4. Lawrence Phillips – 6th overall to Rams in 1996:
Phillips was a truly saddening, frightening case of a man who could never get out of his own way. In pure football terms, the Rams taking Phillips was one of the most costly moves in NFL history. They not only got rid of DT Sean Gilbert to do so but sent Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis to the Steelers to make room for Phillips as well. A second Hall of Fame back in Eddie George was still on the draft board that year as well.
On the field, Phillips was simply in a class by himself at the University of Nebraska. He would have almost assuredly won the Heisman in 1995 if not for outside-the-cage incidents. Those followed him in the NFL and beyond. He finished his pro football career (including the NFL, NFL Europe, and the CFL) with 912 carries for 3,982 yards and 42 touchdowns. More importantly, Phillips was arrested and convicted of multiple violent crimes, including running over three teenagers with his car following a dispute over a pick-up football game in 2005. He also was charged with the murder of his cellmate in 2015. Phillips could have been given the death penalty for the crime but committed suicide in January 2016.
