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In the conversation of worst NFL draft busts of all time, JaMarcus Russell’s name is always quick to be mentioned. Over 15 years after being drafted by the Raiders, the former No. 1 overall pick appears to be perfectly fine with that.
In fact, he has just one stipulation: that he be given his proper due.
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“I’ll say my s--- didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, or not how they expected it to. But if you’re gonna call me a bust, put ‘the biggest’ on that mother------, man,” Russell said on Fred Taylor’s podcast, The Pivot. “If you’re gonna say it, put ‘the biggest’ on that mother------. But that s--- don’t bother me, man.”
Russell was drafted by the Raiders one pick before future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, and ahead of other eventual greats like Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis. His draft prospects surged due to his unmatched arm strength and size at quarterback, but he never lived up to his potential.
In 31 career games (25 starts), Russell completed 52.1% of his pass attempts for 4,083 yards, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He was eventually released by the Raiders in May 2010, and never appeared in an NFL game again.
That type of production from a No. 1 pick certainly puts Russell on the short list of biggest NFL draft busts, but at least the former LSU star seems to be at peace with how everything shook out.
