Denver cut defensive end Courtney Brown Monday, likely marking yet another inglorious end to the career of a No. 1 overall draft pick of a defender.

 

Brown, a Penn State product, was nabbed by Cleveland with the very first pick of the 2000 draft. He showed some flashes in his rookie campaign and recorded a total of nine sacks in his first two seasons. But knee injuries plagued him, he never played a full season after his rookie year, and he moved from Cleveland to Denver in the 2005 season. He did not play a single game last year.

 

Brown's release marks the second time in as many years that a former overall No. 1 pick of a defender was unceremoniously dumped by his employer. Last year, Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson (pictured here), who was selected No. 1 overall by Cincinnati in 1994, was released by Detroit.

 

It turns out that Brown and Wilkinson are just the most recent in a long line of defensive players, dating all the way back to the AFL-NFL merger, who were taken with the first pick of the draft and then failed to live up to expectations.

 

Most projections this year have an offensive player, in all likelihood LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, being grabbed by Oakland with the first overall pick.

 

History shows that selecting an offensive player over a defensive player with that precious No. 1 pick is generally a smart move. The success rate for offensive No. 1s is far greater than it is for defensive No. 1s. The division is obvious when we use Pro Bowls as a barometer of NFL success.

 

Since the first joint AFL-NFL draft in 1967:

There are some fine players on that defensive list. Bruce Smith and Lee Roy Selmon, to name a couple, are two of the finest pass rushers in league history. But most were guys like Big Daddy or Courtney Brown. They never lived up to the hype and expectations.

 

Pretty shocking that 10 of the 14 "can't miss" defenders taken with the No. 1 pick failed to make even a single Pro Bowl in their careers.

The Cold, Hard Football Facts applauded Houston for taking Williams over USC running back Reggie Bush because the defender addressed a more pressing need. But the history of overall No. 1 picks tells us that Bush would have been more likely to have a productive NFL career.

 

Here's a look at the 13 defenders who preceded Williams as overall No. 1 picks since the first joint AFL-NFL draft in 1967.

 

Patulski was a Lombardi Award-winning All American at Notre Dame in 1971 and was later named to the school's All-Century team – quite an achievement at a school that has turned out more pro-caliber talent than any other in history. The Bills had gone just 1-13 in 1971, while the defense surrendered more than 28 PPG in the middle of the NFL's Dead Ball Era. Patulski was brought in to give the team a fighting chance. They did make the playoffs in 1974, but a year later, Patulski was sent to the Cardinals for a second-round draft pick. He was injured and retired after one season in St. Louis and after appearing in 70 NFL games.

 

For roughly 40 years, everything New England touched turned to garbage. Sims was part of an ignominious list that included 1970 Heisman winner Jim Plunkett and All-American linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer in 1999. He was supposed to be a difference-making DT out of Texas, but had only 17 sacks in a disappointing eight-year career.

 

The Auburn linebacker was billed as a defender who could play LB or DE. It turned out he could play neither. Bruce started just 42 games in his 11-year career. He was expected to be a game-changing force but recorded just 32 sacks and 4 INTs. Even a mid-career flight to the Raiders could not save Bruce from the bust list.

 

In addition to having the most awkward name to pronounce this side of Jose Maria Olazabal, Emtman couldn't stay on the field, thanks to a series of injuries. The lineman out of Washington tore up his knee halfway through his rookie campaign and never lived up to expectations. He showed promise with three sacks in 1992, but recorded just five more over the next five seasons in pro football. He'll settle for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame later this year.

 

The former Penn State defensive end was part of one of the best defensive lines in football with Denver in 2005. But his career, which included five previous seasons with the Browns, has been a disaster. Cleveland ranked 31st, 25th, 19th, 29th and 27th in total defense during his tenure there. Brown has recorded just 195 tackles and 19 sacks in seven seasons. Among the great Browns, Courtney rates well behind Jim, Paul and Charlie.

 

Charles Allen Smith might have been another fine player in the Baltimore Colts dynasty. "Bubba" Smith was a star. In fact, he was a national icon in college, earning fame as the stud defensive tackle who helped Michigan State fight to a 10-10 tie with No. 1 Notre Dame in the famed 1966 "Game of the Century" – one of the most-watched football games in history. In the NFL, he made only two Pro Bowls and played nine years. But the Colts were a high-profile team and the 6-7 Smith used his charisma to become a celebrity. He was no bust, but he wasn't an all-time great either. When's the release date for Police Academy 8?

 

Like Bubba Smith, Matuszak was more Hollywood flash than pro football cash. The defensive end from small-school University of Tampa signed with two pro teams: the Oilers and the Houston Texans of the short-lived World Football League. He never played for either and was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He found success in Oakland, where he won Super Bowls in 1976 and 1981. Still, he never made a Pro Bowl, was best-known as a hard-partying bad boy, and was a situational player for John Madden and Tom Flores' teams. As an actor, "Tooz" appeared in Hunter (which starred former pro great Fred Dryer), MASH, the A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard and Miami Vice. He also starred on the big screen in North Dallas Forty and The Goonies.

 

Cousineau was a two-time All American as a linebacker at Ohio State, but was one of the worst picks of the post-merger era, if only because he never played for the Bills. He was so offended by Buffalo's miserly offer that he went to play for the Montreal Allouettes of the CFL – for twice the money! He earned Grey Cup MVP honors his rookie year and returned to the NFL in 1982, playing four years in Cleveland and two as a backup in San Francisco. He was a good NFL player (he led Cleveland in tackles three times) but not a great one. He recorded 10 INTs and 6.5 sacks, and never played in a Pro Bowl. He's currently running for a seat as a state representative in Ohio.

 

The Cowboys drafted unbelievably well during their Super Bowl run, but the Maryland selection was not among the starry highlights. The defensive tackle out of Miami contributed to the Cowboys' three 1990s titles, but never distinguished himself and was released after their Super Bowl XXX victory over Pittsburgh. He signed with the Raiders as a free agent in 1996 and finished with the Packers in 2000. He recorded more than 3 sacks in a season just twice and had a total of just 24 in a 10-year career. Maryland re-signed ceremonially with Dallas in 2002 so that he could retire a Cowboy.

 

The Ohio State interior lineman was supposed to be the NFL's great nose tackle of the 1990s. Instead, he's a journeyman with more chins than the staff here at Cold, Hard Football Facts.com. If he returns to the NFL this year, it will be with the fourth team of his career. After an underachieving start to his career, he has slowly become less and less productive. He twice recorded as many as 8 sacks in a season – in 1995 and 1999 – but has just 13 over the past six campaigns. He topped out with 44 tackles in 1994, 1996 and 1998. His 26 total tackles last year was his most since 1999. He has snared 5 INTs – an unusually high number for a DT, but not enough to elevate him to the heights expected of an overall No. 1 pick.

 

THE SUPERSTARS 

Jones is not in the Hall of Fame, but he's certainly a member of the Hall of Pretty Frickin' Good. He was the NFL's defensive MVP in 1982, played 15 years with the Cowboys, participated in 16 playoff games, including three Super Bowls, and won a championship in 1977. He even took the 1979 season off to box, winning all of his bouts, then returned to garner three Pro Bowl appearances. Oh, and if you were wondering, he was 6-9 – which is, ever so slightly, Too Tall. But not Too Shabby for a player out of Tennessee State University (a far cry from the University of Tennessee).

 

Selmon, a defensive end out of Oklahoma, was the very first pick in Tampa franchise history. Despite playing with some of the worst teams in history (0-14 in 1976; 2-12 in 1977), the speed-rushing demon appeared in six straight Pro Bowls, was a three-time All-Pro, was the NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year four times and the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. Selmon was also Tampa's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in its debut 1976 season. An injury ended his career in 1985, but his spectacular ability punched his ticket to Canton in 1995. He now owns a chain of restaurants in the Tampa area.

 

Well, the third time was the charm for the Bills. They failed miserably in the 1970s with Patulski and Cousineau, but they struck gold with Smith, a defensive end from Virginia Tech. Smith is the NFL's all-time sack leader (200) and was the defensive cornerstone of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl teams. He was named to the Pro Bowl every year from 1987 to 1998 (except for 1991, when he struggled with a knee injury) and was twice honored as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. The Pro Football Hall of Fame named him to its All-Decade Teams for both the 1980s and 1990s. He'll be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009.