Texas Football: 5 biggest NFL Draft busts ever among former Longhorns

Limas Sweed, WR

There are very few sadder stories among former Texas players in recent memory that you could also consider an NFL Draft bust than former blue-chip recruit and wide receiver Limas Sweed. The Pittsburgh Steelers took a flier out on Sweed, and he did wind up getting one Super Bowl ring. But no Steelers fans would credit Sweed in the slightest of ways for winning that Super Bowl.

Astigmatism in his eye looked to have caused some troubles for Sweed after getting picked up by the Steelers in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2008 draft. And his career never really took off after that unfortunate diagnosis ahead of his rookie season.

Sweed wound up totaling just seven catches for 69 receiving yards and one touchdown catch during his brief NFL career. That’s not what the Steelers likely envisioned out of their second-round pick in 2008.

Bleacher Report published an article back in 2013 titled “Nice Guys We Wish Were Better at Sports” with Sweed listed among 10 players. Since Sweed did have his career defined by his drop in the playoffs in 2008 on a nice pass from future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, it seemed like his character was painted in the wrong light.

There weren’t many troubles that Sweed had in terms of his character off-the-field that caused the downfall of his career. Various injury problems and astigmatism likely pushed his career to the brink in the worst of ways. Sweed tore his Achilles tendon in 2010, which largely doomed his NFL career. He would have a few contracts he signed in the CFL from then on out, without really getting another shot with any other NFL team.