Texas A&M football: 5 Aggie greats who didn’t live up to the NFL hype

There have been a litany of productive running backs to carry the ball for the Aggies over the years and, frankly, very few have gone on to star in the NFL. However, it feels safe to say that none have been a bigger bust than Darren Lewis, one of the most prolific players in the history of the program who simply never gave himself a chance at the next level.

Lewis hit the ground running in College Station, rushing for 668 yards and eight touchdowns on the year with just 127 carries. As the featured back in his sophomore season, however, he became a star. Lewis set a then-school record with 1,692 rushing yards on 306 carries while notching seven touchdowns as well.

His workload lessened the following season as he carried the ball only 185 times but he still rushed for 961 yards and 11 scores. In his final year, he was back to his old ways as he racked up an impressive 1,691 yards and 18 touchdowns on 291 carries. Lewis remains the Aggies’ all-time leading rusher in terms of yards and ranks second in career rushing touchdowns as well.

As mentioned, Lewis was his own worst enemy as his NFL stock plummeted when he tested positive for cocaine at the NFL Combine. This led to him being a sixth-round pick by the Chicago Bears and, once in the league, he never found the same magic he did with Texas A&M. He appeared in only 33 career games and rushed for just 431 yards in his pro career, which ended after only three seasons as legal trouble and substance abuse issues continued.