Vernon Gholston
Even after breaking the single-season sack record during his last year at Ohio State, the idea of Gholston being taken with a top-10 selection in the 2008 NFL Draft made a lot of NFL scouts rather uncomfortable. Of course, that didn’t stop the Jets from taking him with the 6th overall pick. They also gave him a rookie deal worth $50 million over five years with $21 million guaranteed.
Gholston’s career trajectory was symbolized by having had his deal re-negotiated two years later for just $3.45 million annually. Said career lasted 45 games over three seasons. The Jets kept shuffling him to different positions, none of which were a good fit. In the end, Gholston became one of the biggest busts in draft history, recording only 16 tackles in his career — and zero quarterback sacks.