Former FSU QB shares his struggles with pressure, anxiety, and injuries during career

Former Florida State quarterback and first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings Christian Ponder appeared on The Post Game Podcast and discussed his career in the NFL.

The QB provided insight into the latter stage of his collegiate career in which he suffered a harsh injury to his throwing shoulder alongside the mental toll of being drafted so high and how that affected his performance at the professional level.

Former #Vikings QB Christian Ponder reflected on the early part of his NFL career, revealing that a shoulder injury he sustained during his junior year of college had a lasting impact. He admitted that he never felt the same afterward, which affected his confidence and ultimately… pic.twitter.com/HWU6RVBNOi
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) April 15, 2025

"I could feel the weight of expectation, and especially because, some people viewed me as being overdrafted. And so not only the weight of being a first-round draft pick, but also proving my worth of like, these people are already kind of against me, because they think, 'Oh, I didn't deserve that.' And so feeling kind of even more pressure," Ponder said.

The former FSU QB then went into detail about the injuries he sustained to both his ribs and his throwing shoulder against Clemson during his junior year, Ponder shared he didn't have the same confidence he did before, which affected him the rest of his playing days.

"I just never felt like I threw the football the same, and I had this confidence beforehand. Obviously, I would miss some throws, like I was never perfect, but like, I always had the confidence that I wouldn't miss," Ponder said. "I just trusted my arm and my ability as a quarterback. And I think after that injury, I just never felt the same."

"So I think that that slight lack of confidence in myself on top of the added pressure of being a first-round draft pick and someone who's thought to be overdrafted," Ponder continued. "It was hard for me ... If you were not confident in your abilities, you're always going to be playing from behind. And I was not confident, I dealt with a lot of anxiety, and it had an effect on how I played on the field."

Christian Ponder played for the Seminoles from 2006-10. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 12th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Ponder still ranks No. 7 in Florida State history in career passing yards (6,872) and No. 9 in career passing touchdowns (45).

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