The Indianapolis Colts have had some of the best players in NFL history, but that doesn’t mean they’ve had a few bad misses in the draft along the way. Here are are the biggest draft busts in team history:
3) QB Jeff George (No. 1 pick in 1990)
Yes, George had a long career, but he'll forever be synonymous with a bad word in Indianapolis. The Colts traded up to get George with the first pick, then gave him the then-richest rookie contract in NFL history.
You'd think that would make him happy, but he responded by clashing with players and the coaching staff almost immediately while trying to be traded. There was a lot of speculation as he struggled and the team imploded that George was playing poorly on purpose trying to lose so he could be traded, but it never worked out in Indy.
When it was all done, George played in 52 games (49 starts) for the Colts, completing just 57 percent of his passes for 9,551 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 46 interceptions.
2) LB Trev Alberts (No. 5 pick in 1994)
Alberts was a star in college at Nebraska, but his game just didn't translate to the NFL. Injuries derailed his rookie season, then struggled mightily in the next two before retiring after a three-year career. He recorded 49 tackles, three forced fumbles, four sacks, one interception in 29 games (just seven starts) for the Colts.
1) DE Steve Emtman (No. 1 pick in 1992)
Emtman looked like the next great defensive lineman coming out of Washington, but injuries really derailed his career. He spent three seasons with the Colts, all of which he ended on injured reserve - Emtman blew out his left knee during his rookie year, tore the patella tendon in his right knee his second year, and ruptured a disc in his neck in his third.
The Colts released him after that, and Emtman went on to play two seasons for the Miami Dolphins and one for the Washington Redskins before retiring in 1997. All in all, he played for the Colts, recording 121 tackles, five sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery.
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