We all must be itching for some football.

ESPN gives us a chance to get to scratching with a cool, yet somewhat depressing list. They rolled out their list of the top 50 college football players who struggled at the next level (comparatively speaking).

The “Simply Saturday” list includes Heisman Trophy winners, No. 1 picks and All-Americans and football fans in this area would be interested to know that their favorite team(s) were represented.

You may be thinking, “heck, there has to be several former Lions on this list.” Well, you’re right. At No. 43 is ex-Oklahoma running back Steve Owens, the ’69 Heisman Trophy winner who, as ESPN pointed out, was the first Lion to rush for 1,000 yards. But, as with several prolific runners in this era, a knee injury effectively ended his career.

Just a few spots later, at 39, is Iowa great and former first-round Lions draft pick Chuck Long. He maybe the greatest Hawkeye ever, but he won just four of 21 starts in five seasons — four in Detroit.

And then, there’s Aaron Gibson at 30. The massive Wisconsin offensive lineman embodied Badger football, but when he was drafted by the Lions in the first round in 2000, that body just got bigger and bigger. He never got his footing in the NFL.

But before there was Gibson, there was Michigan State star Tony Mandarich. The admitted steroid-user who flopped as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1989 draft is 20th on this list.

Right after Mandarich is another former Lion — Houston quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware. The run ‘n’ shoot maestro couldn’t conduct much of anything in Detroit, was never really able to wrestle the starting job from Rodney Peete or Erik Kramer and was out of the league after 1993.

Yet another former Lions QB makes that list at No. 18. Ty Detmer won the Heisman the year after Ware after putting up video game-type numbers at BYU. But he was just a ninth-round pick by the Packers and, in 2001, he threw seven interceptions for Detroit against the Browns.

Finally, there’s Tom Harmon. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1940 with Michigan and was the top pick in the ’41 NFL draft. Harmon said “no thanks,” but eventually played for the Rams after fighting in World War II.

Let’s not get it confused: there’s nothing wrong with being a great college football athlete. And the men on this list are some of the best to ever put on shoulder pads. But, they left many wondering how someone so good on Saturdays couldn’t figure it out in the pros.

For example, the No. 1 guy on the list is Archie Griffin, the only man to win the Heisman Trophy twice. The bar was set high after his incredible career at Ohio State. But a lackluster seven years in the NFL paled in comparison.

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