*sigh*
The position that anybody less than the elite of the elite, the absolute top of not just the mountain but of Mt. Everest, are "failures" is ludicrous. It really is. Mason Rudolph has played 5 NFL seasons and will probably play a couple more. Of the tens of millions of people who have played football at some point in their lives, he is among the 0.1% who made the NFL and played 5 or more seasons.
And yes, every NFL player is in fact elite at what they do. This is not the Special Olympics. Making an NFL roster is an incredible thing. NFL players are stronger than 99.999% of the rest of the world, faster than 99.999% of the rest of the world. Being in the top 0.001% of the universe in physical feats makes a person elite.
I have attended spring training games several times. The beauty is that you can get close to the field. I watch pitchers warming up in the bullpen and cannot believe any human could actually hit those pitches. The baseball is moving so fast, it hums. Repeat, the baseball is moving so fast it disrupts the air around it and makes it hum.
A player makes the majors and hits .212 with a .357 slugging. "My God, he sucks!" Actually no. He is one of the best hitters ever to walk on planet earth. He is literally better than 99.99% of the planet is or ever could be.
I posit that being in the top 0.01% of anything is elite.