4. Sylvester Morris
The Chiefs selected wide receiver Sylvester Morris out of Jackson State with the 21st pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. If you look at the picks after Sylvester Morris going all the way through the second round, there were a handful of players who had quality NFL careers. That said, it’s understandable why the Chiefs went with Morris with the 21st pick.
Morris played his college ball for the Division I-AA program Jackson State Tigers, now classified as an FCS program. The Tigers were a middle of the pack DI-AA program, but had winning seasons each year Morris was on the team.
So, Morris came from a good program, but was arguably a developmental prospect. What made him a tempting prospect was his size and athleticism. Morris had great size for a receiver at 6’3″ and 216 pounds. What’s more, he was a pretty good athlete. At the 2000 NFL Combine, Morris ran a 4.60 second forty-yard dash, ran a 7.06 second three-cone drill, and ran a 4.17 second 20-yard shuttle. His size and shiftiness made him a promising NFL receiver.
What’s unique is that Morris actually had a pretty productive rookie year. In his only year with the team, he started 14 games, caught 48 passes, amassed 678 yards and caught 3 touchdown passes. He was a productive player and looked to be just beginning a promising career.
Unfortunately, while he was technically on the team for four years he was only able to play in one of them. Morris sustained repeated knee injuries that completely derailed his career in Kansas City. As such, he never played for the team after the 2001 season.
Based on these factors, here’s how Morris scored according to my criteria:
Morris checks in at number four on this list of draft busts for one primary reason. While he looked to have a promising beginning to his career, serious injuries completely derailed it. It’s unfortunate, as he only barely preceded the great years of offense the Chiefs displayed in the early 2000s. It’s easy to imagine he might have had a long successful career catching passes from Trent Green alongside players like Tony Gonzalez, Priest Holmes, and Eddie Kennison.
CRITERIA SCORE: 3