Heisman busts: 12 biggest Heisman Trophy winners who flamed out in the NFL
By John Buhler
8. Scouting Report. Running Back. USC Trojans, 2005 (Vacated). 808. Pick Analysis. Reggie Bush. player
Admittedly, it’s hard to say that Reggie Bush is definitively a Heisman bust in the NFL level. He played 11 years in the NFL with five teams, most notably with the New Orleans Saints, the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. Bush was an All-Pro in 2008 with New Orleans and was part of their Super Bowl XLIV Championship in 2009.
That being said, Bush was never as good as advertised coming out of USC. In college, he was a transcendent playmaker who did anything and everything for the Trojans offense. But playing in the NFL, he was never really much more than a glorified gadget player at his best. He was never going to be the bell-cow back that the Saints hoped they had drafted No. 2 out of USC in 2006.
Bush left The Big Easy for South Beach to spend two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Then in 2013, he would go on to spend two years in the Motor City with the Detroit Lions. He then wrapped up his pro career with the 2015 San Francisco 49ers and the 2016 Buffalo Bills, where he actually had negative rushing yards on the season.
In 11 NFL seasons, Bush had 5,490 rushing yards on 126 carries for 36 touchdowns, as well as 447 catches for 3,598 yards and 18 touchdowns. Though he nearly had 10,000 career yards from scrimmage, Bush was clearly a player that was ahead of his time. If he were a decade younger, he’d be Alvin Kamara or Christian McCaffrey. Overall, his NFL career was slightly underwhelming.