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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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Lawrence Phillips
Lawrence Phillips (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

Biggest NFL Draft bust from Los Angeles Rams history: Lawrence Phillips, RB

Stats: 

  • 1,453 rushing yards
  • 14 touchdowns

Lawrence Phillips had all of the talent in the world, he simply wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with the sort of success that was coming in his direction. After spending his first season primarily on the bench at Nebraska, Phillips came on in a big way during the 1994 season. On the year, Phillips gashed defenses for 1,826 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

With his draft stock rising, Phillips flushed it all down the drain with an inexcusable assault on his former girlfriend, Kate McEwen. The incident saw Phillips suspended from the team but would make his way back just in time to play in several games, including the National Championship, a game Nebraska would win.

To the surprise of no one, Phillips elected to move on to the NFL. Despite the controversy, the St. Louis Rams grabbed him with the sixth overall pick. With back-to-back seasons of subpar play, rushing for just over 600 yards, Phillips was cut due to a combination of alcohol abuse and inconsistent effort on the field of play.

From there, Phillips began bouncing from team to team, flashing small glimpses of what he could do but ultimately, failing to provide any team with a long-term spark.

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