I here people talking about how Timmons is already a bust, how if he doesn't start this year he should be qualified as a bust. This is insane. I personally think it is bias against that particular player to call them a bust when they are 21 years old.

I will give a few examples of what a true NFL Draft bust is.

Most players enter the NFL ranging from 20 to 24 years old. Few players enter at 25 or older.

The age is very important, especially for first round picks. I will start off with Timmons. He was drafted at age 20, and was 21 for the entire 2007 season. He will be 22 in 1 week.

I believe it is always better to draft younger player because they have the potential to have a longer career. Not sure of the exact age of players who retire but lets say most LBers retire at 34.

Timmons would have 13 years in the NFL. If his first year as a starter is his third year, he will be a starter for 10 years. Lets say he gets drafted at age 24. He could play 10 years, and 7 as a starter. His first year as a starter will be age 27. He will have 3 years until he reaches "That age" of 30 years old where players decline. As of now, if Timmons does not start till next year, he will be 23 when he makes his first start. He has 7 years of playing time before reaching "that age". And 7 years starting is a very long time period to establish yourself, before declining after age 30.

Basically the point is, players who are younger like Timmons can afford to sit for a few years without being called a bust simply because they were so young and still have many years left. If he was 24, it would be extremely important that he starts by his second year at the latest.

Rashard Mendenhall: I love this pick even more because he, like Timmons, was only 20 when drafted. He will be 21 in June. He will probably be sitting behind Parker for a few years. If he was drafted at age 24, he might not get to start until age 27. And for a Running Back, that is a very bad age to begin starting. Think of Larry Johnson. Drafted at age 24, didn't start until age 26, and now he is 29 years old. He had a very promising career but was drafted at an older age and then sat for 2 years. Now he only has one year before he hits 30, and is already beginning to become injury prone(like last year).

So let me explain what a true bust is:

Ryan Leaf: Started his first game at 22 years old in 1998. Missed the next year, and started 9 games in the NFL in 2000, then finished his career in 01, where he started 3 games, then out of the NFL.

Akili Smith: Started 4 games his rookie year at age 24. Over the next 3 years he started 13 games, then was out of the NFL.

These are the two main examples of true busts.

Lets say a player is drafted in the 1st round and does basically nothing his first 5 years in the NFL. Then comes in during his 6th year and sets the league on fire for a few years. Would you classify him as a bust? I wouldn't because he still had a great career, just started off slow.

Example - James Farrior: Drafted 8th overall in 1997. Started 15 games his rookie year but his numbers were not all that great. He was a OLB at that point and recorded only 1.5 sacks his first year.His next 3 seasons, he started only 12 games and recorded 3 sacks total. In 2001, his last year with the Jets he turned around and started every game while getting 145 tackles, 3 FF and 2 INTs. He then came to the Steelers(6 years so far) and has been to the pro bowl and has been very good with us. Would you consider him a bust?

In short, a bust is someone who never accomplishes anything in the NFL, and is a very bad player.

Calling a guy a bust when he is just turning 22, because he hasn't seen the field at all because the two guys in front of him are solid-good(Foote, Farrior) is really foolish.

In my opinion you need to wait until he gets on the field as a starter. However, if he never becomes a starter then he would obviously become a bust(Example - Alonzo Jackson).

Another example could be Kellen Winslow. Some say if Timmons doesn't start this year, he is a bust. By that definition, then Winslow, one of the best TE's in the game should be considered a bust since he only played two games his first two years in the league. Of course he was injured those years, but that would be besides the point.

I personally believe some people just like throwing the word bust out there just because they don't think he was a good pick or just don't like him, without any real sense of what it actually means.

So what are your definitions of busts?