Among the league’s 32 teams, there are about 1,700 active players. This implies that only a small fraction of the men who want to play at the top level ever attain their wish.

Given the level of competitiveness in the NFL, it goes without saying that even first-round choices need to be near-perfect on and off the field to avoid being released quickly.

When a player is selected high in the Draft, a lot of people have great hopes for them, but they seldom deliver. In this article, we will discuss the three worst first-round choices of the previous ten years, including those who failed to meet expectations, had career-ending injuries, or were released for inappropriate behavior off the court.

3. Blake Bortles

Blake Bortles was seen by some as the reincarnation of Ben Roethlisberger. In 2014, he was selected third overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Central Florida. While his arm strength is undeniable, his lack of movement and understanding prevented him from becoming a franchise quarterback.

Even though he finished his career with 103 touchdown passes and just 75 interceptions, it’s evident that he’s not the game-changing quarterback you’d hope for after selecting him third overall.

2. Sam Darnold

After using another first-round pick to choose Zach Wilson a few years later, it was evident the Jets had squandered their first selection on Sam Darnold. In spite of being the third overall pick in 2018, Darnold has failed to impress.

After three consecutive seasons of starting for New York, the club finally gave up on him. When the Panthers acquired Darnold in 2021, they immediately demoted him to the team’s backup position. Furthermore, Carolina had had enough of him and released him.

1. Mitchell Trubisky

Many people believe the Bears made a huge mistake by selecting quarterback Mitch Trubisky second overall in the 2017 NFL Draft when they could have used that selection to choose Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson.

Trubisky is one of the worst first-round choices ever because of his inattentiveness, bad decision-making, and clear contempt for his teammate’s route-running abilities. He’s not the worst player here by any stretch of the imagination, but when you consider the Bears’ other options and the value they acquired for Foles, he’s their worst selection.