Ryan Leaf and Ricky Williams, the Indianapolis Colts duo that never was
Both Ryan Leaf and Ricky Williams could've been drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the late 1990s, but obviously neither player was.
Indianapolis landed the coveted No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft following a disastrous 3-13 season.
The Colts were in desperate need of a franchise quarterback. Luckily for them, there were two big-time prospects that everybody was talking about: Tennessee's Peyton Manning and Washington State's Leaf.
On this date in 1998, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were selected 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the NFL Draft. https://t.co/R1Ztbe2KJw
Manning was considered more NFL-ready while Leaf was predicted to have the most upside between the two.
Ultimately, the Colts drafted Manning and Leaf went No. 2 overall to the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers.
We all know how things went after that. Manning became one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and Leaf turned out to be one of the biggest draft busts of all time. It's pretty safe to say that the Colts never regretted their decision.
The Colts ended up with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft. Needing a running back after trading star Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams, Indianapolis had to decide between taking Miami's Edgerrin James or Texas' Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams. James, of course, turned out to be the selection.
Meanwhile, Williams was taken fifth overall by the New Orleans Saints, who shockingly traded all their 1999 draft picks and two of their first three picks in 2000 to Washington.
@nflrums The Ricky Williams trade between the New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins, which occurred prior to the 1999 NFL Draft. To do so, his team traded every pick it had in the draft, plus two of its first three picks in the 2000 NFL Draft. https://t.co/PJAPVJ7gNV
Many Colts fans were upset that their team didn't draft Williams. He was truly a phenomenal player at Texas and easily one of the greatest college running backs ever.
However, those fans eventually got over it. James morphed into a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Williams never lived up to expectations.
What if Indianapolis Colts had drafted Leaf and Williams instead of Manning and James?
The Colts definitely made the right call by drafting Manning and James. But what if they took the Leaf-Williams duo instead? That's surely something that Indy fans don't even want to think about.
Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl during the 2006 season, which was Manning's ninth year in the league. Leaf, on the other hand, featured in just three seasons.
But you never know, maybe the Colts would've later found another superstar quarterback if they hadn't drafted Manning.