The story of how the Colts had the Top 2 picks in the NFL Draft and blew them both

For much of Indianapolis Colts history, the team was looking to rebuild. Before Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning, there had been year after year of losses, promises to rebuild, and more losses again. And then there was the 1992 NFL Draft, when the Colts were given a golden opportunity... and saw it completely destroyed.

When 1992 rolled around, the Colts were making a playoff appearance once every 10 years or so, but that year's draft was offering something special: Indianapolis would have the first two overall picks, something that happened for the first time since 1958. The year's draft ended up being a bust overall, to be fair, but it hit the Colts particularly hard, with both of those picks being duds.

“It wasn’t like Jan. 2 we knew those guys would be our picks,” then-defensive coordinator Rick Venturi told Yahoo! Sports. “For me, that winter was probably the busiest winter I’ve ever spent.”

#2: Quentin Coryatt

Hailing from Texas A&M, Coryatt was a linebacker who didn't even begin playing until his junior year. But when he did begin to play, he made some waves as part of the all-star defensive unit known as the "Wrecking Crew." For that, he was named Newcomer of the Year in his conference, and went on to continue making a strong impression his senior year.

Most notably, he had a tackle so ferocious that it knocked the other player clean out. In a nationally televised game against Texas Christian University, Coryatt hit wide receiver Kyle McPherson so hard he went unconscious, and broke McPherson's jaw in three places.

It wasn't much of a surprise that the Colts were interested in him. Yet it wasn't easy to seal the deal; the Colts had an 11-hour negotiation session with his agent, Steve Zucker. Coryatt ended up being paid an extra $1 million to be the #2 pick behind Steve Emtman at #1, and though Coryatt didn't have much experience, the team was optimistic.

Coryatt started his first seven games, and then disaster struck when he broke his wrist. He rebounded at first, but Venturi was fired, and he was moved to a new position, which was the beginning of the end. A second injury was the final nail in his coffin.

While Coryatt's career fared better than Emtman did, he didn't end up living to the potential that many hoped he would have.

#1: Steve Emtman

Emtman's story is even more tragic than Coryatt's. While Coryatt's career was never able to completely take off due to a combination of injuries and poor coaching, Emtman's career was never able to start at all. Emtman helped the University of Washington win the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly a decade, and is widely considered to be one of the best college defenders of all time. He won numerous awards, and came in fourth in the ballot for the Heisman Trophy.

And at first, it seemed like a good pick. One of his most notable plays was an interception from Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, and ran it back an astonishing 90 yards for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, injuries destroyed any chance Emtman had of building a successful career. Just nine weeks into his rookie season, he sujffered a torn ACL and MCL, completely blowing out his left knee. He recovered and came back the next year - not as good as the year before, but still capable.

Until he blew out his other knee.

“As you get away from it for a few years, it’s like, ‘Man, it would have been a lot smarter to get 100 percent healthy,’” Emtman told Fox Sports in 2016. “But I didn’t, and it’s kind of one of those things I wish I could have changed, but I don’t regret anything.”

What kind of career might Emtman have had without those injuries? There's no way to tell now, but it's a tragedy to think of what might have been. And for the Colts - it's even worse, knowing they had the top two picks, with neither helping the team at all.

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