Five Mediocre College Quarterbacks Who Had Great NFL Careers

We hear all the time about busts, especially at the quarterback position. These are the guys that were hyped up as the next big thing, saviors of a franchise in desperate need of stability. Instead, some combination of bad character, poor work ethic, rough environments, or straight up poor play left fans feeling confused and angry after a few short seasons.

For the QB's we don't hear about on draft day, a storied career in the NFL is still within reach. Most didn't light up the stat sheet in college; in fact, some of them barely got on the field. Still, they were able to use the experience of struggling on campus to their advantage, pushing even harder for playing time and the chance to make an impact in the pros. Here are five quarterbacks who flew under the radar at school before making a major splash in the NFL.

Statistics courtesy of Sports Reference CFB and Pro Football Reference

5. Matt Cassell: Southern California (2000-2005)

Matt Cassel is no stranger to playing backup to an established star. The Detroit native signed on with USC in 2000, set to replace Carson Palmer as the next in line at quarterback for the Trojans.

Things changed after Pete Carroll was brought on as coach in 2001. The recruitment of four-star Matt Leinart ensured that Cassel would be unable to take a hold of the starting gig.  For four years he was placed in the unfortunate position of playing behind two Heisman Trophy winners, yet never transferred out of the program. Few thought he would amount to much when selected in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Patriots.

As a three-year backup to fellow underdog Tom Brady, Cassel never started a game until 2008, when Tom was injured for the year after just one game. Where others would have had a difficult time filling in for a legend, Cassel performed admirably, tossing for over 3,500 yards and leading New England to a stellar 11-5 record.

After an offseason signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cassel would eventually make his first and only Pro Bowl in 2010 while leading K.C. to a division title. Although most of Cassel's career was spent as a high-quality backup, few would have expected him to last more than a couple of years in the NFL based off his limited time at USC. Instead, he was able to stretch out a fourteen-year career on multiple rosters, a testament to his patience and willingness to be a team player.

4. Brad Johnson: Florida State (1988-1992)

As with the next three members of this list, Brad Johnson was a title-winning quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the team to a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII at the age of 34. However, it would have astounded most college football fans to see him starting games in the NFL, let alone winning it all twelve years after getting drafted.

It's hard to blame the public for sleeping on Johnson. After a four-year stint as a backup at Florida State, where he held clipboards for three different starters, the Georgia native was taken in the ninth round of the NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings in 1992, not even joining the active roster until 1994 and going to Europe the following season. When Warren Moon broke his collar bone in 1996, Johnson stepped into the starting spot for the first time since high school, powering the Vikings to a playoff berth and establishing himself as a legitimate pro quarterback.

Despite losing the starting gig and getting traded to Washington, Johnson would persevere, emerging as a Pro Bowler during his first season in D.C. When he turned in a disappointing 2000 season (11 TD: 15 INT), he was again doubted by most NFL fans, forced to sign a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When Tampa won the championship two years later, Johnson earned his second Pro Bowl selection while leading the NFL in passer rating, the first Buc to ever accomplish such a feat.

Despite never starting at FSU and being chased out of two different franchises, Brad Johnson kept at it, bouncing from team to team before finally becoming immortalized as a Super Bowl champion. Johnson had his share of struggles over the years, but made a concerted effort to cut down on his turnovers in Tampa and become a veteran game-manager that fit Gruden's offense perfectly. It's hard enough to carve out a starting role on three different franchises; for a ninth round pick to reach the top of the NFL is nothing short of remarkable.

3. Phil Simms: Morehead State (1976 - 1980)

Today, Phil Simms is one of the more recognizable faces in football given his years as a broadcaster and analyst for CBS. However, the former Giants quarterback was once the leader of Division II Morehead State, a struggling program going through a 2-6-1 season in 1979, Simms' senior year.

Coming into the draft, scouts fell in love with the strong-armed Simms, despite seemingly subpar numbers. Tossing for just over 1,000 yards, a 6 touchdown:11 interception ratio, and a passing completion rate of 53%, draft analysts chalked up Phil's statistics to Morehead State's ball-control offense. Still, Giants fans were in for a shock when the team took Simms with the seventh overall pick. The move thwarted the plans of Bill Walsh and the 49ers, who had to settle for some guy named Joe Montana in the third round.

At first, the worst fears of New York fans seemed to come true. Simms' first three seasons as a Giant did not go as planned, as he tossed 42 interceptions to just 39 touchdowns and then was injured for all of the 1982 season and then got injured again in 1983 when asked to come off the bench by new head coach Bill Parcells.

In 1984, Simms committed himself to becoming a better quarterback, staying longer in the film room and becoming an offensive leader that season, tossing for over 4,000 yards and leading the young Giants back into the postseason. Two years later in 1986, he authored one of the greatest games in NFL history, going 22-for-25 passing with 268 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named Super Bowl XXI MVP.

While injuries would limit Simms going into the 1990s, he retired as the Giants leader in nearly every passing category, most of which were eventually surpassed by Eli Manning. After being heckled mercilessly by Big Blue fans in his earliest seasons, the fact that Simms ended up getting his number retired by the franchise was a testament to his quarterback ability and work ethic. Although most in and outside of the league had never even heard of Morehead State, Simms proved that college statistics can be incredibly misleading, even if it takes a while for natural talent to shine professionally.

2. Brett Favre: Southern Miss (1987 - 1991)

Before embarking on a Hall of Fame career, Brett Favre was a small-school quarterback at Southern Mississippi that few football fans had even heard of. Favre's humble background only made it more surprising when the Atlanta Falcons used a second round pick to take him in the 1991 NFL Draft.

Coached by his father in high school, young Brett rarely threw in his games due to the team's wishbone-oriented running attack. With such limited opportunity, a scholarship from Southern Mississippi was his only collegiate offer. To be fair to Favre, his numbers at school were better than the other four players on our list. A four-year starter, the numbers certainly aren't eye-dropping; over 44 games, the young gunslinger threw for 52 touchdowns, 34 interceptions, and a passing completion percentage of 52.4%.

After his selection by the Falcons, Favre barely saw the field, failing to complete a pass in four attempts while giving away two interceptions. Head coach Jerry Glanville was not a fan of the front office's pick, claiming it would take a plane crash for the rookie to get meaningful game action. To be fair to Glanville, the then-22 year old had not been the most professional rookie, often showing up to team meetings hungover after long nights of partying and frustrating parts of the locker room with declarations that he should be starting. Luckily for Brett's career, many talent evaluators around the league had not lost faith in him. In 1992, the Packers parted with a first round pick to make Favre their quarterback of the future.

Despite a cannon for an arm, Favre's first two seasons were marred by erratic, turnover-inducing play. While the Pack had some success (26-19 record from 1992-94), questions were raised over the team's ability to make a deep playoff run with their young quarterback. All questions were answered in 1995, the first of Favre's three consecutive MVP awards. During this time he averaged nearly 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns a season in addition to a Super Bowl win in 1996, the first championship in thirty years for Titletown. Two decades later, Favre is recognized as one of the NFL's all-time greats, breaking a litany of passing records along the way while maintaining the Packers' status as one of the league's premier teams.  

Brett Favre entered the NFL scene a relative unknown, a young quarterback with natural talent but a penchant for head-scratching decisions on and off the field. A trade to Green Bay proved to be a wakeup call, culminating in postseason glory and an Ironman streak of consecutive games started that could stand the test of time. Favre's story shows how even the biggest of arms can be hidden in college, and how the biggest of egos can be corrected in the pros.

1. Tom Brady: Michigan (1997 - 2000)

You knew we had to put the GOAT at one. At this point, the epic saga of Tom Brady borders upon mythology; a sixth round pick by the New England Patriots, taken behind six other quarterbacks, few expected Brady to last in the NFL. Instead, he outlasted practically all of the doubters, winning seven rings over two decades with two different franchises, a mind-boggling career that has completely altered the face of the league.

However, it is important to take a step back and look at what got Brady to the NFL. At Michigan, Brady entered campus well below starting quarterback Brian Griese, having to scratch and claw his way up the depth chart in the years that followed. When he finally had a chance to start, an intense training camp battle ensued with local son and highly touted recruit Drew Henson, one that involved Brady nearly transferring out of UM. Brady would earn the majority of the snaps at quarterback in 1998, and he led the Wolverines to a solid 10-win season with average numbers (2,427 passing yards, 14 TD: 10 INT).

To placate a fanbase that wanted to see the younger, inexperienced Henson start, head coach Lloyd Carr developed a platoon system in 1999 before making Brady the full-time starter to close out a 10-2 campaign. With another decent season statistically (2,217 passing yards, 16 TD: 6 INT), Brady declared for the NFL Draft. The rest is, quite literally, football history. A successful marriage with Bill Belichick that produced the sport's greatest dynasty was followed up with an incredible 2021 Super Bowl season that proved Brady was not simply a product of his former coach's system in Foxboro.

Shattering records and winning titles today makes it easy to forget that a long time ago, nothing was guaranteed for number twelve. The fight just to earn the starting job at Michigan formed the intense competitor we see today, someone who spends hours upon hours in the film room attempting to perfect his craft. Rather than backing down from a quarterback competition, Brady decided to own it, pushing himself in ways that even he didn't imagine. While it seems silly to think that Brady would ever have to worry about losing his starting spot, feeling the presence of failure just over his shoulder has helped give birth to one of the great careers in American sports.