Robert Edwards

Running back Robert Edwards is perhaps the biggest reason why the NFL is so reluctant to hold any type of skills competition events leading up to the Pro Bowl, like other professional sports host in the days leading up to their respective All-Star games. The New England Patriots drafted Edwards with the 18th overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Edwards was sensational in his rookie season, rushing for 1,115 yards and nine touchdowns, plus an additional 331 yards receiving and three more scores.

Unfortunately, Edwards suffered a freak knee injury in a rookie flag football game on the beaches of Hawaii, prior to the Pro Bowl. The injury was so gruesome that Edwards almost had to have his leg amputated below the knee, and was told that he may never walk again. He shockingly made a return to the NFL over three years later, but was a shell of his former self. Edwards owns one of the strangest “what could have been” stories of all time.