Top 10 Belichick-Era Patriots Draft Busts: #1 Chad Jackson

by Greg Knopping on Apr 19, 2011 10:11 PM EDT in New England Patriots NFL Draft

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[Editor's Note: For the month of April leading up to the draft, Bud Light will be sponsoring the NFL blogs here at SB Nation. Each day, we'll count down the top 10 Bill Belichick era Patriots "busts" and "booms" in the NFL draft." -Greg

Belichick-Era Patriots Top 10 Busts #1

Name: Chad Jackson

College: Florida

Drafted: 2nd round, 36th overall, 2006

Position: Wide receiver

Years with Team: 2+

Where is he now? Free Agent (cut by Bills in 2010 preseason cut-downs)

Comments: When the Patriots moved up to select receiver Chad Jackson in the beginning of the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, it was lauded by many as an extremely great move for the receiver needy Patriots. David Givens had just departed to the Tennessee Titans, Deion Branch was in the middle of contract issues, David Patten was no longer there, and Troy Brown was in the twilight of his career. Jackson had been regarded by many as the top receiver in the draft; he combined excellent hands and quickness with premier speed and production. He was seen as a can't miss prospect. This made it ever so surprising that he was such a miss. Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason as a rookie, but exploded onto the scene with two catches for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Jets in week two. Unfortunately, that performance would be his best game as a Patriot, as a groin injury would slow him down the remainder of his rookie season. In the AFC Championship game against the Colts, Jackson suffered a torn ACL and that resulted in him being placed on the PUP list to start the 2007 season. In 2008, with a void left by the departed Donte Stallworth, Jackson was once again expected to step up into a starting role. Unfortunately, Jackson never seemed to get on the same page as Tom Brady, and was ultimately cut at the end of the preseason (after initially making the 53 man roster). Ouch!

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Yup, gonna agree with that one

When you draft a guy in the second round and you get NOTHING out of him, that’s probably the pinnacle of bad drafting, at least in this organization.

I am a little surprised Maroney couldn’t fit on this list though. Sure, he did produce in 06, 07, and 09, leading the team in rushing twice I believe. However, there were times where it felt, particularly in 09, that he was getting the ball because he was the best of a mediocre bunch, and at the time the healthiest of an injured bunch. Further, I think that even though many 3rd rounders on this list did absolutely nothing, first round picks cost more, and so more is expected. I think Maroney produced at a level that I would expect from a 4th rounder plugged into the same situation. That’s pretty busty in my book.

by 108 on Apr 19, 2011 11:23 PM EDT reply actions

I disagree

Maroney had three above average seasons in 2006, 2007, and 2009 in which he netted nearly 2400 yards and 21 touchdowns. In 2008, he missed pretty much the entire year due to injury.

Maroney was by no means a good pick. But he wasn’t terrible. He was likely Belichick’s worst first round draft pick of the era, but ultimately, he wasn’t that bad compared to the first round picks of some other teams and in addition, he netted the team a 4th round pick in the end (Deion Branch).

Maroney was close to breaking out several times, and at several times he was painful to watch. But because he did contribute some big plays and helped the Patriots win some games (see: 2007 playoffs), it’s hard to label him either a bust or a waste of a draft pick.

Again, not a great pick, but it can get a lot worse than Maroney.

by Greg Knopping on Apr 20, 2011 1:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Average NFL running back lasts three seasons and gets about 4.2 ypc.

Maroney, all up, lasted 3 season’s worth of games and got about 4.2 ypc. First-round pick-worthy? Eh. But doing as well as or better than what you can reasonably expect from any RB in the NFL means he’s not a bust.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Apr 20, 2011 4:31 AM EDT up reply actions

It would be interesting to know the draft position of the hypothetical average NFL RB.

If value is the central factor in determining whether a guy is a bust, and value is at least in part a function of draft position, we have to know where the NFL’s average RB is drafted in order to properly assess how Maroney stacked up.

If, on average, your hypothetical 3-year, 4.2 YPC RB is a 3rd round pick, then Maroney definitely can’t be classified as a bust. Getting third round value in the first isn’t idela, but it’s not the end of the world. However, if the average draft position of the 3 year, 4.2 YPC RB is the 5th or 6th round, then Maroney is definitely a bust. When you get 5th or 6th round value in the 1st round, you blew it.

by nbradley07 on Apr 20, 2011 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions

"That was his best game as a Patriot"

pretty much sums this one up. I completely agree that he is the biggest draft bust of the Belichick era.

Deep in enemy territory

by JeffyB on Apr 19, 2011 11:37 PM EDT reply actions

Injury theme

Most of these busts ran into injuries very early in their career. It happens to every team, but you have to wonder if some of them hit the ground running in camp and brought that into the season if they would have better outcomes. You would think after injury, they could get back to form. Maybe not.

by iLikeStuff on Apr 20, 2011 9:30 AM EDT reply actions

Some caught the "Foxboro Flu"

also known as the combination of a small-scale, non-season-ending injury and a lack of focus and/or failure to to learn the system. Crable was the most notorious sufferer of the Flu.

by nbradley07 on Apr 20, 2011 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions