The 5 Worst Draft Picks Jerry Jones Ever Made

 

Since Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and then took over the general manager position, the team has won three Super Bowls. All three championships came early in Jones' tenure in Dallas - since then, the Cowboys have won just one playoff game, coming in 1998.

Dallas has drafted some great players since Jones became the owner, but they've also picked some complete busts. They've even seen entire draft classes come up short, such as the class of 2009. Let's take a look at the five worst draft picks Jerry Jones ever made:

 

1. Quincy Carter: Carter was drafted by the Cowboys in 2001 as a replacement for Troy Aikman. After an impressive pre-season, he became the starting quarterback in Dallas and seemed to have great potential for the team. However, injuries limited him to only eight starts in his first season.

After failing his third drug test, Carter was immediately released by the Cowboys. A failed comeback bid with the New York Jets followed, and Carter was out of the league just four years after he was drafted.

 

2. David LaFleur: Dallas needed a tight end, and even after taking Troy Aikman's advice, the team decided they wanted LaFleur over Tony Gonzalez because he was a more versatile player. The Cowboys traded up in order to select LaFleur 22nd overall in the 1997 NFL draft.

He had a disappointing first year, only effective when blocking. LaFleur had his best season in 1999, leading the NFC and Dallas with seven touchdowns, but unfortunately, injuries limited his production and his size proved to be a problem as well. His career ended in 2000 after just 12 touchdowns.

 

3. Bobby Carpenter: As a first-round pick taken 18th overall in the 2006 draft, Carpenter never held down a starting position for Dallas. During the 2008 edition of HBO's Hard Knocks, the blond-haired linebacker was given the nickname "Barbie" Carpenter by Marc Colombo.

His best game came in 2006 during a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where he recorded five tackles and deflected three passes. In 2010, Carpenter was traded to the St. Louis Rams for fellow underachiever Alex Barron.

 

4. Shante Carver: Dallas traded up in order to take Carver in the first round in 1994. Carver had been dominant at Arizona State and the team hoped to add to their powerful defense, but that didn't end up happening.

Carver only played in seven games his first year, and in 1996 he was suspended six games for repeated drug violations. He was released after the '96 season ended, and never wound up playing in the NFL again. In his four seasons as a Cowboy, Carver recorded 11.5 sacks and never forced a fumble.

 

5. Drew Henson: Henson, who backed up Tom Brady at Michigan, didn't come to the Cowboys through the traditional route. After he gave up on a baseball career in 2004 (a five-year minor league career with the Yankees organization ended with Henson washing out), he was acquired by the Cowboys in exchange for a 2005 third-round pick. Henson's first game was on Thanksgiving Day, and he ended up getting benched in the first half after only going 4-12 for 31 yards. Dallas went on to win that game thanks to quarterback Vinny Testaverde, and things didn't get much better for Henson.

After a poor training camp in 2005 Henson joined NFL Europe to work on his skills, but in 2006 Head coach Bill Parcells announced Henson would not be returning to the Dallas roster and he was available to sign with any other NFL team.

 

Try to breathe, Cowboys fans - all teams have major flops.

Dallas has had their share of upsetting draft picks. If you can think of any other failed draft picks during the Jerry Jones era, let us know in the comments section!

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