5 biggest NFL Draft busts in Cincinnati Bengals history

After years in the wilderness, the Cincinnati Bengals have established themselves amongst the NFL's elite, having made it to back-to-back AFC Championships.

They've also hit home runs on many of their recent draft picks, including Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.

While they've not had many major busts in recent history, the Bengals have had more than their fair share. Here we look back at the five biggest NFL Draft busts suffered by the Bengals.

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#5 - Cedric Ogbuehi

Cedric Ogbuehi at the NFL Draft

Offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and was expected to be the successor to Andrew Whitworth.

Expectations couldn't have been further from reality though, as Ogbuehi only saw game time as the rest of the offensive linemen around him were so terrible.

Ogbuehi's fifth-year option was declined and he barely saw an NFL field again after being released by Cincinnati.

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#4 - Jack Thompson

The Bengals were looking for a new franchise QB in 1979, which led to them drafting Jack Thompson out of Washington State with the third-overall pick.

However, Thompson failed to live up to the expectations of a third-overall pick, spending four years with the team mostly in a backup role.

Despite being part of the team that made the Super Bowl in 1981, Thompson was seen as a bust, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns during his stint with the Bengals.

#3 - John Ross

John Ross makes this list too

The Bengals took a gamble on wide receiver John Ross with the ninth overall draft pick back in 2017. This came after Ross set the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record with an outstanding 4:22.

However, this was as good as it got for Ross as he has been terrible in the NFL. Ross was the sixth wide receiver on the depth chart going into his rookie year and fumbled on his first NFL carry.

Ross struggled with injuries, and he requested a trade in 2020 after being a healthy scratch for much of the season. Ross left Cincinnati with 10 touchdowns and less than 1,000 yards in four seasons with the team.

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#2 - Ki-Jana Carter

Ki-Jana Carter

The Cincinnati Bengals took Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter with the first overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, but he never lived up to the hype.

This wasn't solely Carter's fault, though, as he tore a knee ligament on his third carry during the first preseason game, ruling him out of his entire rookie year.

Carter never truly recovered from this injury, as he lost the explosive speed that made the Bengals take him 1st overall. He only rushed for 1,144 yards in a career that spanned just seven seasons and will go down as one of the biggest draft busts in league history.

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#1 - Akili Smith

Akili Smith

Quarterback Akili Smith will go down as the biggest NFL Draft bust in Cincinnati Bengals history.

Smith was selected third overall in the 1999 draft. This was despite the New Orleans Saints offering nine picks to move up to the top spot, including every single 1999 pick, two first-rounders, and a second-rounder to get Ricky Williams. Cincy turned this monster haul down to get their hands on Smith.

Smith missed a large portion of his rookie training camp due to contract disputes. He eventually signed a seven-year contract worth up to $56 million with a $10.8 million signing bonus.

His entire NFL career, which only spanned four years, was spent with the Bengals as he passed for just five touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

Since his retirement, Smith has admitted he has to take some of the blame for how his career panned out.

"For whatever reason, there was just no consistency. I’ve got to take full responsibility because I was the one in that No. 11 jersey on that football field. That was me. No matter how I look at it, or anybody looks at it, that was Akili Smith out on that football field.”