Aluminny69
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Unfortunately, the all-time bust was Ernie Davis, who was drafted number one, but never played a game due to Leukemia. I found this very interesting back story on Wiki:
Pro football career
Davis was the number-one pick in the 1962 NFL Draft. Selected by the Washington Redskins,[5] he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League.[6]
The decision of the Redskins to draft Davis was a reluctant one by Redskins' owner George Preston Marshall. Marshall for years had refused to sign any black players, and the Redskins were the last NFL team to do so. He was a notorious racist, and backed his decision by stating that he wanted to appeal to the NFL's southern market. The signing only came when Interior Secretary Stewart Udall issued an ultimatum to Marshall: sign a black player, or the Redskins' 30-year lease on the D.C. Stadium (now the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium) would be revoked. The stadium was property of the Washington city government. Marshall's response was to draft Davis. Davis refused to play for the Redskins, and demanded a trade. In turn a trade to Cleveland was engineered by Browns Coach Paul Brown shortly after Art Modell had purchased the team and without the knowledge or consent of Modell. This was standard operating procedure with the Browns from their inception in 1946, as Brown was the General Manager and Head Coach. [7][8] Davis chose to go to the Cleveland Brown where his classmate John Brown would be his roommate and Jim Brown, whom he admired was already playing.
Davis signed a three-year, $200,000 contract with the Browns in late December 1961, again without the knowledge or consent of Modell, while he (Davis) was in San Francisco, California practicing for the East-West Shrine Game.[9] Originally reported at $80,000, the contract, according to Davis' attorney, A. William (Tony) DeFilippo, consisted of $80,000 for playing football, including a $15,000 signing bonus; $60,000 for ancillary rights, such as image marketing; and $60,000 for off-season employment.[9] It was the most lucrative contract for an NFL rookie up to that time.[9] However, the Browns' dream of pairing Davis with Jim Brown in the backfield took a tragic turn when Davis was diagnosed with leukemia during preparations for the 1962 College All-Star Game and also at Browns training camp. The rift between Coach Brown and Modell worsened when Modell brought in doctors who said Davis could play pro ball but Brown refused to suit him up. This contributed to Modell's decision to replace Brown before the 1963 season. Ernie was allowed to practice on the field (without physical contact) and helped Brown with play plans for the team, but was never played. Brown was concerned that Ernie's condition, although in a remission brought the morale of the team down.
Davis never played a game as a professional, with his only appearance at Cleveland Stadium coming during a 1962 pre-season game, in which he ran onto the field as a spotlight followed him. Following his death, the Browns retired his number 45 jersey.[10]
