The circle of life in the NFL quickly cycles in-and-out every draft season with new blood flowing through the 53-man rosters pushing out players who have been clawing their way to make a mark of their own.  Sometimes the players pushed out are crafty veterans who still hold a “big” name value on paper, but unfortunately have watched their window of NFL time close shut right before their eyes.  Here a list of big name veterans who not long ago were a focal point of their team’s game plan or was a budding star on the verge of a “breakout” season.  

Some names will surprise you as it seems their career just started a few years ago and was on a path set for stardom, but it just goes to show the mass of talent being cropped and groomed each and every year entering the league for their 15 minutes of fame.  More so, this goes to show just how short the NFL career really is, no matter what the mainstream public had once made out and assumed would be for some of these crafty veteran players.  

5.  Tre Mason, Running Back, St. Louis Rams

Seriously? This guy isn’t even 23 years old and is coming off a solidly productive 2014 campaign.  Mason looked like the new rock to bash into the teeth of defenses for 20 touches a game after his rookie campaign however, just like that (snaps fingers) there is a new sheriff in town.  Enter Todd Gurley, the most coveted and sought after running back to come out of college in the last handful of years.  Gurley is an ultra-balanced tailback who will beat you running around you with his speed and running through you with his power.  

While they will ease in Gurley as he gets his rehaili.ited knee up to 100 percent make no doubt about the fact he will be the face of a new offense for Jeff Fisher who has been looking for the next Eddie George from his winning days in Tennessee. After a great rookie season Mason gets a harsh taste of what the NFL is all about.  

4. Isaiah Crowell, Running Back, Cleveland Browns

You can throw Terrance West into this paragraph too as the Browns backfield just got a even more crowded after the front office drafted Miami’s Duke Johnson.  Johnson was one of the best running backs in a deep class and has a unique skill set of his own with a superb mix of agility and vision to make defenders miss.  However, the duo of Crowell and West produced one of the more promising rushing attacks the team has had in years after they combined for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

While the league has shifted into a two-man system at the running back positions with more teams than not adding a third wheel may steer things in an opposite direction.  Running backs often get more productive as the game wears on while they can get a feel for the defense as they grow tired, but having three men in the rotation makes that a very difficult thing to do thinning out the shares of each player.  

3. Bishop Sankey, Running Back, Tennessee Titans

Notice a trend yet? The most talented and deep class of running backs to come along in a decade surely was going to have a big ripple effect on the rest of the league.  The Titans used an early second round pick on Sankey who quietly had a nice season given his circumstances and surrounding talent around him including a rookie quarterback and an inconsistent passing game.  The team couldn't resist the urge of getting there hands in the honey pot though and pulled out Minnesota’s David Cobb.  Cobb was a big riser and popular player in many rankings and big boards leading up to the draft after a big week at the Senior Bowl.  

Cobb is a well built man with a strong lower body he uses to drag his defenders with him as he passes first downs and the goal line as a punishment in between the tackle runner.  As I stated before the league has evolved into a two-back system league which should not give any cause for concern for Sankey and his fantasy owners.  What is concerning though is the fact that both these runners share very similar qualities in running style and don't offer much balance from one to the other as big bruising backs, meaning the team could still  be in search for a shiftier speedster to complement one another leaving Sankey the likely odd man out.

2. Donte Moncrief, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts

Much of this list is compiled of veterans who offer a similar skill-set as the player their team just drafted early in last weeks draft and Moncrief is rowing in that same boat after the Colts used their first-round selection on Miami speedster Phillip Dorsett.  While Dorsett is lightning in a bottle with burner speed he showcased at the combine and pro day with a 4.28 40-yard dash he doesn't compliment what the team already had in Moncrief and fellow teammate TY Hilton.  

With Andrew Luck at the helm getting him more toys is never a bad idea, and the thought of him spreading out defenses with that dangerous four wide receiver set, but adding a defensive player to solidify the defense seemed like a no brainer idea and could ultimately cost Moncrief a huge chunk of playing time as a once promising player with a bright future ahead of him.

1. Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

Heading into the draft, no one was in a better position to do big damage straight out of a scene from”The Expendables” than the Saints who possessed five picks in the first 78 selections giving them the most ammo of any team.  Instead of unleashing bombs and hand grenades though the Saints fired off firecrackers and b.b. guns.  With one last Super Bowl run for Drew Brees on the mind the Saints front office should have targeted  players with the big playmaking ability but instead came away with a dude grab bag full of too many unknown question marks.  

Cornerback PJ Williams was arrested for a DUI days before the draft and faces possible repercussions for the arrest while Hau’oli Kikaha isn't nearly as polished and NFL ready as his nation leading amount of sacks would suggest.  Quarterback Garrett Grayson is nothing but a project pick as he is the now heir apparent of Brees and his pocket presence fit.  

After trading superstar Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Kenny Stills quarterback Brees is left in the dust with a lot of subtractions and little to work with for his final showdown to hoist the Lombardi Trophy one last time making him one of the biggest losers of the entire 2015 draft.