Bigger Than the Hype: 10 Sports Stars Who've Made the Leap
It's all about hype—large, quantifying, immeasurable doses of hype. Today's athletes are riddled with it. Some rise up and surpass the hype, while others can't quite get it together.
We've seen a lot of players on both sides of the coin. In this slideshow we're strictly talking about those who rose above it and became superstars.
In order to make this list, you had to have been a hyped prospect. For example: Odell Beckham Jr. had a buzz, but it was nothing near the likes of say Andrew Luck or even Julio Jones. Using the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA as our battlegrounds of athletic combat, we mustered up enough courage to crown these 10 names, athletes who rose above the hype over the last five years.
Aaron Donald
1 of 10
Few defensive tackles disrupt the course of a football game like Aaron Donald of the St. Louis Rams. Leading up to the NFL draft, Donald was garnering quite the buzz.
Now, only two seasons into his career, Donald already has produced like a dominant, long-term solution. He made the Pro Bowl his rookie year, finishing that season with nine sacks, 11 stuffs and two forced fumbles.
Advanced metrics have been kind to him as well. So far in '15, Donald grades out as the No. 1 defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. He clogs up rushing lanes, gets to the quarterback and anchors an impressive Rams defense.
Rising above the hype is all in a day's work for the beast wearing No. 99.
Julio Jones
2 of 10
Julio Jones can't be stopped and the Atlanta Falcons knew that when they traded up and drafted him in 2011.
The 6'3" wide receiver has evolved into the NFL's best pass-catcher. He's a big play, home run threat that hasn't found a cornerback who can slow him down.
The one knock on Jones could be that he's only played a full 16-game schedule one time. But the production his amasses on the field destroys that assault on his game. Take this season for example. Jones has already caught 43 passes for 545 yards and four touchdowns through five weeks of play.
When you can build an offense around one player, you know that guy has risen way above the hype. Julio Jones is on his way to becoming the best player in Atlanta Falcons history.
Bryce Harper
3 of 10
The Washington Nationals didn't perform up to standards this season, but their star player Bryce Harper certainly did.
Harper came to the club in 2012 as a 19-year-old slugger. Since his initial offering, we've seen this transcendent evolution of a supremely talented outfielder. That dusty, fickle hype machine really was blown to shreds over the past calendar year. Harper's 42 home runs, 99 RBI and .330 batting average were astronomical totals. His slugging percentage of .649 was even scarier.
Assuming this is the new trajectory for Harper, we are about to bare witness to something truly special. He has a legitimate shot to become an unstoppable player for the next 15 years.
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Kyrie Irving
4 of 10
The NBA draft is a funny thing. Unlike Major League Baseball or the NFL, the draft is limited to only two rounds of selections.
And unlike those other big sports bodies, the NBA draft historically doesn't always produce a bevy of all-stars. Venture back through the last few years and you'll see exactly what we're talking about.
The class of 2011 featured names such as Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter and Klay Thompson. All three of those guys were hyped. But they didn't mach the hype that surrounded Kyrie Irving out of Duke.
Irving went to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 pick. He looked like a dynamic point guard with scoring skills to bode. Since the draft, he's blossomed into a great asset for the Cavs. He's averaged 21 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Now paired with LeBron James and Kevin Love, Irving has a chance to mature and grow even further. Cleveland made a great selection when it chose this guard in '11.
Andrew Luck
5 of 10
Andrew Luck's 2015 season hasn't been pretty. He's struggled with his reads, decision-making and overall ability to guide the Indianapolis Colts offense.
However, that doesn't totally erase what he's done since being selected No. 1 overall. Luck's helped the Colts reach the playoffs every year since he was a rookie. The team has posted an 11-5 record three years running.
He's statically done well enough to complement that record. Last season alone, Luck tossed 40 touchdowns and threw for 4,761 yards.
With Robert Griffin III's fall from grace, Luck's draft status looks even better. Assuming he works out his struggles and gets healthy, there's no historical data available to make us believe that he is going to undergo a career-shifting regression.
Mike Trout
6 of 10
Mike Trout came into Major League Baseball just under a year before Bryce Harper emerged. Despite not having as much hype, there was still a buzz surrounding the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder.
Back when he was first called up, ESPN's Mark Saxon spoke about his journey to the big leagues and the strong wave of production he had experienced prior to making the leap.
Trout quickly became the face of the Angels, even with Albert Pujols out there. In five years he's hit 139 home runs, drove in 397 RBI and has mustered up a career average of .304.
With respect to more of a detailed statistical look, Trout's Baseball-Reference.com WAR—wins above replacement—has been No. 1 in the American League four years running. If that's not crushing the hype, we don't know what is.
Anthony Davis
7 of 10
Anthony Davis is so far above the clouds of hype it's not even fair. When the New Orleans Pelicans selected Davis in 2012, they were getting themselves a robust shot-blocker and a defensive stalwart.
Based on what he did at the University of Kentucky, it's hard to imagine that they expected him to turn into the best big man in the sport today. Come to think of it, besides LeBron James, Davis might be top player in basketball.
The stuff he's doing down in New Orleans is special. In 2014-15 alone, Davis finished the season by averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. His player efficiency rating was a league-best 30.89.
To do all of that at age 22 is a brilliant feat by a brilliant player.
Khalil Mack
8 of 10
Forget about Jadeveon Clowney. The best edge player in the 2014 NFL draft was Khalil Mack out of Buffalo.
While the world was focused on Clowney, analysts like NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock went all-in on Mack. Time had passed without any hype, then that narrative changed. People started watching his college tape and understood why he would be such an endearing NFL player.
Mack was selected No. 5 overall by the Oakland Raiders, and so far, he looks like the best selection to come out of those first five choices. Pro Football Focus has praised Mack's efforts from a numbers point of view. This season alone, he's already the second-best 3-4 outside linebacker, behind Von Miller.
At 24 years of age, Khalil Mack has proved that he should have gone No. 1 overall. Pairing him up with J.J. Watt really could have shifted that Houston Texans defense into something special.
Aaron Ekblad
9 of 10
Becoming a superstar defensive player in the NHL isn't easy. Doing it after one season is remarkable.
Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers achieved that. After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2014, he quickly cemented himself as one of the game's best. To understand how tremendous Ekblad was, we turn to JC Smith of Litter Box Cats.
"Only six defensemen in NHL history have started an NHL season at age 18 and finished it with more than 25 points, and Aaron Ekblad was one of them." Smith also mentions that Ekblad was "only the 6th defensemen in the last 28 years to win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie."
The Panthers have themselves a playmaker in Ekblad. In one terrific season he was able to achieve a whole lot.
Von Miller
10 of 10
Von Miller's dominance at Texas A&M made him a hot prospect in 2011. That happened to be the same year the Denver Broncos wound up with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
Looking for a guy who could set the edge and make a quarterback's life miserable, the team took Miller. That bet paid off big time.
Every time he's played 10 games or more, No. 58 has compiled double-digit sacks and has remained a darling of the advanced metrics community in the process. Just ask Pro Football Focus.
It's rare to find a pure edge-rusher who can get after a QB without limitations. Miller is that. Digging up what now feels like ancient artifacts reveals that Miller was also a freak at the NFL combine.
Miller is a special, "rise above the hype" talent that belongs in Denver.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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