re: Biggest NFL Bust: Jamarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf?

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I'd say Jarmarcus simply because his contract hit was that much worse.

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Contract-wise (which IMO is a poor measure considering the inflation inherent in NFL rookie contracts between 1998 and 2007), it's obviously Russell given the amount of money he was given. Then again, that partially falls on the agents who had bid up the cost every year for over a decade thanks to the NFL's popularity.

Hype-wise, obviously Ryan Leaf. Many people considered Leaf equal to, or superior, to Peyton Manning prior to the draft. In contrast, many people felt that JaMarcus Russell was overrated prior to the draft.

I personally think that Leaf was the bigger bust due to the fact that many thought he was better than Manning while quite a few people thought Russell would be another Leaf.

So it really depends on your point of view and how you want to judge it.