NCAA Heisman Trophy Winner or Number 1 NFL Draft Pick Does Not Guarantee NFL Success!

Some of the greatest NCAA college football players to ever grace us with their talents have earned accolades and honors that should have guaranteed professional success but that success has been seldom achieved.

Out of the 76 number one N.F.L. draft picks, there have only been 28 Pro Bowlers and just 12 Hall of Famers. What those numbers mean is that in spite of a multimillion dollar scouting and recruiting system in use by N.F.L. teams these professionals are only able to pick a winner 15.8% of the time. At the race track or with the bookie, this would mean that you are going home without any groceries or rent money.

When you throw the Heisman winners into the equation, and look at the numbers, the Hall of Famers goes up from 12 to 17, while the percentage of the best college players of the past 76 years drops to only 11.3%. Having been selected #1 or awarded the Heisman Trophy, these players were determined to be the best in their field by the Heisman selection committee and N.F.L. draft experts. Only 17 out of the best 151 NCAA college players of the past 76 years accomplished what was expected of them from day one. Your car has now been repossessed and your gas and electric has been turned off.

From Jim Thorpe to Richard Dent, there have been 239 inductees into the N.F.L. Hall of Fame. That means that just 7.1% of all inductees have either come via the Heisman route or as a result of being the number 1 overall pick in the N.F.L. draft. You have now been evicted and the sheriff has pad-locked your door.

Congratulations to the best of the best! Hats off to you: Bill Dudley, Charley Trippi, Doak Walker, Chuck Bednarik, Paul Hornung, Roger Staubach, Ron Yary, O.J. Simpson, Terry Bradshaw, Tony Dorsett, Lee Roy Selmon, Earl Campbell, Marcus Allen, John Elway, Barry Sanders, and Troy Aikman.

I guess I’m walking home to spend the night in my tent until I can figure out a better way to determine who the best players in NCAA college football really are, then maybe I can recoup some of my lost wages, pay off my bills, and get back my car and house.

The experts say maybe the answer is a 6’5” quarterback like Cam Newton. Can anyone say Vinny Testaverde?