25 Years of Crappy 1st Round Draft Picks-1990

Finally to a new decade, the 1990s. In the 90's with more coverage being devoted towards the Draft busts became more prevalent and then everyone who wants an All-Star became labeled a bust in my opinion. Today marks the first time we had a tie. Let's begin.

1990
NFL

Photo courtesy of nydailynews.com

#7 - Detroit Lions - Andre Ware - Quarterback - Houston
The 1990 Draft is filled with potential candidates for this spot, I could have went with 4 or 5 different choices but settled on two for my own reasons. Certainly a shout out is warranted for the #4 overall pick Keith McCants who Tampa selected and has been in and out of trouble since he was drafted. Ultimately, a position switch and decent tenure in the league kept McCants off this list. McCants' loss was Andre Ware's gain. Ware was selected to this list for a few reasons. When selected the Lions thought they had the makings of a great offense. Former Heisman winners Ware and Barry Sanders would lead their team to dominance.  One problem; Lions coach Wayne Fontes didn't want to play Ware. He'd play Rodney Peete or Erik Kramer but would only turn to Ware when the team was out of the playoff hunt. His clear refusal to develop Ware may have been the downside to Ware's career but it's not like the Houston Cougar did much to inspire faith in him when he did play. Ware would only start 6 NFL games and finish his career with 5 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He tried to make Jacksonville's expansion roster in 1995 but was cut before the regular season never to be heard from in the NFL again. Ware, along with the help of David Klingler, have set back Houston QBs for generations. Graham Harrell couldn't even get drafted a year ago and had trouble finding a camp invite; they brought about the stigma that Houston QBs (because of their run and shoot offense) simply can't hack it in the NFL. Whether that is fair or not, Ware sure did his part by being a flop of a first round pick. Granted the Lions really didn't have much other options at QB, Neil O'Donnell was probably the best of the lot and he wasn't selected till the  3rd Round, so that saved Ware from sharing this spot alone. Ware now works College Football games for the ABC/ESPN family of networks.

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#13 - Kansas City Chiefs - Percy Snow - Linebacker - Michigan State
Percy Snow was a talented player his rookie year and showed flashes for the Chiefs. I often heard his named mentioned his rookie year and my brother would get excited anytime he got a Snow rookie card in a pack of football cards. After his first campaign, which saw him record 2 sacks and an interception, Snow was being counted on to contribute heavily to Marty Schottenheimer's defense. Snow would no doubt produce with pressure being taken off of him by the monster play of Derrick Thomas. Unfortunately, Snow (the older brother of NBA player Eric Snow) got injured in a moped accident and the injuries forced him out the rest of the year. Snow was never the same, he would play one more season with the Chiefs and one with the Chicago Bears before hanging up his cleats. Another promising career ended by a reckless decision. Instead of Snow the Chiefs could have selected Renaldo Turnbull, Lamar Lathon or Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. 


NBA

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#8- Los Angeles Clippers - Bo Kimble - Guard - Loyola Marymount
There was a lot of hype surrounding Kimble. He along with fellow USC recruit Hank Gathers transferred to Loyola Marymount from USC and turned Loyola into a high flying, fast scoring team under Coach Paul Westhead. Unfortunately, before they could challenge for an NCAA Championship, Gathers collapsed during a  WCC tournament game and died. Gathers was arguably the more talented of the two and left a huge hole in his teammates hearts and the team's lineup. Kimble would go on to lead the team to the Elite Eight, losing to eventual winner UNLV.  The right-handed Kimble shot his first free throw of every game left-handed in honor of the left-handed Gathers. Due to his performance Kimble was selected 8th overall by the Clippers but wouldn't display the magic that he had when he won over the nation during Loyola's improbable run. In 3 seasons Kimble only scored 574 points and tallied 198 assists in 105 games in three seasons with the Clippers and Knicks before finding himself out of the league.

Tomorrow we look at the 1991 Drafts. Will the bust of the NFL Draft be one of the QBs taken before Brett Favre? Check in tomorrow to find out.