Dawn of the Dawg
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10 Biggest Georgia Bulldogs NFL Draft busts of all time

By Michael Collins

Quarterback Eric Zeier of the Cleveland Browns Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewar
Quarterback Eric Zeier of the Cleveland Browns Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewar /
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Cody Jones #76 of the Los Angeles Rams gets blocked by Royce Smith #64 of the Atlanta Falcons (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Cody Jones #76 of the Los Angeles Rams gets blocked by Royce Smith #64 of the Atlanta Falcons (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Royce Smith. 5. player. 15. . OG. New Orleans Saints

Georgia Bulldogs NFL Draft bust No. 2: Royce Smith

1972 NFL Draft, Round 1, Pick 8
New Orleans Saints, 1972-1973
Atlanta Falcons, 1974-1976

The Saints looked at Royce Smith as one of the next big anchors of their offensive line. His legendary Georgia career led New Orleans to take the massive guard with the No. 8 overall pick in the 1972 draft.

Instead of getting a roadblock to protect quarterback Archie Manning, the Saints ended up with barely serviceable backup.

Smith never started a single game during his New Orleans career or during his subsequent three seasons in Atlanta. A top-ten pick that never even gets a start can only be labeled as a tremendous bust.

Truthfully, Smith would probably land higher on this list if the Saints were a more established franchise who weren’t still trying to build a team.

Sadly, Smith died at the young age of 54 in 2004.

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