5 biggest turkeys in Carolina Panthers franchise history
By Dean Jones
Jason Peter
There was a lot to like about the skills Jason Peter brought to the NFL. The defensive end was a force to be reckoned with at Nebraska and the Carolina Panthers thought they were getting a steal in the 1998 NFL Draft when they took him at No. 14 overall.
Peter was a bust, there’s no getting away from it. He recorded just 7.5 sacks in four years before he was released in 2001 and never got another real shot elsewhere.
Injuries did play their part in his eventual demise. But an off the field drug addiction was a hidden secret that Peter only revealed once his career was officially over.
In his autobiography – entitled “Hero of the Underground” – Peter stated he was abusing Cocaine, Ecstacy, and Vicodin during his time with the Panthers, something the organization was unaware of until they read it.
If the decision-makers were set on taking a chance on a prospect with concerns away from the field, then there was a certain wide receiver coming out of Marshall that very same year who didn’t end up having a bad career.
That someone is, of course, Randy Moss.
The wideout went seven spots lower to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 21 and the rest is history. Moss is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Peter will go down as one of the worst high-end draft selections in franchise history.