No. 3: Jamaal Anderson | Defensive End |
|---|---|
Atlanta Falcons | 2007 - First Round |
NFL teams have always been desperate to find the next great pass rusher which is why defensive ends always seem to be elevated on draft boards. In 2007, the Atlanta Falcons decided to spend the valuable No. 8 overall pick on former Arkansas pass rusher Jamaal Anderson thinking he could be their next dominant DE.
In two years at Arkansas, Anderson had 17.0 sacks including 13.5 in 2007. That was enough to rocket him up draft boards across the league.
Making 15 starts as a rookie, he finished the 2007 season with 30 tackles, one forced fumble, and three pass defenses but no sacks. In 2008, he did collect two sacks but he made only 27 tackles with only three for a loss.
In his final two seasons in Atlanta, he'd rack up just 2.5 more sacks in total. He was even moved to defensive tackle to see if he could thrive there after struggling at end. In 2011, he was cut after 60 games and 47 starts for the Falcons.
He would then play a year with the Indianapolis Colts where he would collect three sacks. Then, in his final NFL season (2012), he would play in two games for the Chicago Bears. In all, he finished his career with only 7.5 sacks and 77 tackles.
Those numbers are far from justifying the No. 8 pick in the draft. Thus, Anderson goes down as one of the biggest NFL busts in Arkansas history.