With the 28th selection of the 2002 draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Jerramy Stevens, a TE out of Washington. Initially, despite his off-the-field issues ("issues" is putting it kindly), the pick looked to be a success. His rookie year, he caught 26 passes for 297 yards and 3 TDs and looked to be on his way to a good career in the NFL. His progress stalled for a his 2nd and 3rd seasons, but his 4th season, 2005, proved to be more successful and he did his part to help the Seahawks advance it to the Super Bowl to face off against the Steelers. This included 6 catches for 66 yards (maybe the 666 should have tipped us off?) and a touchdown in the NFC Championship game against the Panthers.
Stevens then broke a cardinal rule of big games and gave the Steelers bulletin board material by stating "The story of Jerome Bettis returning to his hometown (Detroit) is heartwarming, but it's going be a sad day when he doesn't walk away with that trophy." This led to a war of words between Stevens and several Steelers throughout the week but ultimately Pittsburgh got the most of it as Stevens choked in the Super Bowl, dropping 4 passes, including one very big one in the endzone.
Loudmouth trash-talking players generally annoy me - particularly when it's the biggest game of the year - but they're especially infuriating when they fail back it up. Stevens was the goat in the most frustrating game the Seahawks organization has ever taken part of, and is a large part of the reason he's sitting at #4 on this list.
The other large part would point to the fact that if you look at Jerramy Steven's wikipedia page, the "Legal Troubles" section is longer than his "Professional Career" segment.
Stevens' troubles with the law had a large part in the Hawks letting him go, and had a very large part in his eventual washing out from the league. He had talent for sure and flashed it at times, but couldn't stay out of trouble, and this was his undoing in the NFL.
Are You Smarter Than The Experts?
Correctly predict the first 32 picks of the 2011 NFL Draft and you’ll win $10,000,000!
BEST ROUND EVER IN PRIMETIME
Enter at facebook.com/BudLight
Here We Go
Enjoy Responsibly ©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO. ©2011 NFL Properties LLC. All NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. No Purchase Necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents (except CA) 21+. Contest begins 12AM CDT on 4/1 and ends 5:59:59PM CDT on 4/28. See Official Rules for complete details. Void where prohibited.