There is no feeling like when your team gets a star player in the draft and the expectations of a super bowl are in your sights but when these certain stars don't shine as brightly as we expect they end up crashing down to earth. Here are some NFL players that flickered out early and ruined their careers.

1 Adrian Peterson (RB, Minnesota Vikings)

Peterson's career mirrored Walter Payton's near-death experience in Chicago before 1985. Peterson heroically carried the Vikings for years. He was their offence for several seasons. Minnesota went 10-6 in 2012 despite throwing for less than 3,000 yards. Peterson had 2,097 on the ground. It's a shame Peterson only won one playoff game in 12 years. His list of highlights may go unmet. 'Minneapolis let New Orleans was never a fit, and Arizona is old. His chance to get a ring came too late. The Vikings may have hung on too long, hoping to get him there. In either case, they squandered his peak years.

2 John Hannah (OG, New England Patriots)

To be fair, guards are a misunderstood profession and They don't have stats and don't have to cover as much as tackles. They also don't obstruct like centres. Most think they're merely obstacles. This is untrue. An offence's guard can make or break it. John Hannah showed. That their offence changed drastically after his arrival in 1973 is no fluke. Previously, they were 16th in total offence. Seven top-ten finishes from 1974 through 1985. Much of it is thanks to his amazing interior work. He helped nine-time Pro Bowl quarterbacks have good seasons. The rushed attacks of the late 1970s were machines. It's a shame he only made four postseason appearances, losing twice to the eventual winner.

3 Willie Rove (OT, New Orleans Saints)

Hannah had it rough, but he got a play in a Super Bowl. Willie Rove, the best offensive lineman of the 1990s, wasn't even 30 when he made the playoffs. Not enough, he never made it through the divisional round. He made the playoffs twice in 13 years. Given his 11 Pro Bowl appearances, the maths doesn't add up. A player gets picked by a team known for their futility in New Orleans before signing in Kansas City, where they won their last Super Bowl when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Assisting middling quarterbacks or being outplayed by good defences, Road played in several great offensive attacks. Proof that great teams don't always have Hall of Famers.

4 Calvin Johnson (WR, Detroit Lions)

Detroit tends to create such guys, which will be evident on this list. Calvin Johnson is the most recent. During his six-year tenure, “Megatron” was practically unstoppable. He was breaking records for yards in a game and season, and he was beating every form of coverage. He ran 10,000 yards before his 30th birthday on poor teams. Understand that this poor guy grew up during the 2008 Lions 0-16 season. They crawled out of that hole thanks to his heroic efforts. The squad was on the rise until playoff disappointments in 2011 and 2014. In his eyes. Tired of torturing his body, he retired after nine seasons.

5 Dan Marino (QB, Miami Dolphins)

Dan Marino was a frequent postseason participant during his Hall of Fame career. He saw the Super Bowl. So how can he be on a list with players who never got it? Marino is being graded on a curve. He's the best quarterback never to win a title. That's settled. He retired with every major passing record. But it's more than that. Throughout his career, he led the Dolphins to victory virtually completely on his own. Marino had five top-10 defences in 17 seasons. He never played with a top-ten rushing offence. A benefit enjoyed by greats like Joe Montana and John Elway. Marino never had a full team around him, which is a tragedy given his talent.

6 Tony Gonzalez (TE, Kansas City Chiefs)

He may be the greatest tight end ever. Given the Tony Gonzalez competition, it says a lot about Tony Gonzalez's career. First, longevity. Gonzalez lasted 17 years. He didn't miss any. None. That's ridiculous for a physically hard job. He had 15,127 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns. That's better than most NFL wideouts. So it's hard to fathom how he only made the playoffs six times in 17 years. Worse, his club lost five of those games. Yes. Gonzalez wasn't 36 when he made the conference final. His Kansas City Chiefs squad has gone 13-3 but lost their home opening twice. That's the kind of mediocrity he surrounded himself with.

7 Barry Sanders (RB, Detroit Lions)

The Lions have mastered the art of persuading great players to retire early. Barry Sanders was the most notable example. His explosive rushing style wowed the NFL for years. Never before had a back been more explosive. A player that defences dreaded facing because he could score a big touchdown at any time. He retired at 30 years old, just 1500 yards shy of the all-time rushing record (15269). A Pro Bowler with an MVP award, Sanders never carried for less than 1,100 yards. It's hard to fathom how the Lions didn't win a championship with such talent. It happened five times from 1989 to 1998. That makes Sanders a tough sell, but the Lions only won one playoff game during that span. To end his career, he was one-and-done four times.

8 Cortez Kennedy (DT, Seattle Seahawks)

People readily overlook Cortez Kennedy's 1990s brilliance. He was a wonderful product of the late 1980s Miami dynasty. Like John Randle and Warren Sapp, he was a great interior pass rusher. Despite having little aid for much of that decade, he still recorded 58 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and three interceptions in that span. He went above and above. But the Seahawks were in a slump. After a surprisingly excellent run in the early 1980s, the franchise went back to being an expansion team. From 1990 through 1998, they only had one winning season, Kennedy's first year. They didn't make the playoffs until 1999 when he was 31. Sure, they were done with Miami. He retired after a 6-10 season.

9 Joe Thomas (OT, Cleveland Browns)

Joe Thomas has been the best offensive guard in the NFL for a decade. His consistency was amazing. He hadn't missed a game or a play since his rookie year in 2007 until he tore his triceps last week. At 33, he's done for the year and probably his career. Previously, Thomas was the unmoving rock in the Browns' storm. Their quarterbacks were sacked frequently, but rarely from his side of the line. Cleveland's lack of quality quarterback play during that span is frustrating. Blindside protection is rare, and when it is found, good QB play usually follows. But not for the Browns. After his 10-win debut season, the Browns haven't won more than seven since. He'll be inducted into the Hall of Fame but likely never see playoff football. So sad.

10 Dick Butkus (Chicago Bears)

It's hard to envision someone beating Thomas for the top place, but Dick Butkus did it. Butkus is still the best middle linebacker ever. On a football field, he was unstoppable. He could tackle, stop the run, sack the quarterback, and cover. On the field, he had 22 picks and 27 fumble recoveries. He made the Pro Bowl eight times in nine seasons, both records. He had the misfortune of playing amid the Bears' darkest era. Chicago had only two winning seasons in his career despite being the best and most feared defensive player in sports. They also never won more than ten games in either of those seasons. Thomas got to 10-6. Butkus played through two damaged knees during that miserable run and only missed seven games.