as he was for so much of his career with us.

Koren Robinson was pretty much a bust. The guy couldn't catch a cold. Him and DJack had a contest in 2004 to see who could drop the most passes.

Eh....I'd say Stevens is just as much of a bust as KRob was. Lawrence Jackson was a bigger bust than Stevens, Jennings, and KRob though. Lawrence Jackson seems to be overlooked by a lot on these bust lists. Lamar King too.