What Exactly is Meant by Potential?

This weekend, the word you will hear the most at the NFL Combine is potential.  Potential, potential, potential.  But after all, what really is potential? In the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition for potential is written as, "...expressing possibility; specifically : of, relating to, or constituting a verb phrase expressing possibility, liberty, or power..." Potential seems to be one of those words that Vince Lombardi would have a field day with. You may have potential to be a Pro Bowl receiver, that doesn't mean you will.  Ryan Leaf had potential, but we see how that turned out. It's either you are or you are not. Scouts use the word potential to save their jobs, rather than promising the next Jerry Rice, they simply say he can be Jerry Rice. The key word is can. What makes the difference between someone meeting their potential and failing to do so, is the intangible differences that cannot be taught or observed until they are used. The will to win, determination, resilience, self control, and prudence are what make star athletes. Scouts cannot fully understand a player and his morals, until they become the difference makers in games, seasons, and careers. Scouts can somewhat predict how a player will turn out through what he exhibited in his college career, such as Tyrann Mathieu's substance issues, or Manti Te'o's pure stupidity in involvement in the catfish scandal. Nobody knew how different Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning would turn out. I doubt any scout knew how much the outcomes of these two college stud quarterbacks would vary. I am not sure if it is simply the luck of the draw in who to pick, but potential can be very misleading. There will be 224 college players picked on Draft Day, they all may have potential to be enshrined with Brady and Manning, but unfortunately they all have potential to reside with Ryan Leaf as the lowlifes of football lore. The difference between potential being fulfilled, and not, is the same as good and great. It cannot be measured or learned, it can only be engrained in an athlete from early on in his career.