Even though I'm totally pumped up about the best ways the NFL Draft could unfold for fantasy purposes, I sometimes need to ground myself a little bit. No matter how good a draft pick might seem on Monday morning, they can end up a complete disaster in January. To help drive that point home, here's a recap of some of the worst fantasy busts (through 2008) from last year's NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks - Last season I listed JaMarcus Russell (1st overall) and Brady Quinn (22nd overall) as Immediate QB Starters. Errrr...right. Russell played a bit last season, though you couldn't start him on your fantasy team since every time the nasty old men on the other team tried to tackle him the Raiders would pull him from the game. Quinn was the invisible man behind Derek Anderson. Every time I dream about Matt Ryan putting up 25 touchdowns this season, I try to remember this.
Running Backs - I said last year that with the great O-line in Green Bay, Brandon Jackson (63rd overall) could have 1100 rushing yards with a full season. The Packers did have a breakout rushing star, but it was Ryan Grant (who?) and Jackson was stuck with only 75 carries. Kenny Irons (49th overall) also looked like he had potential backing up Rudi Johnson, but got injured and missed the entire season.
Wide Receivers - Everybody thought he was drafted too early, but no top ten pick should finish with only 420 receiving yards. That was the 2007 season for Ted Ginn (9th overall) though. The Saints' Robert Meachem (27th overall) and the Chargers' Craig Davis (30th overall) also had big fantasy potential and finished with a zero and 199 receiving yards, respectively. Bleah.