Former Tennessee Vols quarterback named by CBS Sports as an all-time NFL Draft bust
A former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback was named by CBS Sports this week as one of the top NFL Draft busts of all time — not exactly a list any former player ever wants to land on.
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Heath Shuler was named by CBS Sports this week as one of the top NFL Draft busts of all time.
CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell recently identified each NFL franchise’s biggest draft bust, and he went with former Volunteers quarterback Heath Shuler for the Washington Commanders.
Shuler was selected by Washington with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft.
“Heath Shuler’s lowlight was the 1994 season when he averaged 13.8 yards per completion and a 45.3% completion percentage,” wrote Podell. “After starting 13 games in his first two years, Gus Frerotte, a 1994 seventh-round pick, beat out Shuler for the starting quarterback job. That resulted in Washington trading him away to the New Orleans Saints in 1997 in exchange for a 1997 fifth-round pick and a 1998 third-round pick.”
Shuler’s NFL career didn’t go very well — he was out of the league before he turned 30 — but he left behind quite a legacy on Rocky Top.
The North Carolina native was the SEC Player of the Year in 1993 after passing for 2,354 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Vols to a 10-2 record.
Shuler would go on to serve three terms in the House of Representatives, representing North Carolina’s 11th district.