Heisman Trophy Winners: Top 15 NFL Careers Of All-Time

Aug 9, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson (24) warms up before the preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at O.co Coliseum. Oakland Raiders won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports /

These 15 Heisman Trophy winners had the best careers in the NFL after leaving college football, including eight who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Winning the Heisman Trophy does not necessarily equate to NFL success as there have been plenty of college football players who were busts in the NFL and failed to see their success on Saturday’s translate to Sunday’s. However, that was not the case for these 15 former Heisman winners who thrived in the NFL and had long and successful careers playing at the professional level.

There are eight Heisman winners already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so naturally each of those eight players are represented on this list of the Heisman winners who had the best NFL careers, and there are a couple Heisman winners currently active in the NFL, with at least one destined to end up in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after he retires.

Including Reggie Bush who had his Heisman vacated there are eight Heisman winners currently playing in the NFL, but for the purposes of this list it is far too premature to include recent winners like Sam Bradford, Mark Ingram, Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel as their careers haven’t even really begun or quite frankly, have already shown enough to not merit inclusion on a list like this, especially when half of it is composed of Pro Football Hall of Famer’s.

Let’s take a look at the 15 Heisman winners who had the best NFL careers. After reading through the list, please leave your reactions and opinions in the comments section below.

All college stats and Heisman voting results courtesy of sports-reference.com and NFL stats courtesy of pro football reference

Next: Carson Palmer

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Next: George Rogers

Next: Herschel Walker

Next: Doak Walker

Next: Paul Hornung

Next: Ricky Williams

Next: Eddie George

Next: Tim Brown

Next: Earl Campbell

Next: Charles Woodson

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson (21) celebrates a play during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Next: Marcus Allen

Next: Roger Staubach

Next: O.J. Simpson

Next: Tony Dorsett

Next: Barry Sanders

Next: Top 15 Heisman Busts of All-Time

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Top 15 Heisman Trophy Winners With The Best NFL Careers

By Patrick Schmidt | Dec 9, 2014

These 15 Heisman Trophy winners had the best careers in the NFL after leaving college football, including eight who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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