South Carolina Football: Top-5 (Bottom-5?) NFL Draft busts in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football's Top-5 All-Time NFL Draft Busts
No. 5 Defensive Tackle Emanuel Weaver
Big Emanuel Weaver (drafted Round 2, Pick 27; 54th overall in the 1982 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals) had a solid career in Columbia after being a junior college All-American. The Bengals liked what they saw, and they picked him up in the 2nd round to help shore up the defensive line for a team that had just played in the Super Bowl that winter.
That's not how Emanuel Weaver's NFL career went, however. After playing just 5 games in his career, he was out of the NFL as he battled his health and inconsistent play. However, when the players went on strike in 1987, he was signed as a replacement player by the Atlanta Falcons and started for the team. However, as a replacement player, when the strike ended, he was released and never played again.
With 7 games played in his career, Weaver didn't deliver 2nd round pick production for the Bengals, Saints, or Falcons. It makes it worse that future Pro Bowl defensive tackle Joe Nash was available at the time the Bengals picked Weaver.