Dear Old Gold
Fansided

Iowa football: Four biggest draft busts in Hawkeyes history

By Andrew Wade

Nick Bell #43, Running Back for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball during the NCAA 77th Rose Bowl college football game against the University of Washington Huskies on 1 January 1991 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, United States. The Washington Huskies won the game 46 - 34. (Photo by Stephen Wade/Allsport/Getty Images)
Nick Bell #43, Running Back for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball during the NCAA 77th Rose Bowl college football game against the University of Washington Huskies on 1 January 1991 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, United States. The Washington Huskies won the game 46 - 34. (Photo by Stephen Wade/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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1 Oct 2000: Tom Knight #22 of the Arizona Cardinals carries the ball down field during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at 3 Com Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 27-20.Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport
1 Oct 2000: Tom Knight #22 of the Arizona Cardinals carries the ball down field during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at 3 Com Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 27-20.Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport /

Tom Knight

By my account, Tom Knight is the highest drafter corner in Iowa football history after getting selected 9th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the late ’90s. After you finish reading this quick piece though, you’ll realize that isn’t a good thing.

Consider this, Desmond King, the Chargers 5th round pick three years ago has had a better career already than Tom Knight.

With a top-ten pick, you expect a shutdown corner. Instead, Knight was mostly shut down himself. He only lasted five seasons in the Arizona desert, playing a full season just twice before spending one more year in Baltimore that is entirely unforgettable. In six NFL seasons, Knight had just three interceptions and 21 passes defended.

Out of all the top-10 picks in the 1997 NFL Draft, Knight has the worst career AV (weighted career approximate value) by far.

One Arizona Cardinals website even went as far as to call Knight the 5th biggest draft bust in the history of the franchise, which is saying a lot. The Cardinals have historically been a dumpster fire.