NFL Greats Who Started the Game Late
As one of the biggest sports in the USA, the NFL is home to many superstars. Most of the famous NFL stars started their careers when they were in high school or college. The NFL follows the school scene keenly because most of the talent that finally ends up in top-tier teams is identified at this level. Despite this though, not every big NFL player was recruited straight out of high school. In fact, there is quite a number of stars who started the game late but still went on to prove their worth on the field. The following is a quick look at some of the biggest names in NFL who started their career late.
Clay Matthews
This linebacker who has been a great member of the Green Bay Packers was a walk-on student-athlete. Matthews, a USC college student did not manage to get a scholarship to college for two years. Despite this, he was one of the top prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent most of his time in college out of the game as he was not selected to start until his senior year. While he was one the field though, he always put his best show to prove his capabilities to the NFL scouts. He was finally drafted by the Packers and he has been with the team since then.
Antonio Gates
San Diego Chargers fans are well aware of the capabilities of Antonio Gates. Gates was never meant to play football. In college, he was involved in basketball throughout. After he graduated though, he decided to take his shot as an NFL player. After successful trying out for the NFL, he ended up at the San Diego Chargers. It was clear from the underwhelming signing fee that his capabilities had been underestimated. This is because Gates has been a remarkable player at the Chargers.
Jason Pierre-Paul
In recent years, the NFL has expressed its interest to add some official sponsors. It is thus possible that you will soon be able to see your favorite teams on the major Casinos. If this happens, one of the players that you are most likely to bet on is Jason Pierre-Paul. This New York Giants defensive end has had an impressive run at the team. His backstory as an NFL player starts in his junior year when he was forced into the game after an injury during a basketball game. He had not initially thought about playing football but after trying it for two years and his eventual admission to the University of Florida, he decided to go professional. He skipped the final college year and signed up for the game at the New York Giants. He has already won a Super Bowl with the team.
Ike Taylor
Ike Taylor, who is now a retired Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, had dreams of playing throughout his life. He was nevertheless not able to start his college career as early as he would have wanted because of academic issues. When he finally managed to get to college, he became a walk-on student and he was granted a scholarship. He earned a place at the Pittsburgh Steelers where he had been until 2015 when he retired as a result of injuries.
Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner is a well-known former St. Louis Rams quarterback. Warner started his career late because of missing out on the draft earlier on. When he was a college player at Northern Iowa, he made his first try-out but was not selected. He was out in the cold for the next two years but he earned a place in the St. Louis team in 1998 after trying out several times. He also started slow in 1999 but he proved his capabilities the following year. He managed to attain records in the team and was an MVP for a number of times. He also won the Super Bowl.
Every prospective NFL player hopes that they will be drafted as early as possible. Sometimes this is not possible though due to different circumstances. As the stories of the players above prove though, becoming successful in the NFL is not a matter of when you are signed. It is totally possible to start the game late but still go on to have a remarkable career.
