Worst. Picks. Ever.

Okay, not ever, but let’s look back at the year 2000 and beyond, aka now.

 This was much harder to do then one might think, and there are A LOT of bad picks that have been made since 2000. I used a variety of things when determining my criteria for this top 10 and you can likely argue for others to make the list and the positioning within. Feel free to offer up any and all thoughts.

Without further adieu…the best of the worst.

10. Troy Williamson (WR, Minnesota): Taken 7th overall in ’05, Williamson has battled injured, off the field problems, and has been a major disappointment throughout his career. Although he showcased a lot of ability in college, he hasn’t been able to do the same for multiple teams. Antrel Rolle, Demarcus Ware, and Shawne Merriman all went only a few picks later. Yikes.

9. Vernon Gholston (DE, New York): He doesn’t look bad, but he is. Drafted 6th overall by the Jets in 2008, Gholston has done nothing for the Jets and doesn’t appear poised to be a factor going forward. Gholston had major question marks going into the draft and obviously the criticism was warranted. If he can’t do anything on a team surrounded by talented players, there really isn’t much hope.

8. Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR, Oakland): I have seen all that I need even after only one season. Drafted 7th overall in last year’s draft, the Raiders once again were pleased with DHB’s speed. This pick came after Bey had multiple games withzero receptions in his final year in college and had along reputation of dropping balls in games and workouts. Michael Crabtreehas proved to be a much better player and put up better numbers even with his holdout. Dig in, Raider fans. It’s going to get bumpy.

7. Mike Williams (OT, Buffalo): Drafted 4th overall by the Bills in 2002, Williams never lived up to his cornerstone billing. A Massive, and I mean MASSIVE OT, Williams just wasn’t dependable at left tackle and even struggled when moved to RT. Bryant McKinnie, Dwight Freeny, and Albert Haynesworth all went after Williams and obviously have done a bit better since. Still, this Mike Williams doesn’t take the Mike Williams Cake.

6. Dewayne Robertson (DT, New York): We’re ragging on the Jets again, a team that has very good success in the draft just not with these two guys in the top 10. The Jets traded up to get Robertson in the 2003 draft and probably wish they hadn’t. Robertson was injured throughout his tender is New York and even when he wasn’t he was bad.

5. Adam “Pacman” Jones (CB, Tennessee):He made it rain. A LOT. The 6th pick in the ’05 draft has has his troubles off the field well documented, and has gone beyond the term “bust” because of the amount of distractionsthat he caused. The ’05 draft had a ton of talent, making this even more painful for most Titans fans. Still, Pacman did show signs of greatness and it’s a shame that we never got to see if his skills could translate.

4. Mike Williams (WR, Detroit): I loved this guy in college, but boy did he turn out bad. Even though he was forced to sit out a season because of the eligibility ruling, many were still on this large WR. The reason why he is so high, however, is because the Lions were drafting WRs in the first round at an alarming rate and because he had major concerns being drafted as high as he was. He, however, isn’t the top Lions wideout on the list.

3. Charles Rogers (WR, Detroit): The Lions took Rogers 2nd overall in the 2o03 draft, directly in front of Andre Johnson. OUCH. Rogers simply never put it together and will be forever linked to Mike Williams and Matt Millen to some truly bad years for the Lions. This is one of those picks that people will draw to when thinking as truly bad. As bad as this pick was, it doesn’t make the top 4 here.

2. Robert Gallery (OT, Oakland): I thought Gallery had all the tools coming out of college, and actually agreed with this pick at the time. Taken #2 overall in the ’04 draft, Gallery performed poorly even before the injuries started mounting up and he is one of the most disappointing o-lineman ever taken in the draft. Billed to be one the next great LTs, Gallery hasn’t held his own at RT.

1. JaMarcus Russell (QB, Oakland): No drumroll needed, save the balloons. I tried to avoid going with the token #1 but I can’t. The #1 pick in 2007 has done nothing with his big arm and is regarded as one of the worst picks of all time. Russel was inconsistent his entire college career and beat up a very slow Notre Dame team in a joke of a BCS bowl. Oakland and more specifically Al Davis are simply a laughing stock at this point and I hate to pile on but it’s impossible not to.