Baltimore Ravens: 3 Biggest Draft Busts In Franchise History
By Joe Schiller
Kyle Boller
In the 2003 draft, the Baltimore Ravens held the #10 and #19 pick in the first round. The team was coming off of a disappointing 7-9 season. In that season the offense played with two quarterbacks, Chris Redman and Jeff Blake. Neither could do the job and the team was in the market for another man under center.
With their first pick, the Ravens took defensive Terrell Suggs, and we all know how that one turned out. Nine picks later, the team took Kyle Boller, a quarterback out of California. Boller had an impressive final season at Cal, making him shoot up draft boards.
Boller was thrown right into the starting position in 2003 and played 8 games before getting injured. His injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. The following year he played his only full season, throwing for a mediocre 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The rest of his career became filled with injuries and disappointments. He never developed into the franchise quarterback the team expected him to. Boller eventually left the team in 2008 and bounced around the league before retiring in 2012.
Quarterbacks are a hit or miss in the NFL, there is no question about it. It is possible being thrown right into the fire during his rookie season did not help his cause, but Joe Flacco was put in the same position and it worked out.