In the four decades I have followed the Dallas Cowboys as a fan, there have been many great players drafted by the team. Between Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys have had few misses in their high level choices. However, there are a number of players taken over the years that have proven to be NFL busts and, while the number is small, these choices came back to haunt Dallas during periods when they counted on the picks to keep them competitive.
Quincy Carter. 2nd Round (53) in 2001
Quincy Carter was a 2nd round pick for the Cowboys but he was the first overall selection for het team in the 2001 NFL Draft. Dallas expected Quincy Carter to take over the reins at quarterback and lead Dallas into the new millennium as an all-purpose signal caller. Carter flopped and Dallas released the troublesome quarterback in 2004.
Shante Carver, 1st Round (23) in 1994
The Dallas Cowboys struck gold with many of their defensive picks in the '90s. From Russell Maryland to Darren Woodson, they built a dominant defensive unit. The one glaring exception was in 1994 with 1st round pick, Shante Carver. Carver played with the Cowboys for four seasons and the defensive end finished his career in Dallas with 11.5 sacks, averaging three a season.
David LaFleur, 1st Round (20) in 1997
After Jay Novacek retired, the Dallas Cowboys looked for another big pass catching tight end for Troy Aikman's offense. In 1997, they watched as prized tight end Tony Gonzalez fell to Kansas City with the 13th pick so Dallas jumped on LSU tight end David LaFleur with their first round pick. LaFleur only enjoyed one decent year and Dallas released him after the 2000 season.
Antonio Bryant, 2nd Round (63) in 2002
Antonio Bryant has enjoyed a decent NFL career with teams like Tampa Bay and Cleveland. However, when the Cowboys drafted him in the 2nd round in 2002, they expected Bryant to be a star. Antonio Bryant came in to Dallas and flopped, never breaking 1,000 yards in a Cowboys uniform and Dallas dumped him after two-plus seasons.
Rod Hill, 1st Round (25) in 1982
The Dallas Cowboys had some great draft picks in the '60s and '70s but things started to go wrong in the '80s for Tom Landry and company. In 1982, one of the all-time biggest Dallas Cowboys draft busts was Rod Hill in the 1st round. He played for Dallas for two seasons, compiled two interceptions and left the team in 1984.
Sources
Data Base Football: Dallas Cowboys Draft History
NFL.COM: Quincy Carter
NFL.COM: Shante Carver
NFL.COM: David LaFleur
NFL.COM: Antonio Bryant
NFL.COM: Rod Hill
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
