Making it in the NFL is no small feat… A collection of the nation’s top athletes are stacked up against one another, all competing for roster spots and subsequently millions of dollars.
There is, of course, a small group of true blue-chip prospects, whose stardom is somewhat of a forgone conclusion during their college careers.
But that is a tiny percentage of the NFL’s stars—most of them still needed to improve drastically to earn their place in football’s top echelon.
For many of these guys, it was one big weakness… an Achilles heel of sorts that was holding them back from reaching their highest potential!So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 NFL players who were able to put the work in—or found the right coach to help them overcome their biggest weakness and become a true superstar.
Josh Allen (Accuracy)
Much was made about Josh Allen when draft prognosticators started to speculate that the former University of Wyoming quarterback could be one of the top selections in the 2018 NFL Draft.
After all, Wyoming isn’t exactly known for being quarterback U… Or… for churning out NFL prospects with any kind of regularity.
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Beyond that… Allen was far from a blue-chipper… He was a Juco transfer, who landed at Wyoming on the strength of his time at Reedly, during which he completed just 49 percent of his passes, but also displayed the physicality that has enticed people in and around NFL ever since.
His accuracy never really improved that much at Wyoming though. He completed 56 percent of his passes during the two full seasons he played—and the media crushed Allen for this leading up to the draft.
And, well, the nay-sayers got out to an early lead against the young quarterback… As he went five and six during 11 starts in year 1, completing just 52.8 percent of his passes, followed by 10 and six and 58.8 percent in year 2.
At the time, people literally thought that Allen was holding the Bills back! Crazy to think about now…
Anyway, 2020 was where it all came together for the young QB. Under the continued tutelage of Brian Dabol and Ken Dorsey, Allen was able to become much more consistent, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes.
Now, the Bills are a perennial Super Bowl contented—and Allen’s name is regularly found on the shortlist of the top quarterbacks in the league—good thing he finally managed to kick the accuracy bug that plagued him all those years.
Justin Reid (tackling)
Justin Reid, a former third-round pick out of Stanford, has really proven himself as one of the top safeties in the league over the past couple of years… Particularly since he escaped the clutches of the Houston Texans—and joined up with the Kansas City Chiefs.
What’s strange—is that Reid actually entered the NFL as one of the better tackling defensive backs… But it seemed like he developed some bad habits during his time in Houston.
Fortunately, winning seems to have revitalized him—and his ability to or… more so… willingness to get down and dirty and make some physical tackles. Reid has become a much more formidable tackler, not just in terms of counting numbers, but on the tape…
His PFF grade reflects that too—it jumped from a 50.9 mark in 2021 up to 70.3 in 2022. Now that he’s had a taste of team success… and star status… let’s see if he can keep it up!
DK Metcalf (watching film)
The former Mississippi wide receiver has gotten off to a pretty solid start in his young NFL career. In fact, a way better start than any Seahawks receiver in history—at least as far as touchdowns and receptions are concerned.
For DK, like many star athletes, the sport has always come relatively easy to him. He probably never needed to get too far into the weeds preparation-wise in high school… or even college… because he was that much more athletic than his competition.
That, of course, all changes in the NFL, when you are dealing with true professionals – and almost everyone that touches the field is a bonafide stud athletically.
This was a lesson that Metcalf learned quickly during his rookie season—and from watching how some of the other veterans on the team, like Bobby Wagner, prepared, he realized he was missing out an opportunity to improve on what was already a good start to his career.
Metcalf began watching his own game tape—and cut-ups of the best guys at his position to learn more about the nuances of their games—and considering the drastic jump he made in year 2, not just production-wise, as he added 403 yards and three touchdowns to his stat line, but also, in terms of being a more complete and consistent player was undeniable.
Dexter Lawrence (pass rushing)
Much has been made about the astronomical leap that Daniel Jones took—and rightfully so, but Dexter Lawrence, the former Clemson standout, dwarfed his quarterback growth-wise.
2022 was a heck of a year for Lawrence the New York Giants… They brought in a new head coach in Brian Daboll, who seemed to completely change the culture of a team that, frankly, was walking into the year, really, with zero expectations.
Next thing you know—things are starting to click across the board and they even managed to make the postseason in a competitive NFC East.
And their young defensive tackle’s growth, particularly has a pass rusher, was a big part of that!
He was one of the top interior linemen in the league last year—his numbers were up across the board.
Lawrence set new career highs with 7.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits, nearly doubling both of his previous career marks of 4.0 and 11 respectively.
He has also set new career bests with 68 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
And it has paid off not just for the Giants, but also, for Lawrence, in a big way—as he recently inked a four-year $90 million extension with the team. $60 of which was guaranteed. Needless to say, New York was clearly eager to keep their budding star in town for years to come—getting that kind of pass-rushing production out of an interior d-lineman is rare.
George Kittle (route running)
Ever since his days at the University of Iowa, there has never been any question about George Kittle’s insane athleticism. At 6’ 4” and 250 pounds, with 4.52 speed and a 35 inch vertical jump—he’s a bonafide freak.
Not to mention that he’s got all the physicality needed to hold off even the league’s best defensive linemen.
With all that speed and strength—it is a wonder that Kittle fell to the fifth round in the 2017 Draft… but he, for whatever reason, struggled to standout amongst a deep tight end class that included three first-round selection: OJ Howard, Evan Engram, and David Njoku.
At this point, it is safe to say that Kittle has lapped all of them—and then some… He is quietly putting himself in the discussion for one of the best all-around tight ends to ever play the position, but the question remains—how did Kittle ascend to stardom?
After all, this is a guy who started just seven games his rookie year—and was solid, catching 43 passes for 515 yards and two tudders, but nothing to write home about… but a cheap imitation of the All-Pro we’ve grown accustomed to seeing pretty much ever since his second year in the league.
For Kittle, the big difference maker was really honing his route running skills… That was what took him to the next level.
He went from being a guy that could get kind of open, but had to lean on his athleticism to make a play, to now possessing the savvy of a vet—who just so happens to also be a freak of nature. And as we’ve seen—that is a pretty devastating combination for opposing defenses to try and deal with.
Dalvin Cook (injury prone)
There was little question about what an NFL team would be getting from Dalvin Cook on the field after his collegiate career down in Miami.
Cook was one of the most explosive running backs we’d seen in some time—and put up monster numbers, particularly during his last two years on campus, when he averaged over 2000 scrimmage yards and 20 total touchdowns each season.
He ultimately wasn’t taken until the second round, as some teams had concerns about his off the field history… and, of course, the overall devaluation of the running back position.
What’s crazy is—it looked like Minnesota was going to end up ruing the decision to take Cook—even with a second-rounder—because the young running back simply could not stay on the field.
He got off to a great start his rookie year, but tore his ACL Week 4, which cost him the remainder of the season.
The following year, it was a hamstring that plagued him all year and cost him six games—and forced him into a platoon with Latavius Murray.
To his credit though, Dalvin seems to have figured out a better way to manage his health. He’s coming off a 2022 season in which he played a full season for the first time in his career—and in each of the three years prior he missed four or fewer games.
Not perfect, but a marked improvement—and considering he was a Pro Bowler all four years—I’d say enough for him to have proven himself as a star.
Kaleb McGary (run blocking)
It can be tough for offensive linemen to get the shine they deserve. Life in the trenches is far from glamorous. That said—Kaleb McGary did well to turn some heads with his epic 2022 season, which came mere months after the team declined their fifth-year option on the former first-rounder.
A cynic might say that McGary was just putting in more effort during a contract year…
But upon closer observation, it is clear that the young tackle actually had improved leaps and bounds from the year prior, particularly as a run blocker, both technically and within the team’s system.
That actually might be an understatement. Among tackles, McGary’s 91.8 run-blocking grade was second best in the league, behind San Francisco 49ers‘ Trent Williams, who is widely regarded as one of the best lineman in the league.
Anytime a player is mentioned in the same breath as someone with the talent that Williams has—it is a good sign that you’ve tackled whatever weakness was keeping them from stardom.
Patrick Queen (Coverage)
Sometimes all it takes is a new opportunity for a player to realize his full potential… And that is what we witnessed playout with Patrick Queen last year, after Baltimore paired him with an All-Pro vet in Roquan Smith.
Smith’s presence and tutelage helped Queen take his game to the next level—he set career highs in tackles, sacks, interceptions, and passes defended. Clearly his entire skillset improved, but no aspect more so than his ability in coverage.
And the team benefited from this. The Ravens D allowed just 14.7 points per game in the nine games after Smith arrived—unfortunately, they missed out on true contention because of Lamar’s ailing health.
Next year, if Jackson can stay health—and Queen and Smith can recreate what they did down the stretch in 2022, the Ravens will be a scary team to deal with!
Justin Fields (passing)
There was never any question about the former Ohio State signal caller’s athleticism… Justin Fields is a freak among freaks—and he put that on display last year rushing for an insane 1143 yards as a quarterback.
But what really sent a shot of hope through the Bears fan base last year… was watching Fields develop as a passer.
It is clear that he has put in the work to improve on his footwork and pocket presence—and now that the Bears have actually brought in some topline talent at the wide receiver position with the acquisition of DJ Moore—this newfound competency should really be put on display!
Evan Engram (game preparation/watching film)
The bright city lights aren’t for everyone—something that Evan Engram has exemplified with his recent career resurgence down in Jacksonville.
There was never any question about the former New York Giants’ first-round pick’s talent… But Engram really struggled during his time in New York to develop as a professional. He was just too inconsistent.
But apparently, the big gap for him was around his preparation—the work he was putting into the game physically and mentally just wasn’t enough.
And that has all changed for Engram down in Duvall, he explained:
“It was the first time in my career where I didn’t want to leave the building. It was a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I’m in the building just staying because I want to work, I want to watch more film. I’m staying with Trevor [Lawrence] after the day is over watching film with him.”
Funny how that works—you start working harder… and all of a sudden it just starts to come together!
Which NFL do you think most overcame their biggest weakness to become a superstar? Did we miss anyone?
