Mike Tannenbaum's draft record as an NFL executive left much to be desired, but it appears there's one pick that especially haunts him.
Tannenbaum, now an analyst with ESPN, opened up about the failed "process" that led his former team, the Jets, to draft Ohio State edge rusher Vernon Gholston with the sixth overall pick back in 2008.
Responding to comments from fellow panelist Dan Orlovsky about the importance of drafting players based on their projected NFL production rather than on their college stats, Tannenbaum agreed and seemed to suggest that's where the Gholston pick had gone awry.
"One of the biggest mistakes of my career was drafting Vernon Gholston with the sixth pick," Tannenbaum said on Tuesday morning's episode of Get Up. "It was a projection. He played with his hand down. We were transitioning to a 3-4.
"It was a bad decision, with a bad process. We should have done that in the second or third round, and you can live to fight another day."
Gholston had an impressive career at Ohio State, including 30.5 tackles for loss in 31 games, and performed well at the NFL Draft Combine.
But he seemed to be miscast as a linebacker in the Jets' 3-4 defensive scheme, and never established himself under either Eric Mangini nor his successor, Rex Ryan.
Gholston retired after appearing in regular-season games across three years with the Jets, tallying 42 tackles in 45 career games, and, amazingly, zero sacks. He also had preseason tryouts with the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.
Tannenbaum joined ESPN after a short-lived stint with the Miami Dolphins following his departure from the Jets.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram