Trevor Lawrence is one of the NFL's most promising players, as not only Jacksonville Jaguars fans expect great things from him, but football fans in general. However, admittedly, his rookie season was very disappointing in general terms.
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Just like Trevor Lawrence, throughout NFL history there have been players who had terrible rookie seasons. Some improved their game as the years went by, but others never got better and simply didn't belong in the NFL.
10 Trevor Lawrence
The Jacksonville Jaguars had the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, and they selected Trevor Lawrence. Great things are always expected from the first pick, and most deliver from their first NFL season, but that was not the case with Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence certainly showed flashes of his talent, as there are some very interesting things about his play, but overall, his season was awful, and he was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Lawrence recorded 3,641 passing yards, completing 59.6% of his passes, with only 12 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions (most in the league), 32 sacks and a 71.9 passer rate.
9 Zach Wilson
Interestingly, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft also failed to shine in his rookie season. Zach Wilson had even worse numbers than Trevor Lawrence, with just 2,334 passing yards, 55.6 pass completion percentage, nine touchdown passes and a 69.7 passer rating. Worst of all, Wilson lost 370 yards (most in the league) due to 44 sacks. Let's hope that both Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson improve significantly next season.
8 Roddy White
Roddy White was selected in the first round of the 2005 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The wide receiver was unable to make the expected impact and ended up having a lackluster rookie season. White played every game, half as a starter, recording 446 receiving yards, with 6.5 yards per target, 42% catch percentage and only three touchdowns. The following season was even worse for White. It was from his third year on that he improved significantly and reached Pro Bowl level.
7 John Elway
John Elway was one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but his rookie season was terrible. In 1983, Elway played 11 games for the Denver Broncos, 10 as a starter, completing 123 of 259 passes (47.5%) for 1,663 yards.
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Elway only delivered seven touchdown passes, he was intercepted 14 times and sacked 28 times. His passer rating was 54.9, obviously the lowest of his career. Despite that forgettable year, the young Elway picked himself up and improved his game.
6 Luther Elliss
Luther Elliss made his NFL debut in 1995 with the Detroit Lions, who needed to strengthen their defense and trusted the 22-year-old, giving him the starting job from the first game of the season. However, Elliss had an underwhelming season, recording just nine solo tackles and 0.0 sacks throughout the season. A dismal performance, that’s for sure. The following season, however, Elliss showed his talent, with 6.5 sacks and 26 solo tackles.
5 Melvin Gordon
Running back Melvin Gordon was the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft. He had excellent projection, but actually he has had an average career so far. In his rookie season, Gordon had 14 appearances with the San Diego Chargers, 12 of them as a starter, rushing for 641 yards, with 3.5 yards per rushing attempt and, to make matters worse, he failed to score any touchdowns. On the other hand, Gordon caught 33 of 37 passes, the only positive aspect of his game that year.
4 Ryan Leaf
Ryan Leaf was one of the biggest busts in NFL history, as he was the second overall pick in the 1998 draft, and only played three seasons in the NFL, as his level was abysmal. Leaf's rookie season was a disaster, he completed only 111 of 245 passes (45.3%), accumulating 1,289 passing yards, with 15 interceptions and only two touchdown passes. Leaf had a dismal 39.0 passer rating. The Los Angeles Chargers still regret selecting Ryan Leaf.
3 Troy Aikman
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Troy Aikman had an excellent career, which justifies his place in the Hall of Fame. He was a three-time Super Bowl winner, being the MVP on one occasion, and was also a six-time Pro-Bowler. However, his rookie season was awful. He played 11 games with the Dallas Cowboys, and his team lost every one of them.
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Aikman completed 155 passes for 1,749 yards, with a 52.9 pass completion percentage, nine touchdown passes, 18 interceptions and a 55.7 quarterback rating.
2 Roberto Aguayo
Kicker Roberto Aguayo made a big impact in college. In fact, he was nicknamed "Mr. Perfect" because of his accuracy. However, his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was mediocre. He converted 22 field goals in 31 attempts, which is a terrible percentage of 71%. In the following preseason, Aguayo had a lackluster performance and was waived. Aguayo is still working to return to the NFL, but has been unsuccessful.
1 Terry Bradshaw
NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw had a terrible rookie season. The 22-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback played 13 games, eight as a starter, completing just 83 of 218 passes (38.1%) for 1,410 yards. In addition, Bradshaw was the quarterback with the most intercepted passes in the league (24), he threw just six touchdown passes and his rate was 30.4, which is still the lowest for a rookie quarterback in NFL history. It was an awful season for Bradshaw, who fortunately improved and ended up having a great career.
