Some NFL players just don’t live up to the hype. The 2014-2015 season witnessed several of these players and their abysmal seasons. Here are the seven most overrated players in the league in 2014.
Mike Wallace, WR Miami
When Wallace was in Pittsburgh a few years ago, he was one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. Sure, he went from Ben Rothlisberger to Ryan Tannehill at QB, but that’s no excuse for his serious lack of production. He did lead the Dolphins in receiving yards with 862 on 67 receptions. He was nowhere near the threat that he was in Pittsburgh. Plus, Wallace’s attitude put him in head coach Joe Philbin’s doghouse during the season. In the Dolphin’s final game of the season, Philbin benched Wallace in the second half for arguing with the coaching staff.
Matt Kalil, OT Minnesota
After being the fourth overall player selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, Kalil has gone from a pretty productive rookie to a player on the way out of Minnesota. He has gotten progressively worse since his Pro Bowl appearance after that rookie season. In 2014, Kalil gave up 10 sacks, an absolute no-no for a left tackle in the league. Midway through the season, NFL Draft writer Jeff Risdon pointed out that Kalil had the worst overall grade of any offensive player in the entire league. Pretty pathetic for someone mentioned in the same sentence as Hall of Fame OT Anthony Munoz.
DeSean Jackson, WR Washington
So, the Redskins went out and chased down DeSean Jackson last offseason. While the former Eagles star did average over 20 yards a catch, he was still just a very mediocre receiver on a pretty poor team. And, yes, the Redskins had some quarterback issues, but Jackson caught just 56 passes and scored only six touchdowns. He was not much of a threat running the ball on reverses or on punt or kickoff returns. For his sub-par efforts in 2014, Jackson made $8 million (which included his $5 million signing bonus) which comes to just under $143,000 per reception. What a bargain!
Danny Amendola, WR New England
When Wes Welker left New England for Denver, the Patriots thought they found his replacement in Amendola who, like Welker, caught a zillion passes while at Texas Tech. After catching 54 passes in 2013, Amendola followed up with a measly 27 receptions for a less-than-eye-popping 200 yards. He did play an important role in the Divisional Round playoff game against Baltimore when he scored two touchdowns, but overall Amendola’s season was a bust.
Johnny Manziel, QB Cleveland
With all the hoopla that came with the drafting of Johnny Football, fans would have thought Cleveland drafted the savior of the franchise. Well, the savior got beat out for the starting job by Brian Hoyer. He did finally start, in Week 15, against Cincinnati. The former Heisman Trophy winner completed 10-of-18 passes for a whopping 80 yards and threw two picks. His passer rating for the day? Mmmmm….27.3 and he was sacked three times. The Browns lost that game 30-0, but Manziel would start again the following week against Carolina. He was 3-of-8 before a hamstring injury in the second quarter effectively ended his rookie season. For the record, Johnny Football did earn $83,319…per completion!
Trent Richardson, RB Indianapolis
When you are a former No. 1 draft pick and early in your second season your team is trying to trade you, it might be a sign that you’re overrated. Richardson was traded to Indianapolis last season and this season was able to lead the Colts in rushing….with 519 yards. For those keeping score, that is 32 yards a game over the course of 16 games. Richardson lost his starting job to Dan Herron and didn’t even make the trip to the AFC title game after he missed a walkthrough the day before the game. Indianapolis will have to figure out what to do with Richardson next season as he is scheduled to make $3.2 million.
Robert Griffin III, QB Washington
For all NFL teams considering drafting a quarterback that played in a spread offense in college – don’t. No matter how good of an athlete he may be, you just don’t want another RGIII. Griffin had a tremendous rookie season, dropped off in 2013, and in 2014 was just terrible. He suffered a dislocated ankle in the Redskins second game and went on to play in just nine total games. In those nine games, the former Heisman Trophy winner was sacked 33 times and, while once a running threat, managed just 176 yards rushing. With the play of Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, could Griffin be on his way out of Washington?