After what some readers are calling controversial selections at the top of the list of the Baltimore Ravens biggest draft busts in history, we are now hitting the middle of the pack. The Ravens drafted LB Tavares Gooden in the third round (71st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. This was the same draft that they got QB Joe Flacco in the first round and RB Ray Rice in the second, and both have turned into legitimate stars in the NFL.
Meanwhile, Gooden has failed to earn himself a starting gig even though the team has given him every opportunity to be the next great Ravens linebacker. Other linebackers either drafted later or not at all have come in and outplayed Tavares and while the team still seems to have faith in him, their level of confidence is nowhere near what it was and what they envisioned coming out of ILB Ray Lewis' alma mater at the University of Miami.
Whether or not Gooden will "earn" his way off of this list or not will still need to be determined but with the success at producing solid linebackers over the years, Gooden certainly does not fit into that category right now and does however, fit into the "bust" category instead.
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