HOT GALLERY: Get to Know These NFL Power Players Before They Were Stars

A high school star in both football and basketball, he continued to excel at both sports at Cal (check him out at the 3:12 mark in a 1996 hoops game). After playing for the perennially underperforming Kansas City Chiefs for more than a decade, Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2009. He holds an impressive array of tight-end records, including most receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and consecutive starts. He’s also the all-time leader in both receptions and touchdowns at the Pro Bowl (which he has attended 12 times). Gonzalez’s heroics extend to off the field as well; in 2008, he administered the Heimlich maneuver to a man who was choking a few tables over at a restaurant where he was eating with his family, saving his life.

It’s hard to imagine, but Tom Brady flew very much under the radar as he entered the NFL back in 2000, when he was picked up in the sixth round—199th overall—by the New England Patriots. But something happened when Brady, filling in for then-starter Drew Bledsoe, began to work in earnest with mastermind coach Bill Belichick; Brady’s accuracy, consistency, and ability to adapt perfectly complemented Belichick’s brainy approach. Together, the two have created one of the most enduring franchises in NFL history and racked up an astonishing number of wins. Brady can boast some crazy statistics all to himself, including this one: He has led his team to the Super Bowl in half of his 10 seasons as a starter, winning three of them (and two Super Bowl MVP awards). He also shares several records with some pretty lofty company, including Joe Montana and John Elway.

Few players have been as celebrated—and scrutinized—entering the league as Reggie Bush. Picked number two overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 draft (after defensive end Mario Williams), the All-American running back from USC had been awarded the coveted Heisman Trophy the year before—but returned it in 2010 amid controversy regarding lavish gifts he and his family accepted in defiance of NCAA regulations. With his dazzling smile, made-for-TV good looks, and seemingly infinite potential on the field, Bush was an instant favorite among fans. Despite an injury-plagued 2009 season, Bush made several crucial plays in helping the Saints to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win. Last year, he was traded from the Saints to the Miami Dolphins. Though at one time he was a gossip-column fixture thanks to his relationship with Kim Kardashian, Bush and his girlfriend, Lilit Avagyan, recently announced that they are expecting a child. “We can't wait. It's an opportunity to bring in a new life,” Bush has said. “I look forward to it and to building a family.”

One of the most accomplished linebackers of all time, Ray Lewis has played his entire 17-year career for the Baltimore Ravens—he is, in fact, the only remaining player from the original lineup (the Ravens were founded in 1996, when Lewis was a first-round draft pick). A star at “the U”(niversity of Miami), he chose to forgo his senior year but eventually finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland nearly a decade later. The 13-time Pro Bowl selection is one of the scariest, most intense guys ever to play the game. His reputation suffered a significant blow after his 2000 indictment in a double homicide (charges were ultimately dismissed). Just a year later, the Ravens won the Super Bowl and Lewis was named the game’s MVP.

During his 14 seasons in the league, Randy Moss has put up some amazing numbers and amassed impressive league records, including most touchdown receptions in a single season. He’s done this with five different teams—six, if you count his short-lived return to the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent about a month in 2010 after playing most of his career there in the early ’00s. (The other teams, in case you’re keeping track, are the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and, currently, San Francisco 49ers.) He also has an impressive 95.8 rating as a passer (he’s completed 50 percent... of his 8 total tosses). His career (and life) haven’t been without their share of controversy; as a high school student, he was a star in basketball, baseball, and track in addition to football, but he was also jailed after a racially charged run-in with a fellow student. The incident kept him out of Notre Dame, where he’d planned to matriculate; instead, he ended up at Marshall University, where he played with future Jets quarterback Chad Pennington. The seven-time Pro Bowler (he was MVP in 2000) is ranked number 65 in NFL Films’ Top 100 Greatest Players, though he has been plagued by accusations of only giving his best when he feels like it.

It definitely takes a certain kind of guy to embrace being a New York quarterback. While the Giants’ Eli Manning may be infuriatingly lackadaisical, his counterpart on the Jets is anything but: Mark Sanchez is outspoken, charismatic, and loves the cameras. “There’s a lot of attention; it’s a white-hot spotlight,” Sanchez has said of being the Jets QB. “But the most important thing you need to know is, it’s a 24/7 job.” The theater aficionado was a presenter at the 2010 Tony Awards (he cleans up nice!) and is a natural for commercials and other spots. As a starter at USC, Sanchez led his team to a Rose Bowl victory against Penn State and was picked fifth overall in the 2009 draft a year later. Though he was signed to a whopping $50 million contract and is the face of the franchise, a significant distraction was introduced this year in the form of fellow QB (and mega media favorite) Tim Tebow.

After just two years at the University of Pittsburgh, Larry Fitzgerald petitioned the league to allow him to enter the draft—which it did—and he was picked up third overall in the 2004 draft by the Arizona Cardinals, where he has played all eight (and counting) seasons. In that time he has gone to six Pro Bowls and has been named MVP of the game once. As a wide receiver, he became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 700 catches and owns a score of Cardinals franchise records, including most receiving yards and most receiving touchdowns—and has become one of the most popular figures in the league, as much for his caliber of play as for his fearless, hardworking attitude.

Talk about pressure: Before quarterback Eli Manning ever took a snap in the NFL, he already had a lot to live up to. First there was his inescapable family name—big brother Peyton, then the QB for the Indianapolis Colts, was already considered one of the greatest ever to play the position; and his father, Archie, had been a legend at Ole Miss (where Eli also played) and a lone bright star for the New Orleans Saints in the ’70s. Then there was the matter of being selected first overall in the 2004 draft by San Diego—only to be traded to the New York Giants after he and his father insisted that he would refuse to play for the Chargers. And finally, there was the microscope of the New York sports media, which alternately hailed him as the team’s imminent salvation or vilified him as a second-rate Peyton. Good thing Eli is almost maddeningly cool under pressure. After a few years of getting his bearings, he led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles (in 2007 and 2011; he was named MVP in both games) and orchestrated one of the greatest plays in the history of the big game: the last-minute David Tyree “helmet catch” that set up the winning touchdown.

The Minnesota Vikings’ all-time rushing leader was always a star. As a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson earned nearly 2,000 yards and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy (a first for a freshman). Entering the draft after his junior year, “All Day” was picked seventh overall in 2007, was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl MVP, and became the linchpin of the Vikings’ offense. Even when he’s encountered setbacks (including knee injuries), the running back has demonstrated an indelible urge to succeed, inspired in part by his tragic past: When Adrian was just 7 years old, his older brother Brian was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle in front of their home. The experience had a profound impact on Peterson, who turned his pain into athletic achievement, playing Pee Wee, Pop Warner, and high school football, as well as basketball and track and field. “That’s why I’m as strong mentally right now in my life,” Peterson has said.

It may be hard to believe now, but one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL almost didn’t make it to the pros at all. A smart kid, Rodgers was an excellent student, but when the colleges he was interested in playing for turned him down, he considered walking away from the game altogether to go to law school instead. Eventually he settled on Butte Community College, close to home, and was ultimately recruited by the University of California, Berkeley, Golden Bears, where he again excelled. Despite that, he was picked only 24th in the 2005 draft and became the backup to the legendary-turned-infamous Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers’ longtime QB. When new coach Mike McCarthy came in and Favre retired (again)—at least from the Packers—Rodgers finally got his shot. In the 2010 season, Rodgers led his team to Super Bowl XLV, in which they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a nail-biter; Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP, as well as MVP of the league that year. “I’ve always felt that my skills have been underappreciated,” Rodgers has said. “I’ve been overlooked, and I’ve had a chip on my shoulder and felt that I deserved an opportunity.” Seeing himself as an underdog has helped fuel his success. Having a signature touchdown move—which has been featured in a series of State Farm commercials—hasn’t hurt either.

Randy Moss has made a name for himself over his many years in the NFL, playing for Minnesota, New England, San Francisco, Oakland, and Tennessee. Considered one of the best wide receivers of all time, Moss is still trying to capture his first ever Super Bowl win. He was part of the New England Patriot squad that entered the Super Bowl undefeated, before falling to the New York Giants. Having retired once before, this might be Moss' last chance at a Super Bowl ring.

After vowing to retire at the end of the season, Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis has made a playoff run that will be talked about for many years to come.The 13-time pro bowler was a standout of the University of Miami in the 1990s. A winner of Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis is seeking his second NFL title.

When the 49ers coach benched longtime quarterback Alex Smith midway through the season for Colin Kapernick, many doubted the young play-caller could lead such a veteran team. But the Nevada graduate proved them wrong by leading the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance in over a decade. His sideways motility spread the field out, so that tired defenses were no match for Kapernick's quick offense.

As head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh will be facing his head coach brother in the 2013 Super Bowl. Curiously enough, as an NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh was Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis' first ever sack in the NFL. Previously head coach of the NCAA Stanford Cardinal, and Harbaugh is now looking for his first title.