No. 2 worst NFL Draft pick in Panthers history: Rashard Anderson
Welcome to the dark side of the NFL Draft, as we re-visit the 10 worst picks in Carolina Panthers history.
No. 2 worst pick: DB Rashard Anderson (2000)
The Panthers took the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Anderson with the No. 23 overall pick in 2000 and he started the first nine games of the 2001 season. But he struggled as he transitioned from safety as a rookie to cornerback in year two.
The Jackson State product wouldn’t get another chance to show the league whether he improved — the NFL suspended him for the 2002 season after repeated failed drug tests. When he was finally reinstated following the 2003 season, the Panthers released him, and he never played another down in the NFL.
Anderson was the last of a three-draft streak of failed first-round picks for Carolina. Moreover, the Panthers traded a second-round pick in 1998 to the Miami Dolphins for the first-round slot they used on Anderson.
The Dolphins used Carolina’s original second-rounder on All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain, who played 11 seasons in the NFL.
This story was originally published April 21, 2019 at 11:33 AM.
