March 1, 2026, 12:52 p.m. ET

In the words of Smashing Pumpkins, “shakedown 1979, cool kids, never had the time.” However, the time is right, given how NFL Draft season is firing up now (with the combine in full swing) to flash back to the 1979 edition, which saw something we will almost certainly never see again. 

Some things are just so strange they forever remain worth revisiting, like when the New Orleans Saints drafted a punter in the first round. It wasn’t a late first round pick either, as the Saints took Russell Erxleben out of Texas with the 11th overall pick. Yes, this was a thing that actually happened, and it remains humorous to fans of every team other than the Saints. 

Erxleben is ranked the biggest draft bust in Saints history and third worst in NFL history by CBS Sports, who write: 

“No wonder New Orleans was the laughing stock of the 1970s, causing its fans to eventually put bags over their heads by the start of the next decade. Erxleben competed for the place-kicking job in his rookie season, and lost, attempting just six field goals in his career.”

With possible exception of the Iowa Hawkeyes program, punting is not hugely prioritized in football these days, so it’s safe to say that something like this will likely not happen again. 

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And it’s true that the Saints were known as “The Aints” for much of their early history, with very bad drafting being a major reason for that. Erxleben was of course just one example of a much larger problem, as the Saints spent their first two decades suffering through total futility. 

Founded in 1966, it took New Orleans 21 years to make their first playoff appearance, 31 years to obtain their first division title and 48 years to reach a Super Bowl, when they finally won it all. 

As for Erxleben, he would go on to have much bigger problems than being a draft bust in his life. Twice convicted of financial fraud, he once ended up having to serve a short sentence in a federal prison.

He literally went from punting and placekicking to Ponzi scheming and penitentiary.