'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 - Dan Marino, QB, 1983
Dan Marino was one of the standout players in a stacked quarterback class headed to the 1983 NFL Draft, yet his night would be a disaster as he slid to pick 27.
While it wasn’t made public at the time, teams discovered possible drug use by Marino during his college years, which caused his stock to fall.
Be the GM of your favorite team, use our free Mock Draft Simulator with trades
With this happening years before the social media storm, which caused Tunsil’s fall to become worldwide news existed, few outside the league could quite understand why nobody was taking a chance on the supremely gifted signal-caller.
Jim Kelly, John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Tony Eason, and Ken O’Brien were all selected before Marino.
Marino should have been the second quarterback selected behind Elway, that’s how close he was to his counterpart in terms of ability, yet he watched as team after team turned him down.
Marino would have the last laugh, winning the 1984 MVP award and having a Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins.
#4 - Randy Moss, WR, 1998
The bizarre reality from 1998 was that nobody wanted to draft Randy Moss, despite his sensational stats with Marshall in college.
He scored 54 touchdowns in two seasons and racked up 3,529 yards, making him one of the elite offensive playmakers in the class.
His talent should have been enough to be selected inside the top-5, definitely the top-10, yet many executives had negative words about Moss before the draft began.
Criticism of Moss centered around his behavior in college and the fact that he missed a meeting with the Chicago Bears.
A misdemeanor battery charge from a high-school fight didn’t help Moss’ case, while failed drug tests saw his scholarship revoked.
People were so eager to write Randy Moss off, despite him having no more complex a past than other troubled NFL prospects.
Perhaps it was a sign of the times, teams getting more streetwise and wary of troubled young prospects, whereas such problems were ignored before.
Many thought Moss would go undrafted, but the Minnesota Vikings took him with the 21st overall selection, making him one of the biggest ever steals, despite his incredible slide.
#5 - Aaron Rodgers, QB, 2005
If you need to see the human definition of discomfort, look no further than the green room pictures and video of Aaron Rodgers from the 2005 NFL Draft.
Yes, Rodgers wasn’t always the bright, amusing, incredibly likable presence he is today after a Super Bowl and multiple MVP awards.
No, on draft night in 2005, he looked like someone awaiting trial rather than their name to be called for the NFL Draft.
There was something rather poetic about the 2005 draft in the sense that the best prospect in it, Rodgers, was from Chico, California, and the San Francisco 49ers had the first-overall pick and a need for a QB.
Nobody could envisage a scenario where Rodgers wasn’t selected by the Niners to carry on the legacy of his idol, Joe Montana. Yet, by the middle of opening night, his world had come crashing down on him.
Unlike previous cases, Rodgers’ slide wasn’t down to doubts about his character or criminal proceedings; it was merely a matter of circumstance.
Once Alex Smith had been taken by the 49ers at #1, there were very few open QB slots in the first round, yet it just so happened that with every single pick that wasn’t Rodgers, television viewers got to see that familiar sullen face.
Rodgers dropping so much was shocking, and it was even more astonishing that the team which finally selected him at #24 already had a Hall of Fame QB in Brett Favre, who wasn’t yet ready to retire.
It was the worst possible end to the worst possible day for Rodgers, and television viewers got to see it play out as if it was part of a soap opera.
However, Rodgers went on to have a far happier NFL career than draft night, winning a Super Bowl with the Packers and taking over from Favre seamlessly.
