The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely draft Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota with the No. 1 overall pick. So how does this type of thing usually work out? We continue our countdown of the 18 quarterbacks who were drafted with the top selection over the past 40 years.
David Carr, 2002, Houston Texans
The expansion Texans made Carr their first draft pick after he had a record-setting career at Fresno State. But Carr was put in a bad spot right from the start. Behind one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history, Carr was sacked an NFL-record 76 times.
Carr also led the league in sacks in 2004 and ’05. Carr seemed to make some progress in 2006, completing a career-best 68.9 percent of his passes as the Texans went 6-10. But general manager Rick Smith took over after the season and decided to go in a different direction. The Texans let Carr go and signed Matt Schaub as a free agent.
Carr joined the Carolina Panthers in 2007 and ended up starting four games after Jake Delhomme was injured. But it quickly became obvious Carr was shell shocked from his time in Houston as he put up a 53.7 completion percentage.
Carr also did stints as a backup with the Giants and 49ers but never came close to fulfilling his potential. In hindsight, the Texans ruined Carr by playing him behind terrible offensive lines.
Final analysis: Waste of a pick.