Naturally, all three went within the top five of their respective NFL Drafts, and all were touted with franchise-player potential. But looking back at the past decade, is it fair to say these players have not lived up to their franchise potential? One has since retired, one has endured a brief career plagued with injury, and the third, although just coming off his rookie season, is undergoing a grueling offseason to repair his seriously injured knee, an injury that ended many a career years ago.

The question we must now ask ourselves is are Penn State running backs jinxed in the NFL? Here are the stories of how each player enjoyed phenomenal success at the collegiate level only to see their professional dreams tainted by injury, bad luck or failure to play up to expectations.

Blair Thomas

So, when Thomas came out of Penn State in 1990, he was supposed to be the first premier running back of the new decade. At least NFL coaches and critics thought so, because he went second in the draft to the New York Jets behind Illinois quarterback Jeff George. A little-known Florida running back named Emmitt Smith didn't even go until 22nd, to the Dallas Cowboys.

Today, most football fans know what Smith has done for the Cowboys, leading them to three Super Bowl Championships in the 1990s and winning the 1993 league MVP award.

And today, most fans also know the Jets' premier running back is Curtis Martin, not Blair Thomas. In fact, most fans know Thomas isn't the premier running back for any team. He retired in 1995 after stints with the Jets, Patriots, Cowboys and Panthers.

"I don't regret one moment," Thomas said. "When you're drafted in the NFL, you don't have a say on where you go. You have to play the hand that's dealt to you."

Today, however, Thomas shares his NFL experience with future prospects as the running backs coach for the Temple Owls. After volunteering his help for some time to former coach Ron Dickerson, he was formally hired by current head coach Bobby Wallace in late 1997.

"I try to tell (my current players) that college is the time of your life where you're going to have the most fun, and you should take advantage of every opportunity given to you," Thomas said. "You gotta continue to work hard on all aspects of life, be-cause you never know who's going to be prepared for the same job, on or off the field. Life as an athlete is a lot shorter than other professions."

Ki-Jana Carter

Five years after the draft that produced Thomas, Lions running back Ki-Jana Carter capped off one of the most impressive collegiate careers in recent history by going No. 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals, despite leaving following his junior year. His unprecedented career rushing yards-per-carry average of 7.2 yards and record-setting 1,539 yards as a junior serve as hallmarks to his refreshing career that ended with a runner-up finish in the 1994 Heisman Trophy voting.

Not surprisingly, Carter was supposed to lead the Bengals back to their first Super Bowl since 1989, where they lost 20-16 on a last-minute touchdown catch by San Francisco's John Taylor.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn rotator cuff and broken wrist later, however, and Carter is struggling to rejuvenate a career that never really got off the ground. The torn ACL happened in a preseason game against the

Detroit Lions in his 1995 rookie campaign, forcing him to postpone his entrance into the NFL. Since his emergence, Carter has played sparingly in the Bengals' offense, often backing up Corey Dillon. In three seasons, Carter has rushed for just 732 yards on 221 carries, hardly the numbers expected from an ex-Penn State football star.

Despite the setbacks, Carter remains confident he can pick up his career from where it was supposed to begin.

"Right now, of course, I want to play more," Carter said. "I'm still fighting back from the wrist injury I suffered against the Tennessee Oilers last season. I'm playing basketball, golf, and pretty much doing anything I want to do.

"I don't have any regrets," he added. "It kind of makes you wonder. I'm blessed, and I'm just disappointed that my career didn't start out the way you'd want it to. I'm just gonna fight it and not let the negatives get me down. Everything happens for a reason, that's my approach. I just want to go to the mini-camp and be back in the form I was in before I was injured."

Carter still has many supporters, including his No. 1 fan, his mother Katherine.

"(Ki-Jana) still has a positive outlook," she said. "He's got to hang in there. He's hoping all the injuries are behind him and he can get on with his career.

"He loves (playing football)," she added. "He's gonna continue playing as long as God's willing. This is a dream come true. He's happy. This is it. It's a struggle getting there, but all he's got to do is keep working hard. He was born to run."

Curtis Enis

Just last year, the Chicago Bears spent their No. 5 draft pick, their highest since Jim McMahon in 1982, on Enis. Brought in to give life to a dormant Chicago rushing attack, Enis was expected to play a lead role in lifting the Bears out of the 4-12 rut that plagued them during the 1997 season.

Following a torn ACL and another 4-12 record, Enis and the Bears are far from meeting expectations. Enis, who tore the ligament in a loss to the St. Louis Rams in early November, just nine games into his first season, expected rehabilitation to last anywhere from seven to 10 months.

"Within the past five to 10 years, (the ACL injury) is not as serious as it once was," said Tim Bream, head athletic trainer for the Chicago Bears and a 1983 Penn State graduate. "Since science and research are constantly being reviewed and looked at, many players are playing at their pre-injury level."

Although Enis was plagued by a gift acceptance scandal that ultimately cost him his remaining Penn State eligibility, his accomplishments on the field as a Lion greatly overshadowed that. He set the Penn State record for rushing yards by a sophomore in 1996 with 1,210, including a 241-yard performance against USC. Even more impressive, he became the first Lions sophomore since Harry Robb in 1917 to rush for 13 touchdowns in a season. Enis exploded as a junior, becoming the Lions' No. 3 all-time rusher with 3,256 career yards, behind Warner and Thomas.

Alas, his pro career so far has hardly mimicked his college glory. In those nine games he played, he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry, with 497 yards on 133 carries. Furthermore, he has yet to score at the professional level. Ironically, the game in which he tore his ACL also marked his first start with the Bears.

Like Thomas and Carter, Enis faces adversity in his attempt to become one of the league's best. Unlike the other two, however, Enis still has a good chance to end the misfortunes that have plagued ex-Lions running backs for nearly a decade.

However, off-the-field troubles have surrounded Enis, including a sexual-assault allegation last June and league suspicions surrounding his involvement in the Champions for Christ, a ministry to which several NFL players are linked. In fact, it allegedly receives up to 10 percent of some players' salaries, including Jacksonville Jaguars superstar Mark Brunell. While Enis believes the CFC saved him from a life of trouble, the NFL remains suspect of some of its dealings. Some even believe it caused him to hold out during a contract dispute prior to his rookie season.

So, what's the deal?

Looking back on the careers of these three players, whether finished, victimized by various injuries or young but already hurt and troubled, can one assume Penn State running backs, at least in the past decade, are jinxed? Yes seems like the simple answer to this compelling problem, but Thomas, out of the league for over three years, has had a chance to look ahead at both Carter and Enis and their prospective trials, tribulations and possible glories.

"When you get drafted that high, nine times out of 10 you're gonna go to a program that's not that good," Thomas said. "The expectation of turning a team around is on your shoulders, but we all know football is a team sport.

"Myself, Ki-Jana and Curtis Enis didn't get to where we were by being a bust," he added. "But you can't harp on that your entire life. You've got to learn from the experience."