Every team has one. That player that they drafted early on with high hopes who never quite panned out. Some teams have more of those than others, but every team has at least one. In the spots world, we call them busts. Some busts are bigger than others, and Sports Illustrated recently named the biggest draft bust for every team in the league.
There were a few options when it came to the Cincinnati Bengals, but quarterback Akili Smith was the final answer. Cincinnati selected Smith with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1999 draft, hoping that he would be the quarterback of the future for the franchise. But, that never came to be.
Akili Smith named Bengals' biggest draft bust... ever
Smith never really looked like an NFL quarterback at any point, and that fact that he was drafted directly in front of a numerous Pro Bowlers makes the selection look even worse in hindsight.
From Sports Illustrated:
"There are so many Bengals to choose from in the 1990s alone, including fellow quarterback David Klingler. But we go with Smith, who was taken one spot after Donovan McNabb. Smith took over for Jeff Blake and never found his footing, completing 46.6% of his attempts with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions."
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Smith ended up playing in just 22 total games for the Bengals over a four-season span and throwing nearly three times as many interceptions (13) as touchdowns (5). He was ultimately released by the team in 2003 after spending his final two seasons riding the bench.
Smith never played in another NFL game for another team after leaving Cincinnati, which makes you wonder if he ever should have even been in the league in the first place. The answer is probably not. But hey, every team makes mistakes in the draft, and the Bengals are no exception.
Luckily, they didn't make a mistake when they drafted Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. Burrow quickly established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the entire NFL, and he led the team to a Super Bowl berth in just his second season in the league. Now, the organization needs to continue to provide Burrow with a solid supporting cast.
Cincinnati has the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Hopefully whoever they select doesn't end up being a bust.