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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) /
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Todd Blackledge
Todd Blackledge (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Biggest NFL Draft bust from Kansas City Chiefs history: Todd Blackledge, QB

Stats: 

  • 5,286 passing yards
  • 29 touchdowns
  • 38 interceptions
  • 48.1 completion percentage

It may come across as a bit hard to believe but at one point, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia didn’t have the college football scene on lock. During the early 1980s, Penn State was a powerhouse, mostly due to quarterback Todd Blackledge. In 1982, Blackledge led them to a National Championship and put together a record of 31-5 during his time there.

Blackledge became eligible for the 1983 draft and immediately threw his name into the mix. Despite the high caliber of players, the Penn State signal-caller was thought to be just as good as any of them. He was taken with the sixth overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs, ahead of several Hall of Famers such as Jim Kelly and Dan Marino and just behind John Elway.

Although he was expected to take over the team from the QB position, he never beat out Pro Bowler Bill Kennedy. Blackledge did receive a few chances to prove his worth but he was horrific. From 1984-1986, Blackledge started 22 of 33 games but the results weren’t pretty. He would have back-to-back seasons of six touchdowns and double-digit interceptions. He ultimately moved onto Pittsburgh where he continued to be a backup and stunk up the joint whenever he made a game appearance.

Blackledge would retire after seven unproductive seasons at the age of 28. His draft mates, on the other hand, went on to become some of the best quarterbacks the game of football has ever seen. With the plethora of QBs that were available to them that year, the Chiefs picked the worst of the bunch.

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