Ranked: The greatest wasted talents in NFL history

The NFL is full of players who never quite made it for whatever reason, whether it be injuries, off-field issues or something else entirely. Some serve as a cautionary tale for rookies on what not to do once they secure their first big paycheck.

Whether Johnny Manziel was actually talented enough to be a first-round selection is a debate for another time. One thing that is for sure, is any chance he had at being a successful NFL player was lost due to his fondness for excessive drinking and partying. Per Fox Sports, there were rumors of him turning up to practice drunk, and he was out of the league in two years.

Albert Haynesworth rightfully earned his massive $100 million contract with Washington back in 2008 after emerging as one of the most dominant defensive tackles in football during the previous seasons. As soon as that first paycheck hit his account, however, things fell apart. He was often seen taking plays off and never hit the heights he could’ve with just a little more effort.

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‘The Boz’ was one of the greatest college linebackers of his era, despite leaving the Oklahoma Sooners program under a cloud of steroid abuse accusations. Whether his talent lived up to his own self-confidence is tough to know, but after running his mouth all of his career, he lasted just three seasons in the NFL before being forced to retire through injury.

Clarett was so dominant as a freshman at Ohio State that he tried to sue the NFL into allowing him to enter the draft early. After failing to do so, he reportedly fell out with OSU coaches and was eventually suspended for filing a false police report, per Fox Sports. His talent was special, but attitude issues never saw him fulfil his potential.

Ricky Williams could’ve been one of the all-time great running backs were it not for his penchant for marijuana. Multiple suspensions, and an early retirement led to a stop-start career that never reached the heights it could have, and he still rushed for over 10,000 yards in 11 seasons, per ESPN.

Marcus Lattimore is completely absolved of any blame in his career not turning out how he would have liked, but as a fan of football, it feels like we were robbed of greatness after he blew out his knee while still in college. To say he “wasted” his talent is unfair, it’s more that it was stolen from him as he could have been great.

Vick will always be remembered, possibly not for the right reasons, but his impact on football is indelible. The electric QB could have been on track for a Hall of Fame career before his arrest on dog-fighting charges. The subsequent prison sentence interrupted his prime, and despite playing another seven seasons in the NFL, he never quite reached the same levels again.

Vince Young was supposed to be the next great NFL QB when he arrived at the Tennessee Titans in 2006 off the back of a National Championship with Texas. Instead, he never had the right attitude, reportedly spending up to $5,000 a week at The Cheesecake Factory, per Sportscasting, and only lasting six seasons in the NFL.

Like some others on this list, it is hard to feel any sympathy for Hardy, whose career in the NFL flamed out due to his conviction on domestic abuse charges. Before his arrest he had emerged as one of the best pass-rushers in football and looked to be a foundational piece on a rising Panthers team. Instead, he even ruined his second chance with the Cowboys by fighting with teammates at practice, per Fox Sports.

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JaMarcus Russell had one of the greatest arms football has ever seen, and a great 2006 season at LSU saw him get selected number one overall by the Raiders. It didn’t work out, as he struggled with the speed of NFL football and his own ballooning weight. There was a great quarterback in there somewhere, we just never got to see it.

During Art Schlichter’s career at OSU, there have been multiple reports of gambling behind the scenes. Despite that, the Baltimore Colts selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. Per USA Today, the gambling continued unabated, with the quarterback $700,000 in the hole by the end of the ‘82 season. Schlichter made a deal with the FBI to avoid any punishment for his crimes, but his NFL career was over before it began.

2013 saw Josh Gordon emerge as one of the best wide receivers in football, but unfortunately, the then Cleveland Brown couldn’t stop smoking pot, leading to a series of suspensions, and rehab stints that saw him effectively out of the league for multiple seasons. He was on a roster as recently as 2022, but he could never re-find the form that made him so electric at his peak.

Aldon Smith had 33.5 sacks through his first two seasons in the NFL, per ESPN, which is a truly freakish figure. He was a blur off the edge, seemingly sacking QBs before they even had a chance to blink. A series of DUIs and weapons charges followed that derailed his career. Despite a few chances since, including a contract in 2020 with Dallas, he never returned to the elite levels he was capable of.

Ryan Leaf is considered one of the biggest draft busts of all time, in part because of how big his potential was. It was, for a time, 50/50 on whether the Colts should select him or Peyton Manning with the first overall pick. A poor attitude to coaching and off-field issues with drugs and arrests saw him out of the league within five years, which is brutal for a second-overall selection.

Aaron Hernandez only played three seasons in the NFL, but they were action-packed, with the former Florida Gator seemingly revolutionizing the tight-end position. He was always known as a troublemaker, but it still came as a shock when he was arrested and eventually convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd. His suicide brought to an end a troubled life, but one that had been filled with so much talent and potential.

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