#49. Rod Walters, Guard, 1976. 14th pick.
You'll see Walters listed sometimes as one of the worst first-round guard picks ever. I remember nothing about him.
He was drafted in 1976, then missed the entire 1977 season with an injury. He was back in 1978 and 1979, then got cut mid-season in 1980. Overall, he was active for 52 games and got 7 starts. He had very short stints with the Lions and Dolphins in 1980, and then drifted away from the NFL.
He lost his job because as a first-round pick he couldn't replace Tom Condon and Bob Simmons at the guard spots. If you couldn't make the team in the late 1970s, you're a bona fide bust. Sorry, Rod.
I can't find any pictures of Rod in a game, but I think he's #76 in this 1976 team photo. These were the years that the team wasn't even organized enough to take a team photo lined up in numerical order.
Apparently he participated in the 1970s afro trend when he was playing at Iowa.
