What player in the NFL, past or present, would you have wanted to see succeed so badly but due to injuries, off the field issues, or whatever happened just derailed their career? For me it was unfortunate to see players like Josh Gordon or Justin Blackmon have their careers end or never getting back on track because of off-field issues.
You just had to bring up Blackmon, didn’t you? He was so freaking good, and in 2013 he was looking like the top WR in the league through those first four games.
One that comes to mind is Robert Edwards with New England. RB who ran for over 1000 yards his rookie year. Then the NFL had a Rookie flag football game before the pro bowl. Same year Peyton Manning was a rookie. He blew his knee out in the game, and it was baaad. I think he came back a few years later but didn’t do much.
I was going to mention Blackmon. I remember reading a comment online from someone claiming to be related to him and talked about his family dynamics. This person said that Justin never wanted to play football and was pushed to do so by his dad. His dad is a retired marine lieutenant and raised Justin pretty strictly. Unfortunately, Justin has never been passionate about it but was just naturally gifted. Of course, anyone can just go online and lie, but for some reason I can believe this.