10 biggest NFL draft busts in Auburn football history
By Josh Yourish
Nick Fairley. Nick Fairley. 9. player. Nick Fairley. . 2011. No. 13 overall. . 50
In his final year at Auburn in 2010, Fairley amassed a staggering 24.0 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks from the interior defensive line. He was a worthy selection with the 13th overall pick, but wasn’t nearly as disruptive in the NFL.
Fairley played next to Ndamukong Suh on the Detroit defensive line, but over his four seasons with the Lions his career high was six sacks in 2013. He dealt with injury the next year and after his contract ran out in Detroit, he signed a one-year deal with St. Louis.
Sometimes with players on the offensive or defensive line, it’s hard to tell from the numbers the impact that the player had, so it’s best to listen to what the league thought of them, and the league didn’t think very highly of Fairley. After one season with the Rams, he signed with New Orleans and was out of the league after just six seasons, despite recording a career high 6.5 sacks for the Saints.