NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

NFL Draft: Biggest bust from each franchise’s history

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, CA - CIRCA 1988:Aundray Bruce of the Atlanta Falcons against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum circa 1988 in Los Angeles,California on November 20th 1988. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - CIRCA 1988:Aundray Bruce of the Atlanta Falcons against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum circa 1988 in Los Angeles,California on November 20th 1988. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
12 of 33
Next
Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Biggest NFL Draft bust from Detroit Lions history: Joey Harrington, QB

Stats: 

  • 14,693
  • 79 touchdowns
  • 85 interceptions
  • 56.1 completion percentage

Detroit Lion fans gave now former quarterback, Matthew Stafford a ton of grief for his play. Although he put up monster numbers year after year and was widely considered one of the top QBs in the league, his teams often stunk.

For as much flak as they gave him, they would take him in a heartbeat over Joey Harrington. Watching the former college star at Oregon throw interceptions at will for their ball club was depressing in every sense of the word. But before that took place, Detroit believed they were getting their new savior.

At Oregon, he had a strong career but it was his final season that saw him jump near the top of NFL draft boards in 2002. He launched the ball down the field to the tune of 2,764 yards, 27 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The Lions wasted no time and grabbed him with the third overall pick.

Fans quickly found themselves pulling their hair out as Harrington was both inefficient and horrific in his play. In his first two seasons, Harrington threw more interceptions (38) than touchdowns (29). His run in Detroit would last only four seasons and he never came close to sniffing the playoffs during his time.

To be fair, Stafford hasn’t made many playoff runs himself but at least he competed and gave the fanbase gaudy numbers to point to. In the case of Harrington, he was simply all-around bad.

Home/NFL