Braun: With the NFL draft coming up this Saturday, we get the chance to see where the best college players will land. Quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Pat White have been dominating football headlines over the past several weeks, and it’s always a pleasure to watch the great young QBs grow over their time in the pros.

But it’s not as fun as watching them bust.

There are always those players who just can’t get it done on the higher level, and we’ve seen it firsthand. Our own Ron Dayne, a former Heisman winner, just wasn’t the same after he was drafted. Obviously, he didn’t live up to his potential, but he’s not the only player in Wisconsin to be a big time bust.

He didn’t play for UW, but former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Tony Mandarich was a machine for Michigan State. He made as many pancakes as IHOP and was even featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover as “The Incredible Bulk.”

Now I’m not saying it’s always fun to see people struggle, but what is so intriguing about Mandarich’s situation was the pure dominance he displayed in college which simply could not be replicated into NFL play.

Quarterbacks come and go, but in a position comprised almost entirely of brute strength and quickness, one should be able to predict whether someone will be a good offensive lineman. That is why Mandarich, the most dominant lineman in the country in college, is the biggest bust in NFL history.

Solochek: While a guy whose claim to fame is to be big enough to eat an elephant’s weight in pancakes is cool, that sure does not make him the biggest draft bust at all time. However, if averaging 330 yards per game and throwing a 33 touchdown passes during your junior year then retiring about four years later isn’t a bust, then I don’t know what is.

Of course, I am talking about the esteemed career of former Washington State Cougar and San Diego Charger Ryan Leaf.

Coming out of college, Leaf was so highly touted the Changers gave up two first round picks, a second-round pick and two players on the roster just to be in the running for Leaf or Tennessee Volunteer Peyton Manning. Of course, we all know how that ended up for both teams.

In his career as a Charger, Leaf had a whopping quarterback rating of 50 while throwing 36 interceptions compared to only 14 touchdowns from 1999-2000. After three years and only four wins, the San Diego management had enough and released him. He was picked up by Tampa Bay in 2001, but was dropped five days before the season even started and signed with the Cowboys, who dropped him at the end of the season.

For all of the time, money and subsequent draft picks invested in Leaf, there is no way he is not the biggest draft bust of all time.