Todd Gurley
Gurley may be a controversial name to put here – he tore his ACL as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs and went on to have a tremendous start to his career – but now the damage done to his knee holds him back. After becoming one of the league’s best running backs following his injury, Gurley burnt so bright that he burnt out. He scored 30 touchdowns in two seasons and was selected as a first team all-pro, but then Gurley was out-snapped by free agent pick-up, CJ Anderson, on the way to a Super Bowl appearance by his team. The wear and tear got Gurley, as he hasn’t reached 1,000 yards the last two seasons and was cut by the team that drafted him. Running backs already have short shelf lives, and knee injuries plaguing Gurley may have shortened his even more. He provides a cautionary tale that even when things look great, there’s more than meets the eye. Unless the former first rounder can find his footing next season, it looks like his knee will be what holds him back the rest of his career.
Rashard Mendenhall
Mendenhall was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their next great running back. After taking over lead back duties, he became a huge part of a potent, Super Bowl caliber Steelers offense. He rushed for over 1,000 yards twice, and scored 13 touchdowns in 2013, the best season of his career. It all came to a halt when the former first round pick tore his ACL in the first quarter of the last regular season game of the season. The injury left him 72 yards short of his third straight 1,000 yard season, and changed the course of his career. He would go from the Steelers’ lead back to only playing six more games in black and yellow, cut the following year. After a nonchalant one year stint in Arizona, he was out of the league by the age of 26. Mendenhall went from one of the bright, young backs in the league to injured, benched and retired all within three seasons.
Robert Griffin III
I know we’ve focused on running backs, but with the way his torn ACL affected Griffin III’s running ability, it had to be included. The former Heisman Trophy winner took the NFC East – and the league, by storm in 2012. After being drafted by the Washington Football Team, Griffin III used his running ability to turn his team’s offense from the 26th in the league to the 4th. He led Washington to the NFC East crown that season, and that’s where it all took a turn. After looking like everything Lamar Jackson is now and more, Griffin III suffered his ACL injury in the wild card round against the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin III, after running for 815 yards and 7 touchdowns, combined with his passing stats to win Rookie of the Year, went from the league’s next superstar, to its biggest disappointment. He would never be the same – only rushing for over 200 yards in a season one time since. After being cut from the team that drafted him only four years in, he would start five games for the 1-15 Cleveland Browns, take a year off from the NFL, and was recently cut by the Baltimore Ravens after three seasons as a back-up. Griffin III’s rookie season was one of a kind, but his ACL injury ensured he would never replicate it.