Is Reggie Bush a Draft Bust?

besides being injury prone, I think he’s done used his skills and got the most out of what he’s been given. Look at his recieving yards for his career, pass catching back and not much more than that, but really…did we expect him to be the next great ground pounding back? Nope, we thought he’d be a Brian Westbrook type back and recieving-wise that’s what he’s been.
                                               Westbrook Bush
Rushing Yards/Year 703 418
Recieving Yards/Year 437 428

An overpaid disappointment? Yes.

Reggie helped his rookie year, the year we got the farthest in the playoffs. He helped the year we went all the way. Not a bust.

Great compare and contrast, compared my lame fan comment.

He’s not a premier player, but he has been a valuable asset to the Saints, and if he had been drafted anywhere else but high in the first round, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. And let’s not forget the excitement he helped generate about the Saints’ return in 2006. I like Reggie. I hope he’s a Saint for a long time.

is disappointed you didn’t include him in this piece.

Is if he were a true receiver instead of a running back, I think he’d be a better version of Wes Welker (and less annoying).

But I said that while he was still in college.

I realize it’s a tough job to objectively define “draft bust”; but the definition you chose is too subjective. Whose expectations? Everyone will have different expectations, so everyone will grade Reggie differently, and nobody’s answer—either “yes,” “no,” or “maybe,” can be objected to. Based on their own definition, they’re right.

I think you need to try to narrow the definition down. How about, “A draft bust occurs when a draftee does not meet widely agreed-upon expectations for the slot in which he was chosen.” This means you’re no longer using your own expectations, but the wide consensus. It also means you’re basing things on draft position: even the difference between Reggie and Lawrence Phillips is too wide, from 2 to 6.

Since 1980, there have been five running backs taken at the second position: Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Blair Thomas, Ronnie Brown, and Reggie. Dickerson and Faulk we don’t even need to discuss; that’s what you expect to get drafting a running back second overall. We don’t need to discuss Thomas either, but for the opposite reason.

That leaves Ronnie Brown as a comparison. Brown has been hampered by injuries, same as Reggie; he has a cumulative 4.3 average, one season of over 1,000 yards (barely), and a single Pro Bowl. For a number 2 overall, those, to me, are already bust numbers. For the second overall pick, you expect to get someone who can carry an offense, not contribute somewhere near the average.

There are more variables, though. With both Brown and Reggie, injuries have hampered what might have been a far better career (imagine Barry Sanders battling knee injuries by his third year in the league). Also, he may not have been used in the best way by his OC.

More than that: perhaps the consensus was wrong. If so, you can hardly blame the player. So perhaps the definition should be understood to apply not to a player, but a situation. So we shouldn’t say, “Reggie is a draft bust,” but “we busted on that one.”

So many forget that we did go to NFC Championship game in Reggie’s first/rookie season. Reggie DID change the game against the Cardinals in our playoff win on the road to SB! Our team leader Brees wants him back because of his ability to fool defenses with playaction and screen plays and not to mention being a GREAT bailout reciever when he’s being blitzed more than any other QB in the league.

So many wanted Bush to do what he did in college BUT pro athletes ARE faster, smarter and stronger than college athletes. Being a slasher worked in college and works in the pros too but HELLO PEOPLE defense in the pros is a whole different animal! We ALL do what works and slashing worked WELL for Bush in college! Can’t blame Bush because he plays the way he plays. He’s great at picking up the blitz(especially for his size), still great at kickoff returns and still makes some defenders look like “duh” when they try to tackle him in open space. For those reasons alone……STAY REGGIE STAY!!!

   Reggie did things in the playoffs that made the Super Bowl possible. If Sean Peyton is an actual offensive genius, he should find plenty for him to do in the slot and the various multiple-receiver /multiple back sets. When the other teams stop covering Bush, you will know he is not a threat. I don’t see that happening in the near term. Of course, he is looking at a pay cut.

I think you handled a touchy subject well and with a fair amount of subjectivity.

Did this research make you scared of Mark Ingram, Banksy?

does this poll have a “no” button"? I know he helped a little in the playoffs, but he can’t stay healthy.

Very good read, didn’t expect this. Thanks!

Reggie Bush is an overpaid, underperforming player with occasional flashes of brilliance.

‘Occasional’ doesn’t cut it in the NFL.

Furthermore, I couldn’t care less if Reggie is better than other failed NFL players who were busts. That doesn’t change the fact that he has, for all intents and purposes, fallen short of reaching even a smidgeon of the expectations that were placed on him.

He is, by definition, a draft bust.

- He does not perform at a consistent level, unless you consider his inconsistency consistent, in which case I would vehemently agree with you.

- He is paid higher than some of the best backs in the league, yet he has not had a single 1,000 yard rushing season.

- He was the second pick in the 2006 draft, yet he has not played like a player drafted at his position should play.

I used to be a staunch supporter of Bush, but facts are facts: It’s time to move on and admit that he has, and will continue to be, a colossal failure at the professional level.

The funny thing is…the guys over at Turf Show Times think that Reggie is already a free agent and they’re all drooling over him right now. I told them that he is not a free agent, and won’t be unless we release him or they’ll have to wait til next year (unless we resign or extend him or whatever). But theyre Rams fans, and we had to deal with them for years and know how stubborn they can be…

A draft bust occurs when a highly touted draftee does not meet expectations.

Uh oh. That would actually describe Reggie to a tee. However, just because a player does not live up to expectations does not mean they are a horrible player.

Where did “horrible player” appear in the definition?