Heisman Busts & Stars

Heisman winners: 17 NFL busts and ten who became stars, according to TheSportsDrop.com. The flaw in this is that the Heisman goes to the best college player, not the top NFL prospect. The player is only a bust if they are drafted high and don’t work out. Then perhaps the team was the one making the mistake. If the player falls in the draft to a later round, or isn’t drafted at all, it’s hard to consider that player a bust. And being drafted high by a bad team bodes poorly for success.  

Some of these players were one year wonders, or won the Heisman in down years when there wasn’t much competition.

1. 2014 Johnny Manziel 22nd overall

2. 2011 Robert Griffin 2nd overall injuries

3. 2007 Tim Tebow 25th overall

4. 2008 Sam Bradford 1st overall

5. 2004 Matt Leinart 10th overall

6. 2000 Chris Weinke 4th round too old

7. 1999 Ron Dayne 11th overall

8. 2006 Troy Smith fell to 5th round

9. 2003 Jason White wasn’t drafted bad knees

10. 1996 Danny Wuerffel 4th round

11. 1966 Steve Spurrier 3rd overall 

12. 1994 Rashaan Salaam 21st overall

13. 1990 Ty Detmer 9th round too small

14. 1989 Andre Ware 1st overall to Lions

15. 1992 Gino Torretta 7th round

16. 1976 Archie Griffin 24th overall

17. 1991 Desmond Howard 4th overall won SB MVP

Ten Heisman winners who became stars. How do you define a star? There’s a difference between being popular, having a great season or two versus a hall of fame career. And shouldn’t the first overall pick become a star?

1. 2010 Cam Newton 1st overall

2. 1997 Charles Woodson 4th overall HOF

3. 1988 Barry Sanders 3rd overall HOF

4. 1968 OJ Simpson 1st overall HOF

5. 1985 Bo Jackson 1st overall

6. 1981 Marcus Allen 10th overall HOF

7. 1987 Tim Brown 6th overall HOF

8. 1976 Tony Dorsett 2nd overall HOF 

9. 1963 Roger Staubach HOF

10. 1977 Earl Campbell 1st overall HOF

Bo Jackson will not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and its very doubtful Cam Newton will either.

As far as clickbait articles go, this one’s worse than average. For the most part the first 50 years of the NFL are ignored. The top nine busts all came in the past 21 years, with six of the other eight in the ten years before that. Not very much out of the box thinking here. What about Pat Sullivan? I could go on.

https://thesportsdrop.com/15-heisman-trophy-winners-who-were-complete-busts-in-the-nfl-and-10-who-became-stars/?utm_term=msn-defaulthomepage&utm_content=1047944&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=msn-defaulthomepage&utm_campaign=Heisman_Busts_3a_DT&test=pre

Shoe of the day # 31: my old Hoka Ones.

Lately they're just biding their time.