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4 Former First-Round Picks Playing for Their NFL Careers

At some point, even first-round picks run out of opportunities to prove that they belong in the NFL. For some, they are given multiple chances to prove their worth. For others, those opportunities are limited.

From a couple enigmatic quarterbacks to one former top-five pick at running back, here are four former first-round picks who are playing for their NFL careers.

1. Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns

It’s crazy to think that this former Heisman winner could be on the verge of being out of the NFL if he doesn’t get his act together on the field and keep it together off the field. We already know about Manziel’s off-field exploits, which landed him in an alcohol rehabilitation program immediately after the 2014 season. We also know that quarterbacks are given a somewhat short leash when it comes to off-field issues. Much more so than players at other positions, quarterbacks are asked to lead by example. Up to this point in his career, Manziel simply hasn’t done this.

Despite what have been glowing reports from teammates since Manziel left rehab, it’s not entirely sure that he’s taken the necessary steps to improve his game on the field. ESPN’s Tony Grossi covered this in detail on Friday:

“The only day media were allowed in to view one of the three OTA practices, Manziel looked unchanged from his rookie year. He was not assertive with knowing where to go with the ball and ran too much for an OTA practice,” the scribe reported. “A person who witnessed a practice after the open media session said that Manziel was worse the second day.”

Hey, what happened to those glowing reports?

Regardless of Manziel’s new and improved persona off the field, he’s going to have to show that he’s improved leaps and bounds on the field. If that doesn’t happen, a once promising NFL career could soon be flushed down the drain. That’s only magnified by questions regarding his commitment to remaining sober off the field. Like it or not, quarterbacks are held to a different standard in the NFL. Now take into account the short leash Manziel has off the field, and one misstep could be it for him.

2. Trent Richardson, Running Back, Oakland Raiders

Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Trent Richardson just hasn't been a good NFL player.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Trent Richardson just hasn’t been a good NFL player.

It’s quite possible that Richardson should consider himself lucky that Oakland took a chance on him after what we saw in Indianapolis over the past two seasons. In fact, it could be said that Richardson was one of the worst running backs in the NFL during this span.

The former top-five pick put up just 977 rushing yards and an average of 3.1 yards per attempt in 29 games with the Colts. He also put up the 49th-best run grade of 57 qualified running backs in the NFL last season (via Pro Football Focus, subscription required). The one saving grace here for Richardson is that he’s averaging 38 receptions per season during his career.

Now a member of the Oakland Raiders after signing a two-year deal with the team earlier this offseason, Richardson finds himself in a do-or-die situation. With Latavius Murray and Roy Helu all but guaranteed jobs on the Raiders’ roster, Richardson will be competing with George Atkinson and Michael Dyer for the final running back spot on the team. Unfortunately for Richardson, he doesn’t possess the special teams ability these two running backs currently have. If Richardson is released by the Raiders prior to the start of the regular season, there’s a chance that might spell the end of his career. With all that said, the $600,000 Richardson is guaranteed indicates he needs to be really bad to miss the cut. Based off what we have seen in the past, there’s a chance this might happen.

3. Kyle Wilson, Cornerback, New Orleans Saints

Talk about a bust of epic proportions. A first-round pick back in the 2010 NFL draft, Wilson was a forgotten man for the New York Jets the past two years. After starting 27 games in his first three seasons, this Boise State product has started just one game since.

There’s a good reason for this. Wilson’t just didn’t perform up to level when he was on the field as a starter for his original team.

After putting up a solid rookie campaign in 2010, Wilson’s performance got progressively worse. He allowed a 67 percent completion rate and a 95.1 quarterback rating on 60 targets in 2011.  Then in 2012, Wilson fell out of favor with then head coach Rex Ryan after getting beat deep multiple times early in the season. After that, the team just gave up on him. This is evidenced by the fact that Wilson played a total of 800 snaps (25 per game) over the past two years, mainly due to injuries in the Jets’ secondary.

After New York decided against picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, Wilson inked a one-year, $825,000 contact with just $80,000 guaranteed with the New Orleans Saints. Those contract terms alone indicate that he’s not guaranteed a roster spot.

More than that, Wilson has an uphill battle here. Keenan Lewis and Brandon Browner are slated to be the team’s starting corners. With P.J. Williams and Stanley Jean-Baptiste all but guaranteed roster spots, Wilson is left competing with Brian Dixon and Damian Swann for a spot on the opening day roster. While his special teams ability could come in handy here, Wilson is in no way guaranteed a roster spot. That’s a mighty big fall from his status as a first-round pick five years ago.

4. Tim Tebow, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

Courtesy of USA Today: It goes without saying that this is likely Tebow's final chance in the NFL.

Courtesy of USA Today: It goes without saying that this is likely Tebow’s final chance in the NFL.

I don’t want to make much out of this one. We already know that Tebow is fighting for his NFL career. This enigmatic former first-round pick failed to find himself on a NFL roster in each of the past two seasons after playing sporadically for the New York Jets in 2012. Instead, the Heisman winner decided a career in broadcasting was his best opportunity. Well, I guess it could be said that the NFL decided this for him. 

Now competing with Matt Barkley for the final quarterback job on the Philadelphia Eagles roster, Tebow has an uphill battle to climb here. It’s quite obvious that NFL teams didn’t view him as a professional-caliber quarterback in the past, so Chip Kelly appears to be Tebow’s final chance at clinging on to an already dying NFL career. And while Kelly has thrown some surprises our way in the past, even fellow Eagles players are indicating that Tebow’s stint with the team might be short-lived. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that if this doesn’t work out, Tebow will once against find himself on the street—probably for good this time.

Photo: USA Today Sports

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