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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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JaMarcus Russell
JaMarcus Russell (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Biggest NFL Draft bust from Las Vegas Raiders history: JaMarcus Russell, QB

Stats: 

  • 4,083 passing yards
  • 18 touchdowns
  • 23 interceptions
  • 52.1 completion percentage

A debate can always be made by a certain fanbase in terms of which player was the worst drafted by their favorite squad. While those debates could go either way, there is no question that JaMarcus Russell is the biggest bust in Raiders history and, in the opinion of most, all time.

Russell appeared to have everything a franchise was looking for. He was tall, physical, had a cannon for an arm and a winner at LSU. He was a Heisman finalist and the Sugar Bowl MVP after dominating Notre Dame. There was seemingly nothing Russell couldn’t do out on the field.
The Raiders slightly paused to consider future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson with their selection in 2007, but ultimately decided Russell was the right choice.

From the very beginning, they regretted the move. Although he was primarily a backup in his first year, Russell took over the starting job the following season. He was horrendous from the start. With 15 games under his belt, Russell threw for a meager 2,423 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The following year, Russell put the T in terrible. He threw for 1,287 yards with three touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He couldn’t find a receiver even if they were wide open right next to him as he completed only 48.8 percent of his passes.

Russell was let go the following year and never made it back into the league. His God-given talent simply wasn’t enough as he was lambasted for his poor work ethic. It truly got no worst than JaMarcus Russell.

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