It’s common now for the media to hype up a player so much that when they do not exceed their expectations we consider them failures.  Most of the time, these players will still play at the professional level for a few years at least.  However, because we had such high expectations we consider them failures.  However, some of these players actually do have disastrous careers.

Jamarcus Russell – QB Oakland Raiders

Jamarcus Russell was the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft.  He was drafted out of LSU where he lead the team to a record of 21-4 in all of his starts.  He started there his sophomore and junior seasons and declared for the draft after his junior year.  The Oakland Raiders, in desperate need for a quarterback, snatched up who they believed was the best quarterback in the draft.  Russell held out however until he was offered a sixty-one million dollar contract with thirty-two million guaranteed. Russell was a consistently poor player although he showed signs of potential from time to time.  He did not get consistent playing time his rookie year.  Russell started his second season in the NFL and tallied up nineteen turnovers and only thirteen touchdowns in fifteen games.  He was even worse his third year throwing only three touchdowns and turning the ball over twenty times.  The Raiders saw no hope for him as he became out of shape and lackadaisical.  They parted ways with him after the 2009 season and he has not returned to action since.  He is now the size of an offensive linemen weighing in at 309 pounds.  He tried to make a comeback in the NFL but nobody would have him.  He was also arrested on drug charges.

Greg Oden- Center, Miami Heat

Oden was the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.  What makes him so memorable was that he was taken on the pick before Kevin Durant.  After he was drafted to the Portland Trail Blazers out of Ohio State, he had knee surgery his rookie year.  He attempted to make his return immediately after his operation but couldn’t.  The Trailblazers kept him for five years but finally let him go in 2012 because he was always injured.  In 2013 he was picked up by the Miami Heat to fill the void at the center position after poor performance from bad players.  He has only played in 105 games in his eight seasons in the NBA.  Oden was a stud coming out of college but is now a sub par professional player.

Ryan Leaf- QB San Diego Chargers

Most people know about Ryan Leaf not because of his poor performance as a quarterback, but for the legal trouble he got in.  Leaf was the quarterback for Washington State and was a Heisman finalist after his Junior year.  He declared for the NFL draft and was selected second overall behind Peyton Manning.  At the time, many NFL scouts believed that Leaf had more potential than Manning.  Leaf started off his first year terribly, constantly turning over the ball and making bad decisions.  After a couple of games he was benched.  The next year he came into training camp and on the first day tore a ligament in his shoulder, which required surgery.  He was cut soon after and ended his four-year career playing for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys.  After his retirement, Leaf was charged on countless drug and theft charges.  He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Johnny Manziel (potentially) – QB Cleveland Browns

Johnny Manziel A.K.A Johnny Football won the Heisman trophy in 2012.  2012 was his freshman year.  He lead Texas A&M to a very good season and broke multiple records in the process.  This included becoming the only freshman in NCAA history to pass for 3,000+ passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards.  Only five players in college football history have done that.  In the 2012 season he led A&M to a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma 41-13.  Manziel was selected in the 2013 NFL draft with the thirtieth overall pick to the Browns.  Analysts had mixed feelings about Maziel going to the NFL.  Some, like Jon Gruden, thought he had all the potential to be a great success.  Others thought he didn’t have the mentality or the pocket passing skills to play in the NFL.  Manziel has only played one game, and it was atrocious.  Manziel completed ten of his eighteen passes for 80 yards and three interceptions.  I’m not considering him a failure yet because it was just one game.  However, I don’t see much potential with this player.