To see in the NFL to Caleb Williamshis winner 2022 Heisman Trophywe’ll have to wait at least until 2024. However, the professional league will have a player with great scrolls next year: Bryce Young (Alabama), which won the award in 2021, will likely be a top-five pick in 2023.
Sports news delves into the last 20 years and shows how the best players in college football fared on the rented field. It’s all there: promises turned stars, underachieving youngsters and deep-in-debt players.
How did Heisman Trophy winners fare on their way to the NFL?
As mentioned earlier, only contest winners will be considered. Heisman Trophy of the last two decades, being Carson Palmer, awarded in 2002, the first of this analysis. Drafted in 2003 by the Cincinnati Bengals, he is only the last USC QB taken first in the Draft. Will that honor come to Caleb Williams?
Palmer spent 14 seasons in the league, but with the dismal record of only reaching the playoffs three times. He finished his career with 184 regular season games with 294 TDs and 187 interceptions. Poor numbers for a first world pick with a great record on the college field.
More | The complete list of Heisman Trophy winners
Other disappointments include Sam Bradford (83 PJ), Robert Griffin III (56), Tim Tebow (35), Matt Leinart (33), Troy Smith (20) and Johnny Manziel (14). Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray are still in the league so they could turn their careers around. It’s too early to categorize 2020 draftee DeVonta Smith: The wide receiver had a solid first year with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also an important piece this season for the team with the best record in the NFL.
The most exemplary case of those left in debt is his Jason White, 2003 award winner: Was not drafted by any NFL team due to history of knee injuries. Today he runs his own company.
Although it started out the hard way, not all Heisman Trophy winners have failed:
- Mark IngramDrafted 28th overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2011, he continues to be strong and has 65 TDs in the league.
- Newton camthe 2011 first-round pick, led the Carolina Panthers to the 2015 Super Bowl, a campaign in which he won MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and appeared on the All Pro first team.
- Derrick Henrytaken 45th overall in 2016 by the Tennessee Titans, was selected as the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year and apparently made the All Pro team.
- Lamar Jackson He reached the league in 2018 (32nd pick) and in 2019 he made the All Pro team, winning the MVP. He is the quarterback with the most shutouts in a season (1,206 in 2019)
- Joe Barrow He was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and after a freshman year that ended early due to injury, the QB led the team to Super Bowl LV the following season.
It is worth clarifying that this list does not include Reggie Bushaward winner in 2005. The former New Orleans Saints running back paid the award in 2010 for receiving improper benefits while playing for the University of Southern California.
Which players won the Heisman Trophy and were regular season MVPs?
The Heisman Trophy is the highest individual award in the collegiate world, while the MVP is synonymous with success in the professional field: only nine managed to get both. The aforementioned Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson are joined by Frank Sinkwich Paul Hornung, Roger Staubach, OJ Simpson, Earl Campbell, Marcus Allen and Barry Sanders.
