Dolphins' Defensive End Dion Jordan Flames Out; One of the AFC East's Major Busts

Miami Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan has been suspended for the entire 2015 for diluting the samples in his drug tests. Jordan was the 3rd overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft and is now one of the biggest busts of all time.

It's clear that Jordan has an issue that he needs help to address, and hopefully the Dolphins will provide him that assistance to ensure his future. But this is the sort of situation that really hurts a football team's development on the field.

I went back into the database to see how Jordan stacked up with the other draft busts in the AFC East between the years 2009 and 2013 (I considered 2014 draftees too early to determine). There are some players who still deserve a fair shake that were drafted in 2013, but there's a certain smell test that seems to weed out those who need more time from those who are truly out of favor.

Here are the top 10 AFC East draft busts from 2009-2013:

10. DT Ron Brace, Patriots, 2009; 2nd round, 40th overall

Brace was selected as a possible heir to Vince Wilfork's throne as 2009 was Wilfork's final contract season. Good thing Wilfork signed a long term deal because Brace did not succeed. While the defensive tackle managed to stick around for four seasons, he was outplayed by 7th rounders and undrafted players like Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love. Brace signed with Washington for the 2013 season, but didn't make it out of camp.

9. CB Jamar Taylor, Dolphins, 2013; 2nd round, 54th overall

Taylor was the Dolphins second round pick after Dion Jordan and he hasn't turned out as expected. He had surgery for a hernia the month after he was drafted in 2013 and played only 45 snaps as a rookie, and finished 2014 on the injured reserve. He has three starts over two seasons and the Dolphins are looking to take a cornerback in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft.

8. WR Stephen Hill, Jets, 2012; 2nd round, 43rd overall

Hill was the next Georgia Tech athletic freak in line after Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas. He lasted two seasons with the Jets and their horrible quarterback play before he was cut prior to the 2014 season. He spent 2014 on the Panthers practice squad. The Panthers don't really have a wide receiver depth chart, but he's still at the bottom of it.

7. DT Torell Troup, Bills, 2010; 2nd round, 41st overall

Troup actually showed some potential, but was a rotational defensive tackle with just two career starts. An unfortunate spinal fracture forced him to the injured reserve in his second season and he was unable to recover, and was unable to make it back to the field before getting placed on the IR again in 2012.

6. QB EJ Manuel, Bills, 2013; 1st round, 16th overall

I'll start off by saying that Manuel has absolutely not been given a fair shake at the starting role. I'll also say that he was incredibly overdrafted at 16th overall. He was a third round prospect forced into the spotlight who, well, played with a third round pick. Bills got what they should've expected.

5. QB Pat White, Dolphins, 2009; 2nd round, 44th overall

Pat White was a college video game. He was expected to compete with Chad Pennington and Chad Henne for the starting quarterback position. He threw five passes as a rookie. He was cut before his second season. The end.

4. CB Dee Milliner, Jets, 2013; 1st round, 9th overall

Milliner was extremely bad at cornerback as a rookie. He was extremely injured at cornerback as a sophomore. The Jets signed Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine to revamp their cornerback position. As a 9th overall pick, it's clear that Milliner is not considered a major part of New York's plans in 2015. Maybe he can learn behind Cromartie- but this is not good value.

3. CB Ras-I Dowling, Patriots, 2011; 2nd round, 33rd overall

Dowling was the first pick of the 2nd round- a pick that had the potential to be extremely valuable in a trade. Dowling looked great when he was on the field. Unfortunately, he was never on the field. He was placed on the injured reserve after two games as a rookie, and in October as a sophomore. He didn't make year three. Did you know that Dowling spent the past two seasons on the practice squads of the Jets and Raiders? Those are not good teams on which to be buried.

2. DE Aaron Maybin, Bills, 2009; 1st round, 11th overall

Maybin was one of the biggest busts in the league over this time frame. He was cut by the Bills after two seasons. He recored zero sacks in that period. An 11th overall pick that is cut after two seasons is a nightmare scenario. He hitched on with Rex Ryan and the Jets and collected six sacks in 2011, but was released midway through 2012. He is retired from football.

1. DE Dion Jordan, Dolphins, 2013; 1st round, 3rd overall

Jordan is our king! Jordan is our king! Three career sacks. One career start/ Buried on the depth chart. Coaching staff had no idea how to use his skill set. Suspended for a full season. This is one for the books.

Honorable Mentions: Patriots S Tavon Wilson, Dolphins TE Michael Egnew, Patriots QB Ryan Mallett. The Patriots had 24 selections in the first three rounds, compared to just 13 for the Jets, so the Patriots will have more whiffs.