The day after the NFL Draft, the hot takes fly: "Who won? Who lost?" We'll have our own analysis on this year's class soon. But first, let's take a painful trip down memory lane. We're examining the last decade to identify the draft classes that truly set franchises back and the teams that suffered the most dramatic single-season collapses. For a draft class to be considered a true bust, first-round failures are key—finding a star on Day 3 is a bonus, but missing on a foundational player with a premium pick is a cardinal sin. Of course, the more recent the draft, the more room there is for redemption.
Consider the 2015 Carolina Panthers. They were the NFL's darlings: a 15-1 record, a Super Bowl appearance, with Cam Newton earning MVP honors. A year later, they plummeted to 6-10 and the NFC South cellar. Newton's production cratered. While that specific collapse wasn't solely due to poor drafting, it shows how quickly fortunes can change. Other notable single-season falls that year included the Cincinnati Bengals (12-4 to 6-9-1) and the Arizona Cardinals (13-3 to 7-8-1).
Speaking of the Cardinals, their 2016 draft class stands as a masterclass in futility. First-round defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was a massive disappointment, lasting only three seasons in Arizona. The only player from that entire class to even sniff a starting role was fourth-round center Evan Boehm, who was gone after his rookie contract. They were far from alone. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers whiffed on cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and kicker Roberto Aguayo in the first two rounds, while the Minnesota Vikings' selection of receiver Laquon Treadwell never panned out.
Sometimes, a bad draft accelerates a team's decline. The 2016 New York Giants went 11-5 and won a playoff game. They haven't reached 10 wins since. Their 2017 season imploded to 3-13, costing coach Ben McAdoo his job and leading to a controversial decision: using the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 on a running back (Saquon Barkley) instead of a potential franchise quarterback. The Oakland Raiders also fell hard after a 12-4 season in 2016, dropping to 6-10 the following year.
These stories are a stark reminder of the high-stakes nature of the NFL Draft. A single misstep in April can haunt a team's roster—and its record—for years to come, proving that the real "winners" and "losers" are often decided long after the final pick is announced.