Top-10 NFL Draft Picks With the Shortest Careers Since 1980

By NFL Records · Updated September 28, 2026

Injuries, off-field problems, and misjudged talent all show up in this list. These are the players picked in the top 10 since 1980 who appeared in the fewest regular-season games. Games played is a blunt measure — it does not explain why a career was short — so read this as a record of outcomes, not a judgment of the players.

PlayerPosYearPickTeamCollegeGames
Rich CampbellQB19816GNBCalifornia7
Art SchlichterQB19824BALOhio St.13
Andre WareQB19907DETHouston14
Reggie RogersDE19877DETWashington15
Charles RogersWR20032DETMichigan St.15
Kevin AllenT19859PHIIndiana16
Trey LanceQB20213SFONorth Dakota St.16
Anthony RichardsonQB20234INDFlorida17
Jamal ReynoldsDE200110GNBFlorida St.18
Mike JunkinLB19875CLEDuke20
Justin BlackmonWR20125JAXOklahoma St.20
Dee MillinerDB20139NYJAlabama21
Kelly StoufferQB19876STLColorado St.22
Akili SmithQB19993CINOregon22
Josh RosenQB201810ARIUCLA24
Ryan LeafQB19982SDGWashington St.25
Brian JozwiakG19867KANWest Virginia28
Trev AlbertsLB19945INDNebraska29
Heath ShulerQB19943WASTennessee29
Evan NealOL20227NYGAlabama29

Data: nflverse draft data (compiled from Pro Football Reference), 1980–2026 drafts. Career outcomes are only compared for classes through 2023, since more recent players are still early in their careers. "Approximate Value" (AV) is Pro Football Reference's single-number estimate of a player's career contribution; it is useful for comparing careers across positions but is not a precise measure. Updated September 28, 2026.