Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Regarded as the quintessential bust, this player was the 2nd overall pick behind Peyton Manning in the 1998 draft. In college at Washington State, he finished third in the Heisman voting, was a first-team All-American, and led the Cougars to the Rose Bowl in just his junior year. His rookie year for the San Diego Chargers was a mess, throwing for 2 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 10 games. After brief stints with Tampa Bay and Dallas, he retired after the 2001 season. Who was this player that the Chargers traded 3 picks and 2 players to move up and get who?
2. The 1998 draft was ripe with busts at the top, as Arizona also got in on the fun with the 3rd overall pick. This defensive end from Florida State originally walked on at the college, and recorded 16 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss in his senior season. Across 3 seasons in Arizona, he would compile 8 sacks and 1 interception over 36 games, until he had surgery on both knees after the 2000 season, leading to his release. Who was this bust, who tried to come back with the Jets in 2007 and failed to make the team?
3. Not wanting to be content with 2 busts so early in the 1998 draft, the Chicago Bears decided to draft their own bust with the 5th overall pick. This running back out of Penn State ran for 1363 yards and 19 touchdowns in his final year, but his last months of eligibility were taken away after accepting a gift from an agent, and did not play in the Citrus Bowl. He tore his ACL his rookie season after 9 games, gaining only 497 yards and scoring no touchdowns. Who was this back, who had his career season in 1999, with 916 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns in 15 games?
4. This player found much more success in the political arena than in professional football, which he played for 4 years after being drafted 3rd overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1994 draft. At the University of Tennessee, he set many school passing records (most of them later broken by Peyton Manning) and finished 2nd in the Heisman voting in 1993. In Washington, he went 4-9 over 3 years, throwing for 13 touchdowns and 19 interceptions before being traded to New Orleans. Who was this bust, who was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina?
5. Following their success in drafting Barry Sanders in 1989, the Detroit Lions decided to take another offensive standout in 1990. At the University of Houston, this quarterback won the Heisman Trophy by setting 26 NCAA records his junior year, including throwing for 46 touchdowns and 4661 yards. The Lions took him with the 7th pick of the draft, but he only started 6 games over his 4-year career, throwing 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Who was this player, who won a Grey Cup in the CFL backing up Doug Flutie for the Toronto Argonauts?
6. In 2003, the Detroit Lions started a much-discussed run of using 4 of their 1st round picks over 5 years to pick wide receivers. Nobody could blame them at first, as this Michigan State wide receiver set the school record for receiving touchdowns in a career and even went for 270 receiving yards in a single game. After being drafted 2nd overall, he went on to play 15 games in the NFL, catching 4 touchdowns passes over a 3-year career. Who was this receiver, who was compared to Randy Moss by many scouts?
7. Two of the first 3 picks in the 1999 NFL draft were quarterback busts. The first overall pick was made by the Cleveland Browns, and they chose this promising quarterback from Kentucky, coming off of a 7-win season with the Wildcats. He had finished 4th in the Heisman voting and set several NCAA records his junior year. In 2002, his 4th year in the league, he actually took the Browns to the playoffs, but his 22-37 record and 67 interceptions (compared to 64 touchdowns) over 5 years led to his release in 2004. Who was this quarterback, who almost returned to the NFL after playing in a preseason game for the Jaguars in 2007?
8. After Donovan McNabb was taken 2nd in the 1999 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals went on the clock and chose this quarterback coming out of the University of Oregon. He only started 11 games as a Duck, but threw for 32 touchdowns, and scouts began to jump on him. He would end up playing 4 years in Cincinnati, earning a 3-14 career record while throwing 5 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Who is this bust, who went on to have a brief career in NFL Europe and the CFL?
9. Like the 1998 draft, the Chicago Bears saw 2 busts go ahead of their pick in 1999, and they decided to join in. With the 12th pick, the Bears continued their quarterback woes by choosing this UCLA player, who had finished 3rd in the 1998 Heisman voting. As a Bruin, he started all 4 years, going 4-0 against cross-town rival USC (the 1st UCLA quarterback to do so) and made the Rose Bowl his senior year. He went 3-12 in 2 years playing for Chicago, throwing 16 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. After the 2000 season, he was traded to Miami and in 2002 to San Francisco, never touching the field after leaving Chicago. Who was this player, who was the 5th quarterback taken in the 1999 draft?
10. In the 2000 draft, the New York Giants held the 11th pick, and having watched 2 future Pro Bowl running backs go off the board, decided to take a bust. This Wisconsin running back won the 1999 Heisman Trophy, and set an NCAA record for career rushing yards (6397), beating Ricky Williams' record set the year before. In the NFL, he would gain 3722 yards over 8 years (though he did not play in 2003), eventually playing with Denver in 2005 and Houston in 2006 and 2007. Who was this running back, who originally planned on making a "thunder and lightning" combination with Giants running back Tiki Barber?
Source: Author
illiniman14
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