The 2009 NFL Draft class was an interesting one that had a very big certainty at the top with Matthew Stafford and one of the most active top 10's in quite some time, as the New York Jets moved up in a trade to get Mark Sanchez after a big deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Don Banks at Sports Illustrated did a nice deep dive into the first round picks from that dealt, as a number of them are struggling right now in the NFL and especially over the summer, as plenty of them were involved in headlines. The biggest thing that likely spurred the article was what happened to Mark Sanchez against the New York Giants and also the fact that he has been struggling over the past couple seasons.
Sanchez has turned over the ball nearly 40 times over the past two seasons and after helping the Jets go to two straight championship games, he has been mostly a bust as player in the NFL. Sanchez was picked at number five in the draft after the Jets gave up numerous picks to move up with the Cleveland Browns to draft him and now that they have taken Geno Smith, clearly that was not that right move.
Teams don't usually take a franchise quarterback after trading up just a few years ago, but the Jets are a mess usually anyway, so all rules are out the window. Sanchez was injured in the fourth quarter of the preseason game against the Giants and now he is looking at possibly not starting Week 1 after getting hurt. He likely won't be a Jet after this season anyway.
Banks also writes about Jason Smith, a player that the Jets also have after trading for him and releasing him last season and he was the number two overall pick back in 2009 and he has not quite made it in the NFL. He signed a big deal with the Rams and never was able to play consistently and now he was released by the Saints last week, showing that he still can't quite hack it in the league. The Rams pick set them back for a little while, but they appear to be moving in the right direction now with Sam Bradford.
Aaron Curry was just released by the Giants, making it perfect to look back as the star was once drafted at number four overall by the Seattle Seahawks before they gave up on him. Curry had all the talent in the world, but he never could get it together. Sanchez was number five after Curry and we went over him, and Banks also looks at Michael Crabtree, who is not bust after last season's breakout, but he is having a tough summer as well, as he is out for the season with an Achilles injury.
Aaron Maybin was another big bust after being picked by the Bills and he at one point was signed to the Jets before they ditched him as well. Sense a recurring theme here? Maybin now is off the Bengals and he hasn't been able to stay on the field either.
Some other players Banks goes over:
Jeremy Maclin, picked at 19, is now injured and out for the year.
Percy Harvin, picked at 22, out for the year with an injury (or till November like Wyclef he is gone).
Beanie Wells, picked 31, can't get on the field.
