While assembling the list of the Detroit Lions' top 10 draft busts since 2001, many of the selections were rather easy to make. Actually, the top four or five pretty much filled itself out. The bottom half of the top 10 wasn't quite as easy, however. I had to question whether or not some players even belonged on the list, and that's tough when determining a bust is so subjective.
A prime example of this internal debate I had is Drew Stanton showing up at No. 9 on the list. When I first put the list together, I left him off for three main reasons: 1) until having some continuity in recent years, he had to deal with having a different offensive coordinator each of his first few seasons, which included Mike Martz messing with his mechanics; 2) most people didn't think he should have been picked as high as 43rd overall, so expectations weren't that big to begin with; and 3) the development he showed last season indicates that he could turn into a decent quarterback in the future.
All of that aside, I decided to include him on the list because the bottom line is he hasn't done a whole lot for the Lions despite being a quarterback selected in the second round. The thing is, this is more about Matt Millen and the previous coaching staff rather than Stanton not living up to the hype or something like that. The reason I didn't want to include him at first is because unlike many of the so-called busts the Lions have had to deal with, Stanton's issues haven't been his fault. He started his career off with a bad coaching staff, had to deal with injuries and in general came into a bad situation. That doesn't change the fact that Millen's pick was a bust (seriously, what we he thinking?), hence why Stanton is on the list.
This isn't meant to rag on Stanton by any means, but a team should be able to get a lot more out of a quarterback picked in the second round. In this case, the Lions have themselves to blame for him still only being a third-string QB.
Previously: No. 10 - Daniel Bullocks
Are You Smarter Than The Experts?
Correctly predict the first 32 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft and you’ll win $10,000,000!
BEST ROUND EVER IN PRIMETIME
Enter at facebook.com/BudLight
Here We Go
Enjoy Responsibly ©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO. ©2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. No Purchase Necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents (except CA) 21+. Contest begins 12AM CDT on 4/1 and ends 5:59:59PM CDT on 4/28. See Official Rules for complete details. Void where prohibited.