NFL Draft: 30 worst No. 1 overall picks in league history

30 worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL Draft history: 27. DE, Ed “Too Tall” Jones

Stats: 

• 57.5 sacks

It was as if Ed “Too Tall” Jones had three or four careers.

Originally, football didn’t appear to be on the radar of the lanky star. He mostly played basketball and baseball at Jackson Central Merry High School. He was so good at both sports, in fact, that he was an All-American in basketball and fielded offers from numerous division one schools. If that wasn’t enough, Major League Baseball got in touch with him. Many of them offered him a chance to compete for a spot in the lineup.

Yet, no matter what was thrown in his face, football was what he always came back to. After being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1974 draft, Jones had a pretty mediocre career. Instead of continuing to work on his craft, Jones walked away from the game altogether in 1979, electing to become a boxer instead. Jones would go to have six contests during the year, stopping his first five opponents before being forced to settle for a majoirty decision victory in his final contest against Abraham Meneses.

Jones ended his foray into the boxing world and became fully invested in football. The once mediocre player he was a few years prior was dead and gone, this version of Jones was a monster. For three straight years, Jones was selected to the Pro Bowl and was considered one of the best defensive ends in the entire league. Those superlative words, however, wouldn’t last long and neither would the outstanding play of Jones as he came crashing back down to earth. Still, compared to others on this list, Jones had himself a pretty good career.