By AJ Olona

Throughout the history of the NFL draft, there are always going to be players who are selected highly—with high pedigree—who flourish in the NFL and turn into stars. There are always those players selected with little to no expectations that also turn into stars across the league. For every player that becomes a star in the NFL, several others quickly fall out of the league. While it is always unfair to judge players based on little experience, it is fair to look at their sample size so far and wonder whether or not they will be able to last. Just over a year ago, the 2019 Draft was held in Nashville, Tenn. and saw several stars start their careers in the NFL. From players like Kyler Murray, and Nick Bosa, to players who were selected later in the draft like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Maxx Crosby, and Melcole Hardman. Many teams were able to find talented players both at the top of the draft as well as towards the bottom-end of the draft. However, we have already seen several players from the 2019 draft class that have seemingly failed to live up to their expectations, and quickly lose the trust of the teams that drafted them just a year ago. Let’s take a look at some of the players who are already starting to lose their positions on their respective teams.

Matt Gay - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5th Round (145th Overall)

Matt Gay was selected to be the Buccaneers’ long-term placekicker when he was taken in the 5th round of the 2019 draft. It is always surprising to see a special teams player picked this early in the draft, given the talent that teams are still able to find that can contribute more on the field than a kicker or punter. When a kicker is taken as high as Gay was, there is always this added pressure that they must play up to their draft position. During his rookie season, Gay was not horrible. Gay made 77.1% of his field goals, missing 8 on the season, and made 89.6% of his extra-point kicks, missing 5 times all season.

The Buccaneers knew that that production was not good enough, especially for how high Gay was drafted. They decided to move on from Gay after just one season, releasing the kicker just before the 2020 season began. The Indianapolis Colts signed Matt Gay once he was released and he currently sits on their practice squad behind NFL scoring leader Rodrigo Blankenship. For the first kicker taken in the draft, it is disappointing that Gay only lasted one season in Tampa Bay and it is even more disappointing that he can not even land on a game-day roster for any team in the NFL. Selecting Matt Gay this early in the draft was certainly a mistake.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside - Philadelphia Eagles

2nd Round (57th Overall)

Coming into the league, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside had a lot of hype as he put up great numbers in his final year at Stanford. There were talks that he could make it into the first round of that draft, but that wasn’t the case as there was a fall on receivers in general. The Eagles ended up selected Arcega-Whiteside in the second-round with the 57th overall pick, before players like Terry McLaurin, Andy Isabella, DK Metcalf, and Diontae Johnson. Despite the Eagles desperately needed a spark from their receivers in 2019, Arcega-Whiteside was only able to grab 10 passes for 169 yards and only one touchdown.

There were hopes that Arcega-Whiteside would make the leap in year 2 but that has not been the case. Once again, the Eagles are struggling to keep their receivers healthy and they are needing production from whoever, and Arcega-Whiteside is still failing to produce. Through 7 weeks in 2020,  Arcega-Whiteside has only 2 catches for 45 yards and no touchdowns. Though it is still extremely early in his career, it is becoming evident that Arcega-Whiteside is not going to make as big of an impact as the Eagles expected when they selected him so high just a year ago.

Drew Sample - Cincinnati Bengals

2nd Round (52nd Overall)

When The Cincinnati Bengals selected Drew Sample in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL draft, many in the organization envisioned him as the successor to Tyler Eifert. However, at the time of the selection, many were scratching their heads as Sample had only 25 catches and 3 touchdowns in his senior year at Washington. Despite the low production, the Bengals selected Sample anyway, hoping he would turn into more of a receiving threat. That was not on display in 2019 as the rookie hardly found the field. Sample was only able to pul in 5 catches for 30 yards and could not find the end zone at all as a rookie. Sample was not able to finish his rookie season, playing in just 9 games. For a player selected so high in the draft, it is unacceptable to only pull in 5 catches.

So far, 2020 has been more or less the same for Drew Sample. While many in the Bengals organization were hoping for Sample to take a huge leap and be more of a safety blanket for rookie Joe Burrow, he has still not been able to produce. While his production has gone up, he still only has 19 catches for 174 yards through 7 games. It is looking more and more likely that Sample is never going to turn into the player that the Bengals envisioned when they drafted him in 2019.

Jahlani Tavai - Detroit Lions

2nd Round (43rd Overall)

Tavai came into the league when the Lions selected him towards the middle of the second round. In his rookie season, Tavai was up and down. He played in all but one game and was able to notch six starts for the Lions. In his first year in the league, Tavai had 58 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 passes defended, one pick, and one forced fumble. There were high hopes that Tavai was going to make even more of a leap in year 2, but so far that has not been the case. With the addition of Jamie Collins, Tavai has seemingly taken a backseat in the linebacker rotation.

Jahlani Tavai is struggling to consistently get on the field for the Lions. While the Lions are constantly rotating their linebackers, Tavai is seeing such a wide range of the number of snaps that he is playing from week to week. He has had weeks where he has played upward of 80% of the teams defensive snaps, and weeks where he has played as low as 13%. Even when he has been on the field, he has not been productive, only accumulating 18 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, and 0 interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Tavai is currently rated with a putrid29.7 overall grade for 2020. With players like Bobby Okereke, Sione Takitak, and Dre Greenlaw all being selected later in the draft, it is sad to see Tavai so unproductive so far in his second season.

Greg Little - Carolina Panthers

2nd Round (37th Overall)

Gregg Little was entrenched as a mainstay on the Panthers offensive line immediately when he was drafted at the top of the second round in 2019. While Little was not perfect in his rookie season, he showed that he had the potential to be a long-term answer on the outside. During his rookie season, Little allowed 3 sacks and was graded at a low 52.7 by Pro Football Focus.

There was hop for Little to make progress going into his sophomore season. With the Panthers starting left tackle Russell Okung has missed a lot of time this season due to injury, little has seen much more playing time, but has not shown much sign of progression. Throughout the season, Little has constantly been in the wrong place and the wrong position, causing him to constantly get been by edge rushers each week. While Little has not been credited with allowing any sacks, he has allowed constant pressure to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Little currently ranks as one of the worst tackles in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, as his overall grade for the 2020 season has gone down to 43.7. While Little is still young and has all of the talent in the world, he needs to start getting rid of the mental mistakes and needs to start playing better before the Panthers decide that they are ready to move on.

N’Keal Harry - New England Patriots

1st Round (32nd Overall)

Leading up to the 2019 Draft, N’Keal Harry had more hype than any other receiver. In what was considered a weak draft at the top of the position, Harry ranked towards the top on a lot of analysts’ lists. Harry was selected 32nd overall by the defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots. Harry had a lot of hype going into his rookie year as he was joining arguably the best team in the NFL. The Patriots already had a lot of weapons on their offense and had one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game in Tom Brady. With a future Hall of Famer throwing him the ball, and all the potential in the world, the sky was the limit for Harry.

However, after missing the first half of the season due to injury, Harry would only end up play in just 7 games on the year and was hardly able to make an impact. Harry was only able to pull in 12 catches for 105 yards and just 2 touchdowns. Not much to be happy about for Harry, considering who was throwing him the ball. However, there are always growing pains heading into the NFL and many believed that Harry could make a huge jump in year 2. However, so far that has been far from the case. While Harry is on pace to surpass his numbers from his rookie year, it is still disappointing to see how unproductive he has been. In 2020, Harry has just 19 catches and only 172 yards through 8 weeks. While the Patriots have struggled offensively as a whole, it is disappointing to see these types of numbers from a guy who was selected in the first round. Given the fact that players like Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, Mecole Hardman, Andy Isabella, Diontae Johnson, Terry McLaurin, Hunter Renfrow, Darius Slayton, Scotty Miller,  and more were all selected after Harry, and it is easy to understand how Harry is on his way to being labeled a bust so early in his career.

Deandre Baker - New York Giants

1st Round (30th Overall)

In the 2019 draft, the New York Giants traded back up into the 1st round to draft Deandre Baker out of Georgia. Baker was considered by many to be a good corner, but someone who was going to need time to develop before he would make it in the NFL. That was on full display during Baker’s rookie season as he was thrown into the fire right away. Baker was entrenched as a starter for the Giants but was a liability when he was on the field. While he flashed potential from time to time, Baker was one of the main reasons why the Giants had one of the worst passing defenses in 2019. There was hope going into his 2nd season that Baker would take the step forward. However, that was quickly washed away in May of 2020.

During the offseason, Baker was arrested on charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault. Deandre Baker and Seattle Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar were both arrested when they allegedly robbed guests of a house party and held them at gunpoint. Because of this incident, Deandre Baker was charged with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm. Because of these charges, Baker was facing up to 10 years in prison while Dunbar was not charged. Because of this incident, Baker was released from the Giants, all but ending his very young career. For a player that the Giants traded up to draft, for a player that was drafted in the 1st round, it is sad to see the wasted potential. There is perhaps no bigger disappointment from the 2019 draft than Deandre Baker.

L.J. Collier - Seattle Seahawks

1st Round (29th Overall)

Since being selected at the end of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of TCU, L.J. Collier has been a huge disappointment. In his first season in the NFL, Collier didn’t start a single game and was not able to get a single sack. He finished the year with just 3 total tackles, and that was all. Collier hardly saw the field as a rookie and when he did, he was highly ineffective.

There was some hope that coming into his sophomore season that Collier would be able to step up and make more of an impact for the Seahawks. However, that has not been the case. Collier still cannot find a consistent spot in Seattle’s defensive line rotation. Collier only has 1 sack and 8 tackles through 8 games in 2020. Through two seasons, Collier has failed to reach the quarterback at all and has also failed to even make it onto the field. In just 18 career games, Collier has already proven that he is was a bad pick for the Seahawks. With no production to go off of, and being that Collier is already 25-years old, he is going to have a hard time turning things around at all going forward.

Tytus Howard - Houston Texans

1st Round (23rd Overall)

When the Houston Texans invested a first-round pick in an offensive lineman in 2019, it was a step in the right direction of trying to solidify the pieces in front of DeShaun Watson. Coming out of Alabama State, many were surprised to see Howard sneak his way into the first round of the draft. Howard was not viewed as a bad prospect, but merely someone who would need development. There were several players on the board who were generally projected to go higher than Howard, especially on the offensive line. Regardless, the Texans drafted Howard and made a trade to get Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins, seemingly solidifying both ends of the line for DeShaun Watson for the foreseeable future.

Howard played well enough his rookie season before being shut down for the year following surgery on a torn meniscus, while Tunsil was able to hold up in pass protection as well. The problem was, despite the heavy investments in the offensive line, DeShaun Watson was still running for his life in 2019. Watson was sacked 49 times that year which was 5th worse in the league. However, with Howard playing well enough his rookie season, many were hoping that Howard would take a huge step in 2020 and that the Texans would finally have things figured out on the offensive line. So far, that has not been the case. DeShaun Watson is on pace to be sacked 40+ times once again, and the Texans sack % is the same from a year ago. Howard has already been penalized 5 times this year and has constantly allowed pressure to come from the right side of that line. With such large investments in the offensive line, and DeShaun Watson himself, Howard needs to play much better and allow his quarterback to settle down in the pocket going forward. For now, Howard has been serviceable, but with the way things are going in Houston, he could be out of the team’s future plans if his play is not elevated soon.

Dwayne Haskins - The Washington Football Team

1st Round (15th Overall)

Dwayne Haskins came into the NFL with some question marks. Coming off of a fantastic year at Ohio State, many believed that Haskins could be a one year wonder. With only one good year of tape, NFL scouts were wondering if the Ohio State product had enough experience to be a first-round pick. Nonetheless, the Washington Football Team took a chance on Haskins, selecting him 15th overall. Due to the potentially career-ending injury to Alex Smith, the Washington Football Team traded for Case Keenum to be their starter for the 2019 season. With Keenum and Haskins both on the roster, the Football Team had plenty of options under center.

When the 2019 season got underway, it became clear that Keenum was not going to be the long-term answer. When finally being named the starter in Week 9, Haskins struggled mightily. While he was able to finish his season on somewhat of a strong note, it was clear that Haskins, and the team as a whole, had a lot of work to do. Haskins threw for only 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions through 7 starts as a rookie. Heading into the 2020 season as the unquestioned starter, there were high hopes that Haskins would be able to make the step forward. Despite having poor options around him in the passing game and an unproven running game, Haskins threw for 939 yards and just 4 touchdowns compared to 3 interceptions through the first 4 games of the season before being benched. Haskins went from the starter to 3rd string behind Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. After being benched, practice squad quarterback Steven Montez even took snaps above Haskins. After a poor start in Washington, it is clear that the team has given up on the young quarterback. With Haskins already out of the team’s future plans, Haskins will look for a fresh start elsewhere in the league, just two years into his career.

Daniel Jones - New York Giants

1st Round (6th Overall)

The Giants had one of the most surprising drafts in 2019. After trading away Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, they surprisingly used that selection in the first round to selected defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. While Lawrence has shown promise in the NFL, it was seen as somewhat of a reach on a position that was not needed by the Giants. Regardless, it was the Giants’ earlier pick in the draft that had people surprised. With the 6th overall pick in the draft, the Giants selected Daniel Jones, quarterback out of Duke. While Jones showed promise in college, he was also viewed as a project player. There was no question that quarterback was a need for the Giants with Eli Manning on his last legs. However, many were questioning whether Jones was the right pick or not.

After a poor start to the season, Daniel Jones finally stepped in as the Giants starter. He was thrown into the fire and performed exactly how you would have expected him to. Despite looking like a rookie, Jones showed great potential. He finished his rookie season throwing for 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also fumbling the ball an alarming 11 times in just 12 games as a rookie. Those numbers stack up pretty well compared to other well-performing rookie quarterbacks throughout the years. Despite the decent numbers, Jones was not able to translate his play into wins on the season, with the Giants finishing 4-12. Heading into his sophomore season, there was hope that Daniel Jones would take a huge step forward, but that was not the case. Through 9 games in 2020, the Giants sit at 2-7 and Jones has seemingly regressed from his rookie year. Jones has just 7 passing touchdowns on the year compared to 9 interceptions and 4 lost fumbles. The Giants are once again one of the worst teams in the NFL and Jones has not been able to progress in his second year in the league. While the Giants are most definitely going to stick with Jones for the foreseeable future, if he does not turn it around fast the Giants will continue to sit at the bottom of the NFC East for years to come.

Follow AJ on Twitter @age_lona