10 biggest NFL draft busts in Oklahoma football history
By Josh Yourish
. 1981. No. 17 overall. Keith Gary, DE. 8. player. 55. Keith Gary. Keith Gary, DE.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers took Gary 17th overall in 1981, his arrival in the NFL was delayed by two seasons. He made a brief pitstop in the CFL on a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes before finally joining the Steelers in 1983.
Not only does the delay factor into Gary’s inclusion on this list but judging by his production, it's hard to say that he was worth the wait. Gary’s best season in the NFL was his first when he amassed 7.5 sacks in 16 games with two starts, but in 1984 as a 25-year-old Gary finished with only four sacks in 16 games with 11 starts.
Over his remaining four years in Pittsburgh, Gary never topped his 7.5 sacks and never started more than nine games in a given season. He finished his six-year NFL career with a pedestrian 25 sacks and 35 starts.
A rotational defensive lineman is a useful player, but not in the first round, and especially not when he gives two of his prime seasons to a rival league.