Dion Jordan was a highly touted NFL prospect coming out of college in 2013 and was treated as such.
The Miami Dolphins selected Jordan with the No. 3 pick of the draft that year, but his career did not go exactly the way anyone planned. The former defensive end had three sacks in 26 games for the Dolphins and was then suspended in 2015 for violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
He reappeared in the league in 2017 with the Seattle Seahawks, securing four sacks in five games, but it was not enough to revive his career as a starter. He played for the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers before leaving the league following the 2020 season.
Jordan, 34, came to grips with the failure of meeting those high expectations.
“I didn’t have my life in order. My life outside of ball wasn’t in balance,” he said in a recent interview on “The Fish Tank” podcast. “You know, it wasn’t what it needed to be to match all of that stuff and I struggled, dude. I struggled coming in. I struggled understanding the plays and the playbook.
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“When I left the facility, it didn’t help because I’m out partying. I’m enjoying the money I have, and I’m just putting myself behind the eight-ball. I’m hurt, you know. Sometimes I’m missing my rehabs, so that’s not helping.”
Jordan made clear that it was no one else’s fault but his own for the way his NFL career panned out. He is now an assistant at Eureka College in Illinois to help teach the next generation.
In 63 career games, he had 13.5 sacks and 108 total tackles.
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