With all the Isaiah Simmons talks it got me thinking about the players who were great college guys, touted as ‘freakish’ during the combine/draft, but then just never put it together in the NFL.
Taylor Mays came to mind. Who else is worthy of this team?
An obvious steroid user when he was at Michigan State. And GB picked him over Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and Derrick Thomas, LOFL.
Larry Donnell?
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I forget.
Larry Donnell?
Adrian Robinson. Caught a few passes.
Aaron Curry came a few years after him.
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I don’t think people realize what a freak he was athletically.
Really? I loved him and think he was a great CB before he was hurt. But, I didn't find anything freakish about his athleticism.
Yeah he was incredibly strong for his size, and faster before he tore his knee up. Really an incredible all around athlete. I wouldn't say he let down the Giants though, he had a pretty good career even after he tore up his knee.
Absolutely. I was on the sideline for a couple Skins games in his era and met him. He looked like Robocop and was one of the fastest guys on the field. Like Simmons less 20 pounds.
One if these things is not like the others...
True, but he was a very good player, so he doesn’t fit the point of this thread.
He's the patron saint of this list. *grin*
Clint Sintim
Oshane Ximenes
Elerson Smith
Big athletic guys that didn’t do anything in the NFL.
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Mamula was the first one I remember
He's the patron saint of this list. *grin*
Definitely, he was the OG of overhyped Combine athletes. So funny that Philly fell for it.
Yeah, that’s a good one, but you may get push back from some of the Tebow worshipers here.
Tebow was a 1st round pick who lasted two seasons with his draft team and less than 3 on an NFL roster.
he played 35 NFL games.
Heyward-Bey lasted 10 years in the NFL and played in 144 games and had over 200 receptions and 16 TDs. Tebow, a QB, had just 17 TD passes, lol.
I get with a QB it may be harder to hang on than WR, but I don't see much difference in their NFL success.
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qualify? Obviously one of the most decorated college players of all time and probably on the top 50 or so list of best college players of all time.
He's a weird one because how many really expected him to have NFL success?
Was Tim Tebow really thought of as an Athletic Freak coming out of college? When it comes to QB Athletic freaks, I then to think of RG3, Justin Fields, and Josh Allen. Guys who everyone believed was going to be runners/passers types. I don't remember Tebow being thought of in that class, more like people believe his pocket passing was better than it was...
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and his warts were known heading into the league. When I think letdown I think of player who didn’t come close to meeting expectations, like a Heyward-Bey. Unreal speed but absolutely stunk.
Tebow was a 1st round pick who lasted two seasons with his draft team and less than 3 on an NFL roster.
he played 35 NFL games.
Heyward-Bey lasted 10 years in the NFL and played in 144 games and had over 200 receptions and 16 TDs. Tebow, a QB, had just 17 TD passes, lol.
I get with a QB it may be harder to hang on than WR, but I don't see much difference in their NFL success.
Two completely different scenarios. Tebow was lucky to be drafted in the 1st by probably the one guy dumb enough to take him and he had a successful season, one far better than anything DHB did despite playing a lot longer (part of why he hung around is due to his elite speed and getting additional chances because of it).
That said we may be answering this question differently so that’s a factor as well.
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I don’t think people realize what a freak he was athletically.
True, but he was a very good player, so he doesn’t fit the point of this thread.
Then you underestimate his athleticism. If you watched him play, he was a stud for all of approx 2 years and still ascending until they had him do returns and he wrecked his knee. Game over. So yes, he was a “very good player” for 2 years but his potential, as translated to on the field dominance, was seen and just getting better.
It was a letdown from what could have been. As an extreme analogy, Bo Jackson is the poster child for this. Great player, for a few short years, and his injury was a “letdown” for what could have been. Like Sehorn, an athletic freak which translated on the field, ascending re gameday performance, and then total disappointment after injury.
I don’t think he was ever that good in the pros. Great in college, full marketing hype by early 90s standards, and Bo Jackson literally broke him in the Monday night game. Bo ran directly at him 3x in a row even though he could have ran outside. He had 200 yds in that game. Bo admitted after he wanted to break Bosworths spirit. The game cameras even showed bosworth leaving the field crying from what Bo did to him in the 3 consecutive runs up the middle.
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In comment 16559555 pjcas18 said:
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qualify? Obviously one of the most decorated college players of all time and probably on the top 50 or so list of best college players of all time.
He's a weird one because how many really expected him to have NFL success?
Was Tim Tebow really thought of as an Athletic Freak coming out of college? When it comes to QB Athletic freaks, I then to think of RG3, Justin Fields, and Josh Allen. Guys who everyone believed was going to be runners/passers types. I don't remember Tebow being thought of in that class, more like people believe his pocket passing was better than it was...
Tim Tebow RAS 9.92
RG3 9.88
Allen 9.74
Don't think Fields has one reported,but almost certainly lower than Tebow. Tebow was a great athlete, quite possibly the greatest college player of all time, and could not play at the NFL level.
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In comment 16559595 Matt M. said:
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In comment 16559555 pjcas18 said:
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qualify? Obviously one of the most decorated college players of all time and probably on the top 50 or so list of best college players of all time.
He's a weird one because how many really expected him to have NFL success?
Was Tim Tebow really thought of as an Athletic Freak coming out of college? When it comes to QB Athletic freaks, I then to think of RG3, Justin Fields, and Josh Allen. Guys who everyone believed was going to be runners/passers types. I don't remember Tebow being thought of in that class, more like people believe his pocket passing was better than it was...
Tim Tebow RAS 9.92
RG3 9.88
Allen 9.74
Don't think Fields has one reported,but almost certainly lower than Tebow. Tebow was a great athlete, quite possibly the greatest college player of all time, and could not play at the NFL level.
He was a great all around athlete but not a freak at anyone thing. In college, that translates and he was a great leader and teammate. In the pros, being a leader and teammate doesn’t translate if you can’t make the throws. His throwing mechanics and arm were awful. He also had a pretty good supporting cast in college.
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In comment 16559437 NJBlueTuna said:
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I don’t think people realize what a freak he was athletically.
True, but he was a very good player, so he doesn’t fit the point of this thread.
Then you underestimate his athleticism. If you watched him play, he was a stud for all of approx 2 years and still ascending until they had him do returns and he wrecked his knee. Game over. So yes, he was a “very good player” for 2 years but his potential, as translated to on the field dominance, was seen and just getting better.
It was a letdown from what could have been. As an extreme analogy, Bo Jackson is the poster child for this. Great player, for a few short years, and his injury was a “letdown” for what could have been. Like Sehorn, an athletic freak which translated on the field, ascending re gameday performance, and then total disappointment after injury.
I don’t disagree that he was a tremendous athlete, I disagree that his career was a disappointment. Even after the knee injury, he was a very good CB, and was critical in the SB run in 2000.
Outside of that one monster performance against the Saints, he really didn't live up to his athletic potential.
Recently Michael Strahan said Sehorn was the absolute best athlete he ever worked with
His doctor told him he had the shoulders of an elderly man
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I don’t think people realize what a freak he was athletically.
Really? I loved him and think he was a great CB before he was hurt. But, I didn't find anything freakish about his athleticism.
Nobody wants to say it, but he has freakish athleticism for a whiteguy playing DB. But as others have mentioned, he was not a letdown because he was actually a good DB cut down by injuries. He was not a Jane who looked like Tarzan, which I assume was the point of the thread.
Whomever said Matt Jones above nailed a great one. 6'6", 242 lb QB who ran a 4.37 40. 39.5" vert and a 10'9" broad jump at the combine. Guy was drafted in the 1st rnd by Jax to be a WR at the 21st overall pick even though he played QB at Arkansas his entire college career. His best year in the NFL Jones had 761 rec yards and 2 TDs(2008).
My college roommate had this poster LoL
Robert Gallery
Brian Bosworth
Mike Mamula
Gholston
Aundrey Bruce
Lavar Arrington - Thought he was gonna be what Parsons is.. maybe even better.
Aaron Curry
Derrick Harvey
Courtney Brown
Keith McCants
Blair Thomas
Curtis Enis
Andre Wadsworth
Ki-jana Carter
This list depresses me because I’m a huge Penn St. fan. They had some elite athletes that really sucked in the NFL
All world speed just not a football player
4 time pro bowler with 5-6 playoff seasons and a super bowl ring. HE doesn't fit at all. We all hoped he would be a HOF player but that doesn't mean he was a massive disappointment.
Derrick Brown is a better example.
This. He wasn't anywhere near a 1st round prospect and shot up in the draft.
Our drafted TE is athletic for the position. I am hoping he isn't one of those looks like Tarzan plays like Jane guys
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When he burst on to the scene, he was electric, physical beast. Letdown team... he fits.
4 time pro bowler with 5-6 playoff seasons and a super bowl ring. HE doesn't fit at all. We all hoped he would be a HOF player but that doesn't mean he was a massive disappointment.
Derrick Brown is a better example.
Outside of that one monster performance against the Saints, he really didn't live up to his athletic potential.