NFL Injuries: Which NFL stars deserve career re-do?

The Oklahoma Sooners seem to churn out top-tier quarterbacks. Sam Bradford was just the latest in a long line in 2008 when he was named the Heisman Trophy winner as a redshirt sophomore, beating out Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow — big names back then, but not so much these days.

Bradford decided to return for his junior season and that surprisingly didn’t damage his draft stock even though he played in just three games due to a shoulder injury. Top college football players might use Bradford as an example of why going pro while your draft stock is high instead of staying an extra year might be a good idea.

Still, though, Bradford was selected No. 1 overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2010 NFL Draft, despite injury concerns. He was named the starting quarterback over A.J. Feeley as a rookie and he broke first-year quarterback records, including passes completed (354).

Playing in all 16 games and throwing for more than 3,500 yards and 18 touchdowns, Bradford’s rise to stardom was just beginning. He was named the Rookie of the Year and it seemed to be the start of something special. However, an ankle sprain limited Bradford to just 10 games in 2011.

One again in 2012, he played in all 16 games, passing for 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns and looking like a Pro Bowl-caliber gunslinger. Like clockwork, the injury bug bit again. He tore his ACL in Week 7 and missed the rest of the 2013 season. He missed the entire 2014 season with a re-injured ACL in the preseason and was traded to the Eagles in 2015.

Bradford played 14 games in 2015 but is still seemingly performing on a timid level with his shaky knees. If he didn’t miss the better part of three seasons with injuries, he might still be playing for the Rams and even being considered an MVP candidate.

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