I don't agree with Reggie Bush. He didn't end up being "nothing" he won a super bowl, rushed for 5500 yards, and caught 3600. He obviously didn't dominate like he did at college but he was still a solid player.
Recency Bias probably Harry. Still think he can be decent but has been pretty irrelevant in New England.
Stole this from Quora because I think it's a reasonable take on Bush, who I fucking loved as a player albeit at a program I really don't like. I think the 0 Pro Bowls is worthy of mention. You have a top 3 pick, from a name program with a pretty face who everyone likes ... if his play is even CLOSE to Pro Bowl worthy, his popularity and name get him over the hump.
He wasn't a bust, but he was a disappointment[/b]. Here's his career in a nutshell in terms of benchmarks that teams are looking for. He signed a six year rookie contract, and was traded after five years. For a top three pick, teams expect to draft somebody they'll want to keep.
He was a starter for six seasons (two with New Orleans). That's average-ish. Looking at players drafted 1st, 2nd, or 3rd from 1990 through 2014, there are 75 players, 37 of them were starters for 7 or more years. The team that drafts a player that high is expecting that the player will be a starter more years than not on his rookie contract.[/b]
He made no Pro Bowls[/b], which isn't that unusual. The majority of top three picks (45 out of those 75) made at least one Pro Bowl.[/b]
Compared to the six other running backs drafted in that same 1-3 area over that time period, he was in the middle. Marshall Faulk is in the Hall of Fame. Garrison Hearst was a bit more productive than Bush, Ronnie Brown a little less productive, Blair Thomas and Trent Richardson were busts and Ki-Jana Carter's career was derailed by injuries.
Bush was always going to be a part-time player. He didn`t have the size or strength to be a feature back. Using a premium pick like a #2 for somebody who, even if healthy, isn't going to be on the field all the time just doesn't make a lot of sense. But, football is also a business, and boy oh boy, he sold tickets and he sold jerseys. From THAT point of view, he was a great pick.[/i]