![Kenneth Sims Kenneth Sims](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/da4299aa0eddee741ec88e8d4fb68e121fb85fbc1e6969eeab128457c5ef9584.jpg)
30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 5. DE, Kenneth Sims
Stats:
- 17 sacks
Truth be told, Kenneth Sims should’ve never been the number one overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. During his early years in high school, Sims walked away from the sport due to a combination of a lack of interest and simply falling out of love with the sport, he would eventually come back during his senior year and earn a scholarship to the University of Texas.
While he was productive, registering 131 tackles and earning an All-American spot in his junior year, Sims never quite looked like a number one overall pick. Still, he became the first player in Longhorn history to win the Lombardi Award which is generally given to the best college football player that season. Couple that with an All American season and the New England Patriots believed they had a franchise cornerstone when they selected him with the first overall pick in 1982. Instead, they got a gigantic bust.
Sims was pushed right into the opening day lineup and produced little to nothing during his rookie year. Three sacks across nine games didn’t exactly signal a game-changing player. Even after Sims got his legs underneath him and played with confidence, he was utterly awful. His best season came in 1985 when he piled up 5.5 sacks. For his career, he managed to get his hands on the quarterback 17 times. A horrific number for a player drafted in any round, let alone number one overall.