Ryan Leaf in 1998 had one of the most promising futures of any quarterback in history. Now, his future seems as bleak as a hardened felon, as he stares at the possibility of serving 50 years in prison on probation violations, burglary charges and possession of Oxycontin that he did not have a prescription for.

 

To really understand his fall, you have to look back at where he was 14 years ago. The major debate in the sport’s world at the time of the 1998 NFL draft was, Ryan Leaf or Payton Manning. Who would the Colts take with their number one draft pick? Over and over the debate raged, and it seemed like a toss up of whom would go first. It ended up being Payton Manning, who would go on to be possibly the greatest quarterback of…