Splitting his ten-year career evenly between the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks Cliff Avril slowly got better season by season to the point that at the end of his Lions run he was considered by some sportswriters to be a potential Pro Bowler but that was not meant to be for him in the Motor City.  Avril had an 11 Sack season in 2011 and was a half a sack away from double digits in 2012 on a team that did not win a single game.

Chris Johnson had an incredible three-year start (2008-10) in the National Football League where he was named a Pro Bowl each year and provided the Tennessee Titans with the potent running attack that every NFL team salivates for.  The former East Carolina Pirate’s best year was his sophomore campaign (2009) where he would vault into rarified air with a 2,000 Rushing Yard season, which was not only NFL leading but would also see him finish atop the leaderboard in Rushing Attempts, Rushing Yards/Game, Touches and Yards From Scrimmage. 

Carson Palmer was the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner, and the USC Quarterback was considered a can’t-miss prospect in the NFL.  The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Palmer first overall and took their time with the pivot, not playing him in his rookie season and starting him in 2004. In 2005, he was a Pro Bowl selection and ranked second in the NFL in Completions, fourth in Passing Yards, and led all Quarterbacks in Touchdown Passes while taking the Bengals to the playoffs, though he suffered a severe injury in the playoffs.

Palmer returned in the 2006 season, where he went back to the Pro Bowl and had a 4,000-yard passing season, and he continued to be a solid performer, though not necessarily elite, and he would later grow frustrated playing there, and he retired, basically forcing a trade out of Southern Ohio.  Palmer would go on to play for Oakland for two seasons and five more for Arizona, where in 2015 he was a Pro Bowl Selection for a third time with a career-high 4,671 Passing Yards and leading the league in Yards per Attempt and Quarterback Rating.

He retired 12^th all time in Passing Yards and Passing Touchdowns, probably a higher ranking than most people realize.

A First Round Pick from USC, Brian Cushing would play nine seasons professionally for the Houston Texans where he would be a Pro Bowl Selection as a rookie and win the coveted Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  That would be his highwater mark as he would suffer a suspension due to PED use, a change from Inside to Outside Linebacker and a torn ACL but Cushing still had a solid career where he played in started in 104 Games.  At the time of his retirement he was the leading tackler in Houston Texan history.