5 Heisman winners who lived up to the sky-high expectations in the NFL

A statue of Texas Longhorns football legend Earl Campbell

A trio of Heisman-winning running backs

#3 - Earl Campbell, RB

Earl Campbell won the Heisman Trophy with the Texas Longhorns in 1977 and was picked up by the Houston Oilers in the 1978 draft. In each of his first three seasons, he won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

In 1978, he was named Rookie of the Year, which he followed up with the NFL MVP award in 1979, having rushed for the most yards and scored the most touchdowns. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and was the rushing yards leader from 1978 to 1980 and the rushing touchdowns leader from 1979 to 1980. Both the Tennessee Titans, the current iteration of the Houston Oilers, and the Texas Longhorns have retired his jersey number.

#2 - Marcus Allen, RB

Marcus Allen won the Heisman Trophy in 1981 and entered the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982 as the 10th overall pick of the draft. He would become a crucial part of the franchise's success in the ensuing years.

He won the Super Bowl XVIII and was named the MVP in that game.

After following that up with an NFL MVP award in 1985, he became the first, and so far only, player to win the Heisman Trophy, NFL MVP Award, Super Bowl MVP award, NCAA College Championship and the Super Bowl. For his exploits with the Raiders and later the Kansas City Chiefs, he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

#1 - Barry Sanders, RB

We end the list of Heisman Trophy winners who lived up to expectations with arguably the greatest running back of the modern era, Barry Sanders. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 and entered the league with the Detroit Lions as the 3rd overall pick in the NFL Draft in 1989.

He played his entire career for the Detroit Lions.

In his 10 seasons in the NFL, he was named to the Pro Bowl every single season. He rushed for a total of 15,269 yards, with an average of more than 1500 yards each season.

In 1997, he was named the NFL MVP for rushing for more than 2000 yards and becoming just the third player to do so. His jersey number 20 has been retired by the Detroit Lions and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.