HOT GALLERY: NFL Players Before They Were Stars

eli manning yearbook high school young 1999 photo

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eli manning yearbook high school young 1999 photo red carpet 2011

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Eli Manning High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, New York Giants

If you looked at this Eli Manning yearbook photo and didn't know that you were looking at Eli Manning, you must not be a football fan. Actually, Eli is starting to become as ubiquitous in television commercials as his brother Peyton—he's pictured at a CITIZEN Eco-Drive Watch event at Macy's Herald Square on November 1, 2011 in New York City—so you should have recognized him whether you watch him play quarterback for the New York Giants or not. Eli always seems to be smiling, and with a second trip to the Super Bowl coming up on February 5, 2012, he's got plenty to smile about.

wes welker yearbook high school young nfl 2011 photo

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Wes Welker High School Yearbook Photo—Wide Receiver, New England Patriots

Wes Welker may be a superstar now, but he began as an undrafted rookie receiver who was cut by the San Diego Chargers after one game. After two years with the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots traded for him in 2007. Welker made an immediate impact, catching 112 passes for 1,175 yards, helping his team to an an undefeated regular season (although they did lose the Super Bowl to the New York Giants). Welker has continued to get the job done in New England; as of week 11, he has already reached 1,000 yards receiving and is averaging 14 yards per catch. (Note to non-football fans: that's really, really good.)

tom brady yearbook high school young nfl 1995 photo

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Tom Brady High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, New England Patriots

Tom Brady has done pretty well for himself on and off the field. Three Super Bowl rings, a supermodel wife (Gisele Bündchen), stellar stats—what's not to like? New England fans still feeling the chill of their almost-perfect 2007 season will look for Brady and coach Bill Belichick to make a run at their fourth ring this year.

drew brees yearbook high school young nfl 1997 photo

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Drew Brees High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees was one of the NFL's best quarterbacks when the Chargers let him go to New Orleans in 2006. Brees went on to bring the Big Easy their first Super Bowl ever, defeating N'awlins native Peyton Manning—awkward! Check out this video of Brees bringing his adorable son onto the field after winning Super Bowl XLIV.

hakeem nicks yearbook high school young nfl photo

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hakeem nicks yearbook high school young nfl photo red carpet 2011

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Hakeem Nicks—Wide Receiver, New York Giants

If you compare this Hakeem Nicks' High School yearbook photo to the more recent one from a DROID RAZR launch event on October 18, 2011 in New York City, you'll notice that they don't look all that different. That's because Nicks was born in 1988 and is 24 years old. So high school wasn't that long ago. The talented wide receiver is in his third year with the New York Giants, who drafted him in the first round in 2009.

rob gronkowski yearbook high school young nfl photo

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rob gronkowski yearbook high school young nfl photo patriots

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Rob Gronkowski—Tight End, New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski's yearbook photo shows a young man who doesn't mind getting dirty in the name of playing the game of football. His current photo, an official NFL headshot, doesn't do him justice. Don't get us wrong, it's a nice pic. But Gronkowski, known as Gronk to Patriots' fans, is a beast on the field. The 6' 6", 265 pound 22-year-old Tight End scored 18 touchdowns in the 2011 season, helping the Pats reach the Super Bowl.

tom coughlin yearbook high school young nfl photo

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tom coughlin yearbook high school young nfl photo giants 2012

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Tom Coughlin High School Yearbook Photo—Head Coach, New York Giants

If you look closely at this Tom Coughlin high school photo you can see the resemblance to the man who grew up to become the coach of the New York Giants. Coughlin has already led Big Blue to one Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. Fans are hoping he can do it again.

victor cruz yearbook high school young nfl photo

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victor cruz yearbook high school young red carpet 2011 nfl photo

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Victor Cruz High School Yearbook Photo—Wide Receiver, New York Giants

Isn't this Victor Cruz yearbook photo cute? The New York Giants wide receiver went undrafted in 2010, but Big Blue wisely signed him in 2010. After an injury plagued first season, he came on strong this year, with more than 1,500 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns, including this record-tying 99-yard touchdown reception against the Jets on December 24, 2011. That's what it's all about, folks.

peyton manning yearbook high school young 1994 nfl photo

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Peyton Manning High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning is a little bit older than his brother Eli, so his yearbook photo is slightly less easy to recognize. OK, we lied. It's pretty easy. Peyton didn't play for the Colts this year because of injuries, although he did make a hilarious appearance in a new Papa John's Pizza ad, telling Jerome Bettis (aka "The Bus"), "Hey, a man's gotta work."

bill belichick yearbook high school young 1970 photo

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bill belichick yearbook high school young 1970 photo patriots

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Bill Belichick High School Yearbook Photo—Head Coach, New England Patriots

The biggest difference between Bill Belichick's yearbook photo and the more recent picture from the Jets game on November 13, 2011 is that in the yearbook photo, Belichick is almost smiling. Almost. But not quite. The ultra-serious mega-successful New England Patriots coach is looking for his fourth Super Bowl win.

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Adrian Peterson High School Yearbook Photo—Running Back, Minnesota Vikings

His team may be tanking, but Adrian Peterson has lived up to his nickname—"All Day"—since he was drafted 7^th overall by the Vikings in 2007. In his first season, he rushed for over 1,300 yards, scored 12 rushing touchdowns, and was named Rookie of the Year. (Here is a video tribute to Peterson's first year). Since then he has scored at least 10 TDs every season, making him a favorite of fantasy football players everywhere.

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Brian Urlacher High School Yearbook Photo—Linebacker, Chicago Bears

At a reported 6' 4" and 258 pounds, Brian Urlacher is a big dude. He also has 41.5 sacks in 12 NFL seasons; that's more than Ray Lewis, who has played longer than Urlacher and is considered an all-time great. Now that the Bears have lost starting quarterback Jay Cutler, Urlacher will need to work that much harder to help his team continue their winning ways this season.

To see NFL QBs' Before They Were Stars photos, click here!

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Carson Palmer High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, Oakland Raiders

Carson Palmer is the third potential comeback kid on our list. After many years as the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer asked to be traded this year. When the Bengals owner demurred, Palmer didn't show up for training camp, and the team turned to rookie QB Andy Dalton. In October, Palmer was traded to the Oakland Raiders after their starting QB Jason Campbell suffered a season-ending injury. (Note to self: Playing football is dangerous.) As of this writing, Palmer has won two out of three starts for the Raiders. The team is in first place in the AFC West with a 6-4 record.

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Chad Ochocinco High School Yearbook Photo—Wide Receiver, New England Patriots

Brief primer for the uninitiated—yes, Chad Ochocinco is his real name. No, it is not the name he was born with. That would be Chad Johnson; he had it legally changed in 2008. During his NFL career, Ochocinco became known for his creative touchdown celebrations and other antics on and off the field. The former Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver is now catching passes for the New England Patriots and has calmed down a bit, although he does mix it up on Twitter whenever he can. Here's a photo of Ochocinco from 1995 that he recently shared.

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Darrelle Revis High School Yearbook Photo—Cornerback, New York Jets

Darrelle Revis is still at the beginning of what the New York Jets hope will be a long and productive career as a cornerback to be feared. His (literally) trademark phrase, Revis Island, refers to wherever he happens to be on the field during a game. Why? Because quarterbacks are afraid to throw there. Why are they afraid? Because Revis is just that good.

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Deon Grant High School Yearbook Photo—Safety, New York Giants

Deon Grant is currently a member of the New York Giants, his 4^th NFL team. Grant made headlines recently when he was accused of faking an injury during a game. As long as he keeps doing real stuff like this Week 9 play when he intercepted Tom Brady, Giants' fans aren't going to care what he fakes.

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Matt Leinart High School Yearbook Photo—Quarterback, Houston Texans

Matt Leinart has an opportunity to be the NFL's comeback kid this season. Leinart was drafted 10^th overall by the Arizona Cardinals after his stellar college career with the USC Trojans (2004 Heisman Trophy winner, National Championships in 2003 and 2004). After backing up Kurt Warner for several years, Leinart was surprisingly cut by the Cards in 2010 and signed with the Houston Texans to backup Matt Schaub. Fast-forward to week 10 of this season — Schaub gets hurt, and Leinart becomes the starter for a team with a real chance to win their division and make the playoffs for the first time ever.

What were Tim Tebow's Top Five Career Moments? Read the article!

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Ray Lewis High School Yearbook Photo—Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Lewis has been a defensive force to be reckoned with since he joined the NFL in 1996. He has played his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens, something that is increasingly rare in the era of free agency. Now 36 years old, Lewis has more than 40 sacks and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV (2001).

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Who Am I?

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Reggie Bush High School Yearbook Photo—Running Back, Miami Dolphins

Like his former USC teammate Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush is on his second NFL team and has a chance to prove that he can get the job done as a pro. Although he had great success at the college level and won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints (2010), he never quite lived up to the expectations associated with being drafted second overall. Now playing for the Dolphins, Bush is running harder than ever, helping to lead his team to a three straight wins — and hoping to be remembered more as a football player than as a former squeeze of Kim Kardashian.

For more Pro Athlete photo galleries, check out our NBA stars Before They Were Stars gallery!