Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner currently in the NFL: Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson headline

Heisman Trophy winners have varying results in the NFL after turning pro.

NFL success is not always a guarantee after winning the Heisman Trophy.

Though winning the Heisman will end up getting a star college player drafted these days, not every winner has parlayed his success to the NFL. For example, Johnny Manziel is the only Heisman winner from the last decade not still in the league. However, the hit rate on Heisman winners has been more promising in recent years. While many of these previous winners are expected to be the faces of their new franchises, not everyone lives up to those lofty expectations.

Who do the Heisman Trophy winners in the NFL stack up?

A knee injury as a rookie derailed a promising NFL career

For a minute there, it seemed like Robert Griffin III would be a superstar in the nation’s capital. The 2011 Heisman winner out of Baylor had a fantastic rookie season in Washington before blowing out his knee in the Wild Card round vs. the Seattle Seahawks. He ended up washing out in Washington, ultimately resurfacing as a high-end backup, now on his third team in the league.

Griffin serves as Lamar Jackson‘s backup on the Baltimore Ravens. Though he may still want to be an NFL starter in some capacity, his career has been defined. He is on the wrong side of 30 and people have questions about his overall durability in the years since his untimely injury. While he has transformed himself into No. 2 quarterback option, that is as good as it will get for him.

Interceptions and inconsistency have the former No. 1 pick serving as a backup

Jameis Winston is on his second team six years into his NFL career. The 2013 Heisman winner out of Florida State was taken No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After looking like a franchise cornerstone as a rookie, Winston battled through inconsistencies throughout his entire five-year run in Gulf Coast Florida. He now backs up Drew Brees in 2020.

While it seems like Winston will be one-and-done with the New Orleans Saints, there is reason to believe he can stick around and start on a third NFL franchise. With Tampa Bay, Winston was prolific in the Air Coryell offense and was certainly capable of putting up points and yardage. However, his rampant turnovers and overall maturity issues have him in his current role.