30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 13. RB, Ricky Bell
Stats:
- 3,063 rushing yards
- 16 touchdowns
After watching running back Ricky Bell stumble and fumble all over the field in 1974, there was simply no way to predict how great he would actually become in college. His rookie season saw him rush for only 299 yards but in year two, it was as if Bell was mad at the world and took it out on the football field.
One of two things was likely to happen. Either Bell was going to run by you on his way to the end zone, or he was simply going to drag you there. Bell punished the college football world for 1,957 rushing yards to go along with 13 touchdowns and followed that up with 1,433 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns the following year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw all that they needed to see and grabbed him with the first overall pick in 1977. Despite getting plenty of opportunities in his first two years, Bell was awful, rushing for 436 and 679 yards, respectively. The light switch for Bell finally turned on in year three as he rushed for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns but he came back down to earth the following year, rushing for just 599 yards and two touchdowns.
Tampa would eventually send him to the San Diego Chargers one season later but something wasn’t right. Bell began losing weight rapidly and suffered severe skin issues. He would retire in 1983 and sadly pass away two years later due to heart failure caused by dermatomyositis.