5 biggest NFL draft busts in Kentucky football history

Kentucky won't be producing another first-round pick in 2024, but that also means no Wildcat taken this year will be seen as a big NFL draft bust, which is a bit of a silver-lining.

December 8 2002;Jacksonville,FL,USA; Quarterback Tim Couch of the Cleveland Browns in action against / Paul Chapman

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Randy Burke, WR. player. Randy Burke. . . No. 26 overall. 3. 1977. Randy Burke, WR. 46

Randy Burke was one of the original draft process risers who snuck into the first round on athletic traits more than production. Kentucky played a run-heavy style while Burke was there, so in his three seasons on the field, he never eclipsed even 200 yards receiving for a season. Then, at the Senior Bowl, Burke dominated with 11 catches for 126 yards, just four grabs and 26 yards shy of his 11-game total in his senior year.

Burke shot into the first round and was taken by the Baltimore Colts, but proved that his Senior Bowl was an aberration. Burke didn’t catch a single pass over 15 games as a rookie and in Year 2, he finished with six catches for 151 yards.

He only spent four years in the NFL and his career high for receiving yards was 185 in 1980 a year in which he missed six games to injury.

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