10 biggest Alabama football NFL Draft busts of all time

Alabama football NFL Draft bust No. 8: Andre Smith

2009 NFL Draft, Round 1, Pick 6
Cincinnati Bengals, 2009-2015, 2017, 2018, 2019.
Minnesota Vikings, 2017
Baltimore Ravens, 2021

So far, the biggest busts of Alabama football have primarily been based on small sample sizes. Factors changed up a bit when it came to Andre Smith.

The offensive tackle had a long NFL career by most standards. What makes him qualify for this particular honor is that while he played for quite a while, he never really looked anything like the guy who was the sixth pick in the 2009 draft for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Clearly, it wasn’t from a lack of trying. The Bengals definitely did everything they could to try and make him live up to the hype. They gave him plenty of leash; he just never really took the ball and ran with it.

The offensive tackle played in just 13 games and started five in his first two seasons in the NFL. From 2011 to 2013, things did brighten a bit as he played in 46 games and started 45. However, injuries and diminishing skills saw him play in just 23 games over the following two seasons.

Smith also bounced around a bit toward the end of his career, playing for four teams in his final five seasons. Not a terrible NFL career when all was said and done, but not the kind of run you’d hope to see from such a high pick.