NFL teams aren’t perfect but it’s not a great testament when your top-value draft pick never takes a snap.
The New England Patriots have a renowned reputation in the NFL for trading back in the draft and finding value when it’s available, especially in the late rounds.
However, the Patriots have had their fair share of busts over the past five years. On Tuesday, NFL analyst Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report identified every team’s worst draft pick over that span.
For the Patriots’ choice on this list, it was Duke Dawson. The former Florida cornerback was drafted with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and did not play with the Patriots.
Dawson’s only time with the Patriots was in the preseason where he logged 177 snaps through two years, according to Pro Football Focus.
A hamstring injury kept Dawson out in 2018 and he was a healthy scratch throughout the season. In 2019, the Patriots cut bait with Dawson and traded him and a seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick, which the Patriots used to draft offensive tackle Justin Herron in the 2020 draft.
Dawson played 26 games for the Broncos, but injuries continued to plague his career. Dawson tore his ACL in 2020 and spent half of the 2021 season on the physically unable to perform list recovering from his injury. The 26-year-old is currently a free agent.
The reasons why a draft pick can be considered a “bust” can vary. Many times, a player is picked too high than what their talent merits, a team makes the wrong choice at a position or a player’s career is derailed by injuries.
Some other notable names on the list included Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals), John Ross (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers).
Interestingly, 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry was considered for the list, but the fact that Dawson ended up playing zero snaps for the Patriots earned him “worst draft pick” for the Patriots in the past five years.
