The story of how the Jets somehow made a worse NFL Draft pick than Zach Wilson

The New York Jets have an unfortunate and lengthy history when it comes to draft busts. For many younger fans, 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson may feel like the epitome of what it means to be a draft bust after his disastrous three-year tenure with the Jets.

After all, Wilson is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in modern NFL history, at least among those who received as many starts (33) as he did. Wilson undoubtedly holds a spot on the list of the NFL's worst-ever draft picks.

Yet, despite how humiliating the Wilson pick turned out to be for the Jets in hindsight, he likely isn't even the worst selection the organization made this century. That unfortunate honor likely belongs to Vernon Gholston.

The sixth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft failed to record a single sack in his entire NFL career, despite appearing in 45 games across three seasons. While Wilson at least flashed some upside on occasion, the same really can't be said for Gholston.

Wilson might be the recent punching bag, but Gholston remains the true poster child for Jets draft futility. As painful as the Wilson pick was, it doesn't come close to matching the sheer disaster that was Vernon Gholston.

But where did it all go wrong for the former Ohio State star? Let's take a brief look back at one of the most infamous players in Jets history.

Vernon Gholston is the worst draft pick in Jets history

Gholston entered the NFL with significant hype and was considered by many at the time to be a can't-miss prospect. It's easy to play revisionist history with the benefit of hindsight, but Gholston was everything teams look for in an edge rusher prospect.

He established himself as one of the nation's most feared pass rushers at Ohio State, breaking out in his junior season with 14 sacks, setting a single-season school record at the time.

Then came the NFL Combine, where Gholston looked every bit the physical specimen he was billed to be. He measured in at 6-foot-3 and 266 pounds, put up a ridiculous 37 reps on the bench press, ran a blazing 4.67-second 40-yard dash, and recorded a vertical jump of 35.5 inches.

He was the complete package. A physical freak athlete with elite production against top-level college competition. Gholston was one of only two players to record a sack against two-time All-American and 2008 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Jake Long in the latter's entire college career.

The Jets would select Gholston sixth overall in that year's draft, and the expectation was that the Detroit native would instantly step in as a difference-maker in Eric Mangini's defense and serve as a foundational piece of the Jets' franchise for years to come.

Instead, he flopped spectacularly in a way that no one could have predicted.

Gholston spent three miserable seasons with the Jets from 2008 to 2010, appearing in 45 games and registering just five starts. Incredibly, he failed to record a single sack in his entire NFL career. There was no redeeming quality to his game, either, as Gholsto struggled in run defense as well.

The Jets tried everything to unlock his potential. Initially, Mangini's staff tried moving Gholston to outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme, hoping his athleticism would translate. Then it was new head coach Rex Ryan who hoped to maximize his raw physical gifts when he arrived in 2009. Nothing worked.

He garnered a reputation as a low-effort player, and his seemingly fundamental inability to grasp pass-rushing techniques made him a constant liability. Jets fans watched week after week, hoping for some sign of life, but none ever came.

The Jets moved on from Gholston after the 2010 season, releasing him after just three years. He briefly latched on with the Chicago Bears before being released prior to the start of the 2011 season. He never played another NFL snap.

Wilson's Jets tenure was disastrous in its own right, but at least he occasionally demonstrated flashes of NFL-level talent. Gholston had essentially zero flashes and quickly proved he was not an NFL-caliber player.

Today, Vernon Gholston is remembered not only as arguably the worst Jets draft pick in franchise history (and that's saying a lot!), but as one of the biggest NFL draft busts ever.

The Wilson miss might be fresh in the minds of many Jets fans, but for those who remember, nothing compares to the sheer disaster that was Vernon Gholston.

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