This week, College Football 24/7 takes a division-by-division look at the best and worst all-time NFL draft picks for every team, continuing today with the AFC West and NFC West teams.
For this exercise, where a player was selected in the draft and the sum of their NFL accomplishments (or, lack thereof) were taken into account.
Denver Broncos
Best pick:Shannon Sharpe (1990 NFL Draft, Round 7, No. 192 overall)
The lowdown: Sharpe emerged out of older brother Sterling's shadow, going from little-known small-school prospect to NFL record-holder and Pro Football Hall of Famer. When he retired, Sharpe was the NFL's all-time leader for tight ends in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (until Tony Gonzalez established new records). Sharpe -- an eight-time Pro Bowl selection -- won two Super Bowls with the Broncos and then a third with the Baltimore Ravens.
Worst pick:Tommy Maddox (1992 NFL Draft, Round 1, No. 25 overall)
The lowdown: It would have been easy to place Tim Tebow in this spot, but he actually led the Broncos to a division title and playoff win. However, the Broncos burned a first-round pick on a quarterback when the team already had a future Pro Football Hall of Famer on the roster. With John Elway firmly entrenched as the starter and on his way to one of the finest careers ever for a quarterback, the Broncos picked Maddox. Elway wouldn't retire for another six years, at which point his potential successor was already out of the NFL. Maddox made just four starts for the Broncos, was jettisoned in 1994 and then out of the NFL by 1996. He resurfaced in the arena league and then as the first (and only) MVP of the infamous XFL in 2001. Maddox did redeem himself in his second NFL stint, lifting the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs and earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2002.
Kansas City Chiefs
Best pick:Tony Gonzalez (1997 NFL Draft, Round 1, No. 13 overall)
The lowdown: A lot of credit for the basketball-player-to-NFL-tight-end revolution could be credited to Gonzalez, who was a two-sport star while at Cal. Gonzalez wisely chose to stick with football, and would go on to have the finest career in league history for a tight end. A 14-time Pro Bowl pick, Gonzalez holds the NFL records for a tight end in receptions (1,325), yards (15,127) and touchdowns (111). Gonzalez's receptions total ranks second all-time behind Jerry Rice's 1,549.
Worst pick:Todd Blackledge (1983 NFL Draft, Round 1, No. 7 overall)
The lowdown: Given the opportunity to choose one of three future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the first round of the 1983 draft, the Chiefs chose poorly. Blackledge was the second quarterback selected -- behind only John Elway -- in that famed class of 1983. Yet, he was the least productive of the six first-round quarterbacks. Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino all wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Tony Eason helped guide the New England Patriots to Super Bowl XX and Ken O'Brien was a two-time Pro Bowl pick with the New York Jets. Blackledge, meanwhile, started 24 games over five seasons with the Chiefs, chucking more interceptions (32) than touchdown passes (26).
Oakland Raiders
Best pick:Bo Jackson (1987 NFL Draft, Round 7, No. 183 overall)
The lowdown: Jackson was the first overall selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 NFL Draft, but never played for the team and opted to play baseball instead. Jackson re-entered the NFL draft in 1987, and was the 26th running back to come off the board. Of course, the Raiders were the team willing to make the gamble as they were wont to do in those years. For four years, Jackson would join the Raiders once his baseball season with the Kansas City Royals was complete and wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Unfortunately, a hip injury suffered in a 1990 playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals ended the career for what was arguably the game's most exciting player at the time.
Worst pick:JaMarcus Russell (2007 NFL Draft, Round 1, No. 1 overall)
The lowdown: Four years before the new Collective Bargaining Agreement created a new system for rookie contracts, Russell had a prolonged holdout that eliminated his first training camp and then went into the 2007 regular season. Russell didn't start until Week 16 of his rookie year. He would play just two more years and was out of the league in 2010 after inconsistent play and weight issues forced him out. What makes this selection so horrific was the bounty of talent that was selected after Russell in 2007, a collection that included Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis.
San Diego Chargers
Best pick:Dan Fouts (1973 NFL Draft, Round 3, No. 64 overall)
The lowdown: Fouts directed one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history -- "Air Coryell" -- and played a major role in altering the Chargers' fortunes from division doormat to AFC powerhouse. Fouts threw for 4,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons in a time when quarterbacks just didn't do that (his first 4,000-yard season in that three-year run was just the second 4,000-yard passing season in league history).
Worst pick:Ryan Leaf (1998 NFL Draft, Round 1, No. 2 overall)
The lowdown: Leaf's NFL career started out relatively promising, as he won his first two starts when San Diego opened the 1998 season 2-0. Then, disaster struck. In one of the worst performances for a quarterback in recent memory, Leaf completed one of 15 passes for four yards as the Chargers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 of 1998. A week later, he threw four interceptions. Midway through the season, Leaf was replaced by Craig Whelihan as the starter. Leaf started 18 games over two seasons with the Chargers, throwing 13 touchdowns to 33 interceptions, and cementing his status among the all-time draft busts.
And who was the greatest pick of them all?
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
