The NFL Draft rewards teams that get the quarterback position right and punishes teams that don’t for years afterwards. Over the past five draft classes a handful of highly picked passers have failed to become the answer that teams expected them to be. Here’s a look at three of them and why things fell apart.
Anthony Richardson Sr., QB, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after a redshirt sophomore season at Florida in which he started for the first time. The talent was clearly there, however the consistency never showed. A shoulder injury ended his rookie season early, and he lost a training camp battle to Daniel Jones last summer before he fractured his orbital bone in Week 6, which ended his 2025 season after only two appearances.
Before the draft, scouts flagged accuracy and decision making as his biggest issue, which hasn’t been fixed yet. Colts general manager Chris Ballard declined Richardson’s fifth-year option on Apr. 30, and a trade market never quite materialized despite Ballard marketing him this offseason. Richardson is entering this year fighting with Riley Leonard just to be the backup. A starting job somewhere else is not out of the question given his physical abilities, but at 24 he needs a full season where he’s healthy on tape before any team gives him a chance.
Zach Wilson, QB, New Orleans Saints
The New York Jets took Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft, the highest a BYU quarterback has ever gone. He started 33 games across three seasons in New York and threw more interceptions than the Jets could overcome. He was benched twice and eventually lost the job. Since the 2024 trade to the Denver Broncos, Wilson has thrown zero regular season passes for Denver, then completed six of 11 attempted in mop-up duty for the Miami Dolphins last season.
He signed with the Saints in March as a third-string behind Tyler Shough. Four teams in four years without a clear role suggest that majority of the league has moved on completely. At 26, Wilson’s path back to any kind of meaningful snaps runs through an injury to someone ahead of him instead of his own performance putting him ahead.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Carolina Panthers
The Pittsburgh Steelers took Kenny Pickett at the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he started two seasons before Pittsburgh moved on. Pickett threw for 4,765 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions across 25 starts for the Steelers. Since then he has been traded three times, from Pittsburgh to the Philadelphia Eagles, from Philadelphia to the Cleveland Browns and from Cleveland to the Las Vegas Raiders. He signed with the Panthers on Mar. 9 as insurance behind Bryce Young. Pickett has shown enough as a backup to stay employed, but at 28 the runway for another starting opportunity is closing fast.
Richardson still carries the ceiling that made him a top-five pick. Wilson and Pickett are further removed from that promise, and both now look like career backups rather than potential projects waiting to happen.
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