Tonight at 8pm ET, the NFL Network premieres the Top 10 Heisman Winners in the NFL. These are the most successful Heisman Trophy winners in NFL history.
1. Barry Sanders
2. Roger Staubach
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Paul Hornung
5. Charles Woodson
6. Tony Dorsett
7. Tim Tebow
8. Earl Campbell
9. Marcus Allen
10. Cam Newton
The names on this list were chosen for impact and publicity to a large extent.
There were several news stories critical of this list, mainly for having Tim Tebow on it and ranking him ahead of Earl Campbell and Marcus Allen in particular. There was also criticism for including Cam Newton after only one season.
Tim Brown (probably hall of famer), Carson Palmer, Eddie George, and/or Jim Plunkett all have had solid to great careers. I don't know how you could put Newton or Tebow ahead of these guys already. The list is bogus; most of these lists are.
Many of the early Heisman winners didn't even bother to play in the NFL. Also a few were busts because of injuries or because the sport just didn't pay well enough to justify the injuries. I agree Tim Brown is a glaring omission even Eddie George who is a notch below a hall of fame candidate. For older guys Ameche, Billy Cannon or John David Crowe could be on this list. I will say this beyond the recent hall of fame players that won this award the modern players have been largely busts in the NFL for one reason or another.