ESPN just put together a top ten list of NFL draft steals that ultimately failed and you know I wouldn't be mentioning this if the list didn't include a player - perhaps two - from our New Orleans Saints. Would anyone care to take a guess as to which Saints player made their list? That's right...Reggie Bush. He barely made the list but made it nonetheless, nailing down that final 10th spot.
I'm not going to present an argument as to whether Reggie's career thus far qualifies as a failure. Heck knows we've been down that road plenty of times. I'll leave that for you guys to kill each other over in the comment section. I do, however, question whether he truly meets the criteria for this list in the first place. Was he really a steal? Bush may have been expected to be drafted No. 1 overall but does sliding down to the second overall spot really mean the Saints stole him? Debatable, I'd say.
Regardless, here is what they had to say about the failure that was drafting of Bush:
A decent NFL player with a unique skill set, Bush is a running back who can cause matchup problems when used as a slot receiver. Five years ago, though, he looked like an absolutely transcendent talent in the Coliseum: A franchise running back who could redefine the position with his receiving skills. Unfortunately, he hasn't played all 16 games since his rookie year, and he has never shown the good vision that is a trademark of great NFL running backs. He's averaged just 4 yards per carry over his career, and by Football Outsiders' DVOA ratings, he's contributed just one above-average season carrying the football, and that was just over 70 carries in 2009. He'll never be the superstar he looked like he'd be in college, and the Texans have been vindicated for passing him up for Mario Williams.
Can't really argue with any of that. Bush has been injured, he hasn't shown good vision and he hasn't looked like the superstar he was in college. Again, my only argument is whether or not he should actually be considered a draft steal.
But what do you guys think? Was Reggie a draft day steal? And if he was, is he one of the all-time worst? Sound off. Can't wait to hear it.