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

Once taking over as the starter early in his career as a redshirt freshman, Eric Crouch established himself as a highly unique player at the position. While not possessing the greatest throwing arm or accuracy on the planet, he was a dynamic playmaker capable of turning something into nothing with his legs and arm at any point.

Crouch continued to improve throughout his career with the Cornhuskers, really breaking through as a sophomore, with 889 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to go with 1,269 passing yards and seven scores. As a junior, he had 20 rushing touchdowns with 971 rushing yards, 1,101 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns. In 2001 as a senior, though, Crouch was able to capture the Heisman Trophy as he rushed for 1,115 yards and 18 scores along with 1,510 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns.

In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy, Crouch cemented his place in Nebraska football and college football lore. He’s the Huskers’ all-time leader in total touchdowns, he finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in total offense and he’s one of three quarterbacks in the history of Division 1 football to finish his career with over 3,000 rushing yards and 4,000 passing yards.

With his athleticism and college pedigree, Crouch was a third-round pick in 2002 by the Rams. However, they wanted to move him to wide receiver. An injury ended his time there early on. He then bounced around the Packers’ and Chiefs’ practice squads before leaving for NFL Europe — where he played safety — and then bouncing around other leagues, last playing in 2012.

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