College Football Superstars Who Flopped in the NFL

The excitement of the NFL draft applies to college and pro fans alike. While the college-loving group sees a favorite team or national star reach the NFL, the pro-focused fans celebrate a potential franchise cornerstone arriving.

Well, that's the plan at least.

Every offseason brings a reminder of how difficult the transition to the NFL can be. Former standouts are no longer on a roster, and teams are drafting their replacements.

However, a "draft bust" casts a different kind of net. For instance, someone who wasn't a superstar in college may still be selected early in the first round and have a less-than-stellar career.

The following players, though, were household names as college athletes. But the success didn't continue in the NFL.

All players highlighted were first-round picks.

Drafted: No. 2 overall by San Diego in 1998

Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf is always one of the first players mentioned when NFL draft busts are discussed.

In 1997, he threw for 3,968 yards and 34 touchdowns while helping the Cougars post the second 10-win season in program history. Leaf finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Michigan's Charles Woodson and Tennessee's Peyton Manning.

On draft night, Manning went No. 1 to the Indianapolis Colts⁠—that worked out well! Leaf headed to the San Diego Chargers second overall, and the partnership flamed out within three years. Leaf tossed 13 scores and a disastrous 33 interceptions in total as a Charger, while posting a 4-14 record as a starter.

San Diego released him in February 2001, and injuries led to his early retirement after a forgettable stint with the Dallas Cowboys.

Drafted: No. 10 overall by Arizona in 2006

Matt Leinart looked every bit a superstar quarterback in college. The three-year USC starter topped 10,000 yards in college, throwing only 23 interceptions in 1,245 attempts. Leinart won the 2004 Heisman Trophy and a national championship.

But he accomplished just about nothing in the NFL.

Leinart made 11 of his 18 starts as a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals, finishing 4-7 while tossing 11 scores and 12 interceptions. His ongoing position battle with Kurt Warner continued through 2009, but Leinart never managed to unseat the veteran and lost the next competition to Derek Anderson in 2010.

Over the next three seasons, Leinart was a backup for the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders. The left-hander ended his NFL career with 15 touchdowns and 21 picks in 641 attempts.

Drafted: No. 3 overall by Tennessee in 2006

Leinart's nemesis in the 2005 season's epic national championship, Vince Young seemed destined to join Michael Vick as someone who altered how the NFL viewed the quarterback position.

Young started for three years at Texas, rushing for no fewer than 998 yards in a season. He became the first quarterback to ever throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000, surpassing those marks while propelling the Longhorns to a 13-0 record in 2005.

While not necessarily a "bust" in the NFL, Young's electricity fizzled. Over five years on the Tennessee Titans, he threw 42 touchdowns and 42 interceptions while managing 1,380 rushing yards. He may have had brighter moments as a pro than others on this list, but he still never came anywhere close to the expectations set by his legendary college career. 

Young spent 2011 as a backup for the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short in later attempts to make the rosters of the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns.

Drafted: No. 1 overall by Oakland in 2007

To say JaMarcus Russell had prodigious arm strength would be understating his ability. His physical tools were spectacular.

The problem was that they didn't translate to production in the NFL.

In 2006 at LSU, Russell completed 67.8 percent of his passes with 3,129 yards and 28 touchdowns to eight interceptions. The Oakland Raiders grabbed him No. 1 overall in the following draft, hoping to give first-year coach Lane Kiffin a franchise-changing star.

Kiffin himself faltered badly, and Russell threw 18 touchdowns against 23 picks over the next three seasons. Oakland released him after the 2009 season, and Russell never played again.

Drafted: No. 22 overall by Cleveland in 2007

Similar to Leinart and Young, Russell and Brady Quinn squared off in their final college game. Unfortunately, all four quarterbacks endured a similar kind of frustrating NFL career.

Quinn started all four seasons at Notre Dame, putting together a couple of terrific years in 2005 and 2006. While earning a pair of top-four Heisman finishes, he threw for at least 3,426 yards and 32 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in both seasons.

Said another way, Quinn accumulated more passing yards in either 2005 or 2006 than his entire NFL career.

Quinn battled with 2005 sixth-round pick Derek Anderson—yes, right before the latter beat out Leinart in Arizona—for three seasons and totaled only 14 appearances.

Cleveland traded Quinn to the Denver Broncos, where he never entered a game, sitting behind Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow for two years. Quinn landed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, going 1-7 as an injury replacement in what would be his final NFL action.

Drafted: No. 25 overall by Denver in 2010

As a freshman, Tim Tebow had a complementary role and helped Florida win a national title. In 2007, Tebow began a prolific three-year journey as the starter. He totaled 12,232 offensive yards and 145 touchdowns with only 16 interceptions. Tebow won a Heisman Trophy and added two other top-five finishes in the voting.

However, his NFL career was a bit of a mess.

Tebow enjoyed an improbable 2011 season with Denver, completing a horrid 46.5 percent of his passes yet leading five fourth-quarter comebacks and even winning a playoff game. But the Broncos signed Peyton Manning in the ensuing offseason, and Tebow's football career basically came to a close.

After one nondescript year with the New York Jets, he only again appeared in the 2013 and 2015 preseasons.

Drafted: No. 3 overall by Cleveland in 2012

Patient and powerful, with good quickness and speed. Trent Richardson had everything at Alabama, racking up 3,130 rushing yards and grabbing 68 passes in three years.

Eight years later, however, Richardson is remembered as one of the greatest "can't-miss" prospects to completely whiff. The No. 3 pick of the 2012 draft lasted only three seasons in the NFL.

Though inefficient, Richardson played reasonably well as a rookie and gathered 1,317 scrimmage yards. But two games into the 2013 season, the Cleveland Browns traded him to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick. However, Richardson lost the starting job as he trudged to 2.9 yards per carry.

Indianapolis released him after the 2014 campaign. Richardson wouldn't play in the NFL again, making brief stops in the Canadian Football League and Alliance of American Football.

Drafted: No. 8 overall by St. Louis in 2013

After two 100-catch seasons, rushing for 643 yards as a senior and totaling 40 touchdowns—including five on special teams—it was assumed Tavon Austin would produce in any role in the NFL.

Almost every single touch was a highlight waiting to happen. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley even recently said Austin has the greatest college highlight reel of the last 15 years.

But the NFL version is much slimmer.

Through the 2019 season, Austin has flashed the spectacular versatility he showed in Morgantown. However, he's never assembled a campaign as a consistent threat offensively and has averaged just 477 yards from scrimmage in seven years.

Drafted: No. 22 overall by Cleveland in 2014

Johnny Manziel captured the college football world's attention with his divisive personality and incredible creativity. In 2012, he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. "Johnny Football" finished fifth in the voting the following season too.

During his two years with Texas A&M, Manziel piled up 7,820 passing yards and 2,169 on the ground. He accounted for 47 touchdowns as a freshman and 46 as a sophomore.

Off-field problems and a reported poor work ethic contributed to his NFL career being so brief with the Cleveland Browns. Manziel entered just 15 games in two seasons.

Similarly to Richardson, Manziel later played in the CFL and AAF but never returned to the NFL.