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Dont'a Hightower

Don't'a Hightower played for the two-time National Champion team in college at Alabama. It must have been a great feeling for him to get drafted to another powerful team like the New England Patriots. He was selected as the 28th Overall Pick in 2012. During training camp, the All-American won the starting strongside Linebacker position under Bill Belichick. Hightower played an important role in the New England defence and later moved to the weak side while still excelling in his position.

Hightower contributed significantly to the Patriots' success in the 2010s, helping them win three Super Bowls and earning two Pro Bowl selections along the way. However, he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. He made a solid comeback in 2021, but it was his final year as a Patriot. Hightower left New England with 27 Sacks and 569 Combined Tackles.

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Devonta Freeman

Devonta Freeman was a BCS National Champion at Florida State and was Atlanta's Fourth Round Pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He played off the bench during his rookie season. In his second season, Freeman led the NFL in Touchdowns (14) and Rushing Touchdowns (11), accumulating 1,642 Yards From Scrimmage. This remarkable performance earned him his first Pro Bowl and a Second Team All-Pro honors. It seemed like the Falcons had a talented player on their hands.

Freeman was named to the Pro Bowl again in 2016 after amassing 1,541 Yards From Scrimmage and 13 TD. However, he failed to reach 1,000 Rushing Yards during the 2017 season, and due to a pile of injuries, he only played two games. Freeman was never the same again after his injuries, and the Falcons released him after the 2018 season. He played for two more years, one with the New York Giants and one with the Baltimore Ravens.

Freeman's career statistics include 50 Touchdowns with 6,993 Yards From Scrimmage.

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Desmond Trufant

From the University of Washington, Desmond Trufant was a First Round Pick in 2013, all the way across the country by the Atlanta Falcons where he would be an All-Rookie.  Trufant was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2015, and remained with ATL until 2019.  He finished up his career with stops in Detroit, New Orleans and Las Vegas and had 14 Interceptions over his career.

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Dee Ford

A BCS Champion at Auburn, Dee Ford impressed scouts enough to become a First Round Pick (23rd Overall) in the 2014 Draft.  The Linebacker succeeded as an edge rusher, becoming a starter in 2016, where he had 10 Sacks.  Ford missed a lot of the 2017 Season but had his best year in 2018, with career-highs in Sacks (13) and Combined Tackles (55), and was the co-league leader in Forced Fumbles.  For his work, Ford went to the Pro Bowl that year,

Ford was traded to San Francisco afterward, but injuries piled up, and he was only there for three years before retiring.  Over his career, he had 40 Sacks and 79 Quarterback Hits.

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Cam Newton

Cam Newton turned his college career around after flaming out at the University of Florida and avoiding expulsion.  Transferring to small Blinn College, Newton started that season (2009) and led the school to a NJCAA National Championship.  Newton then joined Auburn and put forth one of the best seasons in Tigers history.  He dominated as a passer and runner and led Auburn to a BCS Championship and won the Heisman.  NFL teams were gushing over his ability, and the Carolina Panthers, who held the number one pick, grabbed him.

Newton looked like a potential Hall of Fame inductee for the first five years of his career. He swept all the Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards and threw for over 4,000 Yards, which was his career-high.  Though his 21-17 TD-INT ratio was pedestrian, he more than made up for it with 14 TDs on the ground. This was his first Pro Bowl year.

After a solid sophomore season, Newton went to his second Pro Bowl in 2013 and took Carolina to the Playoffs.  He (and the team) struggled in 2014, as Newton battled injuries, but in 2015, Newton had the pro season of his life.  He earned the “Superman” nickname, going 15-1, with 3,837 Passing Yards and a league-leading TD-INT ratio of 7.1 (35-10) and rushed for another 10 Touchdowns.  Newton won the MVP but had the ultimate prize ahead of him; Super Bowl 50.

Newton and the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos 24-10, and Newton did not have a good game, throwing an Interceptions and fumbling twice.  The second fumble, which was in the fourth quarter, was the second time that Denver’s Von Miller got to him, and these events happen to every great QB.  Newton was destroyed in public perception because of his perceived lack of effort in not diving to recover the ball and how he walked away from the postgame press conference.  Sadly, this is what he is mainly known for.

In the years that followed, Newton’s large frame began to accumulate injuries. After a rotator cuff injury in 2017, it was clear that he was not the same thrower, though his legs were still powerful. Newton’s passing numbers continued to decrease, and his season was shut down after 14 Games due to more shoulder problems in 2018. He only played in two Games in 2019 from a foot injury.  Newton was given permission to seek a trade, but when suitors came, he was released.  He signed with New England for 2020, where he was their starter.  Newton rushed for 12 TDs but only threw for 8.  He was released the following season during training camp and signed again with Carolina but lost all five starts.  That was the end of Cam Newton’s playing career.

Newton compiled overall numbers of 32,382 Yards, and194 Touchdown Passes, with 5,628 Rushing Yards and 75 Touchdowns.  That last number is the key to any Hall of Fame shot, as those TDs on the ground is better than many HOF Running Backs.

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Byron Jones

Byron Jones, originally from New Britain, Connecticut, was a versatile defensive back who played multiple positions for UConn, before being selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. During his time in Dallas, Jones excelled at cornerback, earning Second Team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2018. After five years with the Cowboys, he spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins before retiring with a total of 444 combined tackles, four interceptions, and five forced fumbles.

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Benardrick McKinney

Bernardrick McKinney was a standout college football player at Mississippi State and was named an All-SEC Selection. He played as a linebacker in the NFL and spent almost all of his career with the Houston Texans, except for his final year when he played for the New York Giants.

McKinney was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft and quickly earned the starting role as an Inside Linebacker. He had his best season in his second year, recording career-highs in Combined Tackles (129), Sacks (5.0), and Quarterback Hits (11), which led to his selection as a Second Team All-Pro.

McKinney was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and had two consecutive seasons of breaking the 100 Tackle mark. Unfortunately, in 2020, he suffered a shoulder injury and only played four games for the Texans before being released. McKinney finished his career with 559 Combined Tackles.

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Antonio Brown

Oh boy.

There is a lot to discuss when examining the career of Antonio Brown, the dynamic wide receiver. For the most part, throughout his career, there were no red flags. In fact, he was arguably the best wide receiver of the decade.

Brown was a two-time All-American from Central Michigan and proved to be a great pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 195th overall. He was used sparingly in his rookie year, but broke out with 1,108 receiving yards as a sophomore. Brown was considered an elite player from 2013 to 2019, with his expert route-running skills and ability to cut on a dime. He made the Pro Bowl in every season, including a four-year streak (2014-17) of First Team All-Pros. He twice led the NFL in receiving yards (2014 & 2017) with two second-place finishes, and was also at the top of the Receiving Touchdowns standings in 2018. Brown finished the decade with the most yards of any wide receiver and easily made the All-Decade Team.

Despite his success, Brown never won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh. Late in the 2018 season, he and his quarterback had a falling out, and he asked for a trade, which he received, with Oakland as his landing spot. This began his dramatic downfall.

Brown never played for Oakland, as he missed most of training camp due to blistered feet from cryotherapy and later over not being able to wear his old helmet. He had an altercation with his GM and asked to be released, which he was, hours before his money was to be guaranteed. Brown later signed with New England and was also dealing with sexual misconduct claims, but that stay lasted only one game. He was then picked up by Tom Brady and Tampa Bay, where he finally won a Super Bowl. However, a year later, he ran off the field during a game after refusing to go in for a play. Brown continued to make headlines, but always for the wrong reasons.

If Brown had retired after leaving Pittsburgh, he might have been a lock as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Regardless, his legacy is what it is, and we have no idea what will happen next!

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Ali Marpet

Ali Marpet made history in 2015 as the highest ever draft pick from a Division III school (Hobart) when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the Offensive Lineman in the Second Round.

Marpet won the starting job at Right Guard as a rookie, where he played two years before he was shifted to Center for a year as Tampa Bay had a need to fill, and thought he could perform adequately.  The year after, Marpet was moved back to the Guard position, this time on the left side, and held his ground for four years, including his final one where he was chosen for the Pro Bowl, and protected the legendary Tom Brady on the road to a Super Bowl win.

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Ervin Santana

Ervin Santana had a long career as a Starting Pitcher in the Major Leagues. Although he surpassed 150 career Wins, he did so in bunches.

The Dominican hurler made his debut for the Angels in 2005 and had 30 Wins against 16 Losses in his first two years, but his ERA was well over four. Santana had a bad 2007 season (7-14, 5.76 ERA), but he responded with his best year as an Angel, going 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA and made it to the All-Star Game. Santana finished in the top ten in Cy Yung voting, but it would take another ten years before he could do it again. Throughout his career, Santana had good years mixed with others where he had an ERA near five or above, but he was always good enough to remain a starter.

Santana was traded to Kansas City with one year left on his contract and signed with Atlanta as a free agent for another year before joining Minnesota in 2015. It was as a Twin that Santana had his best year, with a 16-8 record and a 3.28 ERA. He led the American League in Complete Games (5), Shutouts (3), and earned his second and last All-Star Game appearance, with another top ten finish for the Cy Young.

Santana dealt with finger issues and other injuries and only appeared in eight games over the following two seasons (the last year as a member of the Chicago White Sox). He had one final year in the Majors with a return to Kansas City, where he pitched out of the pen, and he retired with 151 Wins against 129 Losses.
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