WIth the 9th overall pick in the 2001 draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected WR Koren Robinson. Robinson had broken all kinds of records while at North Carolina State and was expected to become the next great wideout for the Hawks upon being drafted.
He had a promising rookie campaign which he followed up with a breakout performance in his sophomore season, catching 78 passes for 1248 yards and 5 TDs. He was well on his way to living up to his draft spot and billing. However, he could not adhere to the NFL's substance abuse policy during the next two years and was repeatedly suspended for that and a repeated failure to show up to meetings. Coach Mike Holmgren said in 2004 at the advent of a 4 game suspension for Robinson:
"It's very disappointing to see wonderful potential lost like that. Is he going to rebound off this? Yes, but this is a missed time. You just want the lights to go on for some of these young guys, and have them understand how fortunate they are to be doing what they're doing."
Unfortunately, Robinson didn't rebound from that, getting arrested again for DUI in 2005. This led the Seahawks to ultimately release him shortly thereafter. Robinson went on to play in the NFL for several years and even caught back on for a short while with the Hawks again in 2008, but never lived up to his immense potential.
For being the 9th overall pick in 2001 to being ultimately released after 4 seasons due to substance abuse problems and lack of commitment to his profession, Koren Robinson has earned a place on this list. He produced only one season of 1000+ yards in his career - not what you'd hope to expect from a receiver selected so early.
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