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There were a lot of excellent draft picks made in the 2023 NFL Draft. C.J. Stroud, Jalen Carter, Will Anderson Jr., Puka Nacua, Jahmyr Gibbs, Rashee Rice and so many others look like future stars. However, the flip side is also true. For all the hits, there were a lot more misses. Busts were plentiful in this draft class, and here are some of the most notable ones.
The worst busts from the 2023 NFL Draft
5) Nolan Smith
Nolan Smith was taken with the 30th pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a massive bust. Pegged as the steal of the first round, Smith went on to record just 10 tackles and a single sack. The Eagles hit on their first selection in the first round, but this was a huge swing and a miss when there were tons of players that they could have used in better positions that got drafted after Smith.
4) Myles Murphy
The Cincinnati Bengals took Myles Murphy, who recorded 10 tackles and three sacks the entire year. For someone who was supposed to be an impact edge rusher, that's not entirely ideal. It's not as bad since he was a late first-round pick, but they could have gotten Joey Porter Jr., Sam LaPorta, Rashee Rice, Zach Charbonnet and so many other good players here.
3) Will McDonald
Will McDonald was supposed to be a major threat off the edge and the New York Jets were supposed to mold him into a star. McDonald recorded three sacks but just nine totals as he was largely ineffective the entire year. They could have taken Emmanuel Forbes, any of the stud rookie wide receivers, Dalton Kincaid and so many other impact players instead.
2) Mazi Smith
The entire Dallas Cowboys rookie class was pretty abysmal, but their first selection was a huge bust. Mazi Smith didn't make an impact, hardly played, and couldn't find a single role. He was supposed to help be a run-stuffer and help their rushing defense, but he couldn't, and their run defense was bad all season long. There were plenty of great players drafted after that might've helped Dallas extend their playoffs this year.
1) Quentin Johnston
The biggest bust of the NFL Draft has to be Quentin Johnston. Not only was he not drafted as high as he should have been, he was just bad all season long. He couldn't catch the ball when he was open, which wasn't all that often. To make matters so much worse, Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison went right after him. He was one of the worst rookie wide receivers this year, and that's saying something. Even Jonathan Mingo might have been a better selection than Johnston.
