Success in college football doesn’t always guarantee a seamless transition to the NFL. For every C. J. Stroud, there’s a Bryce Young. Those two were drafted with the top two picks of last year’s draft, and their trajectories have gone in opposite directions.
Young was the one that was selected first by the Carolina Panthers, and much was expected of the former Alabama Crimson Tide star. His Charlotte-based franchise has been without a marquee quarterback since injuries derailed the career of Super Cam Newton. Young was expected to lead the side into a prosperous new future, but he has only been able to orchestrate just two victories in his season and a half at Bank of America Stadium, resulting in him being dropped from the starting lineup.
But while Stroud was overlooked in favor of Young in last year’s draft, the Panthers’ loss has been the Houston Texans’ gain. The former Ohio State standout had a blistering rookie campaign last season, winning the Rookie of the Year honors as he led his side to the Divisional Round of the playoffs against all odds. This season, he has been in blistering form once again, and the Lone Star State outfit has emerged as a genuine Lombardi contender.
The latest online betting at Bovada odds currently makes the Texans a +1100 sixth favorite for the Super Bowl next season, while the Panthers have the longest odds of anybody, sitting at +50000 with just one win under their belt. But Bryce Young isn’t the only college football superstar to fail on the grandest stage. Here are two other huge names that couldn’t make the step up.
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow’s leadership and dual-threat capabilities made him arguably the most celebrated college quarterback of all time. Current Baltimore Ravens two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has followed in his footsteps with his ability to dominate equality as well either on the ground or through the air. But Tebow walked so that the former Louisville Cardinal could run.
The Philippines-born star won the Heisman trophy at the University of Florida in 2007, as well as leading the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008. His scintillating form under center was a key reason why the school became the dominant force in the NCAA, and he has the statistics to back it up. Throughout his college career, Tebow threw for over 9,000 yards and 88 touchdowns, as well as almost 3,000 yards rushing, ending up in the end zone himself on 57 occasions, an SEC record at the time.
The Denver Broncos were only too happy to draft the young quarterback in the first round of the 2010 draft, however, it was somewhat of a surprise to see him wait around until the 25th pick. Unfortunately for both him and the powers that be in Colorado, we would see exactly why a number of teams chose to pass up the opportunity.
Tebow’s dual-threat abilities didn’t translate to the professional ranks and he also struggled with the technical aspects required of an NFL quarterback. His accuracy and ability to read defenses were exposed on the grandest stage, resulting in him leaving Mile High after just two seasons. Although he had a memorable playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012, that was as good as it would get, and Tebow bounced around several teams before ultimately being dropped from the league altogether in 2015 after just five seasons and 18 starts.
Johnny Manziel
When you’re nicknamed Johnny Football, you must be talented. That was exactly the case with Johnny Manziel, who took the nation by storm in 2012 thanks to his electrifying performances at Texas A&M. The Tyler-born star was a revelation in his rookie year, becoming the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and leading the Aggies on an absolute tear.
Manziel would regularly win games on his own, famously reeling off highlight after highlight as he helped his side knock off the heavyweight Crimson Tide on enemy territory in his maiden campaign. That catapulted him to superstardom, and while he was never able to bring a national championship to Kyle Field, his improvisational skills and athleticism helped him amass over 7,800 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, and more than 2,000 rushing yards.
He was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, but unfortunately, his off-field antics would catch up with him. One only has to watch his “Untold” documentary on Netflix to see just how serious his issues were, and it’s safe to say that they certainly hindered his ability to become the face of a franchise.
Manziel’s maiden campaign in Ohio was marred with one issue after another. Those issues did linger during his time in college, but this time around, his god-given talent wouldn’t bail him out. His freelancing nature on the field didn’t translate to the disciplined world of the NFL as it did in the NCAA, and Johnny Football was dropped after just two seasons. He wouldn’t get a chance to make it in the big leagues again.
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