30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 16. QB, Tim Couch
Stats:
- 11,131 passing yards
- 64 touchdowns
- 67 interceptions
Maybe it was the way he carried him off the field. Maybe it was because he was expected to lift the Cleveland Browns from the pits of hell. Whatever the reason was, quarterback Tim Couch received a lot of criticism that was a bit unwarranted.
With that said, he was very much a bust.
While playing at the University of Kentucky, Tim Couch turned quite a few heads. Although Kentucky never truly challenged for a National Championship, Couch was putting up ridiculous numbers. In his final year as an amateur, Couch threw for 4,275 yards, 36 touchdowns against only 15 picks. What was most impressive about Couch was his accuracy as he connected on 72.3 percent of his passes that season.
For Cleveland fans, they immediately fell in love. Gone were the days of them being a laughingstock as Couch was just the right man to turn the moribund franchise around. That of course, proved to be a spurious statement as Couch churned out losing season after long season.
In 2002, after putting up his best overall numbers throwing for 2,842 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, Couch led the Browns to a 9-7 record and a playoff berth. He wouldn’t throw a single pass, however, as he suffered a broken leg in the regular season finale. He would return the following season but was benched for Kelly Holcomb who, ironically enough, proved to be horrible as well.