10 Heisman winners with best NFL careers

Not too many Heisman Trophy winners have gone on to have a lot of success in the NFL, but here are 10 winners who did. 

Each season, the Heisman Trophy goes to the most outstanding player in college football whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. However, just because someone wins the award, that doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL. Far from it, in fact.

For every Heisman winner who went on to have a solid career, there’s a Johnny Manziel and an Eric Crouch. This doesn’t mean the voting has flaws, it simply means college football success and NFL success don’t share a correlation.

So perhaps winning the Heisman and having NFL success should be held in very high regard. It means not only were you the best among your peers in college, you were also at worst great once the competition got better.

Here are the 10 Heisman winners with the most success in the NFL.

10. Cam Newton

Cam Newton had a short lived but successful NCAA football career. Technically, he only spent one season as a starting quarterback. Personal troubles at Florida led to his departure, and after repairing his reputation, Newton won the 2010 Heisman Trophy, leading the Auburn Tigers to the BCS National Title in the process.

Give the Carolina Panthers quarterback some credit. Going into the 2010 NFL Draft, even as the best player, adjustments were needed. His passing game improves yearly and now he is arguably one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL. Newton already holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He has an MVP on his resume and led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.

When you pick No. 1 for your jersey, you better deliver. So far in his career, Newton has. He could be even higher on this list once his career is over.