Fansided

Michigan football: 5 great players who didn’t live up to the NFL hype

By Cody Williams

University of Michigan's Chad Henne (7) calls signals during a game against Minnesota at Michigan Stadium on October 8, 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Minnesota won the game 23-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
University of Michigan's Chad Henne (7) calls signals during a game against Minnesota at Michigan Stadium on October 8, 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Minnesota won the game 23-20. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Michigan football overrated players, NFL busts
Michigan football (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

Mark Messner peaked in college.

When you looked at the roughly 250-pound Mark Messner, your first thought almost surely wasn’t that he would be one of the most dominant defensive players, if not the most dominant, in the history of Michigan football. As the adage goes, though, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and Messner’s career with the Wolverines is a true testament to that.

After redshirting in the 1984 season, Messner took up a starting job as a freshman and made an immediate impact. He registered 11 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 71 total tackles as part of a Wolverines team that went 10-1-1. He was also named the Defensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl and All-Big Ten. The next season, he continued his success with 13 starts for a Michigan team that went 11-2.

Starting every game as a junior, Messner once again finished the season with 11 sacks, including a single-game record with five sacks against Northwestern. The team did take a slight step back, however, as they went just 8-4 on the year. Messner finished his career strong, though, as he helped the team to a big season that culminated in a Rose Bowl win as he set a single-season record for tackles for loss.

Messner left Ann Arbor and remains Michigan football’s all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss for a career while his single-game sack record still stands as well. Due to his size, though, he wasn’t drafted until the sixth round in 1989. Even more unfortunate, after playing in only four games as a rookie, he suffered a career-ending knee injury in the NFC Championship Game.

So while Messner’s lack of an NFL career isn’t the fault of his talent, it’s the hard truth that his Michigan days were the best of his time on the gridiron.

Home/College Football