5 NFL players who never lived up to their true potential
Every single NFL player who is, or has played in the league, is a fantastic athlete with a ton of potential. However, for one reason or another, things don't always work out for them.
This can be due to a number of things - playing for a terrible franchise, injuries, or the player lacking the mental toughness and discipline to last in the NFL.
Many players have shown flashes of their talent before fading away. Here are five examples of players not living up to their true potential.
#5 - Aldon Smith
Aldon Smith was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers seventh-overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, and showed promise right away. During his rookie season, he recorded 14 sacks.
Just a year later, he bettered that tally by racking up 19.5 quarterback takedowns, which is a 49ers franchise record that still stands today. His 33.5 sacks also remain the most by any player in their first two NFL seasons.
Unfortunately, Smith's off-field issues soon took over his career. He was first arrested in 2012 on a DUI charge. After being arrested three times for the same offense, the 49ers released Smith in August 2015.
He was given a second chance in the league when the Oakland Raiders picked him up. However, after becoming embroiled in a domestic violence case, the Raiders released him in March 2018.
He did return to the league in 2020, playing for the Dallas Cowboys after a two-year hiatus. In 16 starts, he recorded only five sacks. It was clear that his off-field antics had cost him his best years in the NFL. At the time of writing, he's a free agent. He was also arrested again for a DUI, in December 2021.
#Seahawks DE Aldon Smith turned himself in Tuesday night on a second-degree battery charge and was released after posting $25,000 bond. A next court date has not yet been set. https://t.co/XTgxeI34Vi
#4 - Carson Wentz
There is an argument to be made that Carson Wentz hasn't been in the league long enough to be on this list. But the potential he showed in his early days with the Philadelphia Eagles is such a contrast with some of his play with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 that he makes this five.
In just his second year in the NFL, in 2017, Wentz was performing at an MVP-level rate. He would most likely have picked up the award too, had he not gone down with a season-ending ACL tear. The Eagles did win the Super Bowl that year, but on his return to the NFL, Wentz would never be the same quarterback.
He was listed third overall in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018, but he would only start 11 games that year, going 5-6 in them. Wentz's inaccuracy as a thrower became his main problem, along with the injury record.
In 2020, he threw 15 interceptions and just 16 touchdowns before Philadelphia traded him to the Indianapolis Colts.
Wentz would be solid in Indy, passing for 27 touchdowns, but he couldn't lead the Colts to the playoffs in 2021. So, they shipped him off to the Washington Commanders.
There is a chance Wentz will have a bounce-back year now that he's back in the NFC East. But his recent performances leave a lot to be desired, against his fantastic 2017 season.