NFL players whose real names aren't what you think

Not every NFL player is who you think he is. Some players go by names other than the ones on their birth certificates - and we don't mean obvious nicknames like "Pacman" Jones or shortened names like Dez (Desmond) Bryant.

Below is a list of players whose real names might surprise you.

Current players

Eli Manning

Real name: Elisha Nelson Manning

After the Giants drafted cornerback Eli Apple, Manning joked that he might have to go back to using his full first name.

Matthew Stafford

Real name: John Matthew Stafford

Lots of players go by their middle names. We won't include them all here, but Stafford gets on this list because he just seems so much like a Matt or a Matthew and nothing at all like a John.

Julio Jones

Real name: Quintorris Lopez Jones

He's been called Julio since about the seventh grade, right around when he might have realized what his real first name sounds like.

T.Y. Hilton

Real name: Eugene Marquis Hilton

Hilton has explained that his father's name is Tyrone and he's been referred to by the first two letters of his father's name since he was a child.

Von Miller

Real name: Vonnie B'Vsean Miller Jr.

Shortening Vonnie to Von isn't dramatic, admittedly. Miller is mostly on this list because of his fantastic middle name.

Cameron Wake

Real name: Derek Cameron Wake

What's wrong with Derek Wake? Kind of sounds like the name of a secret agent.

Toby Gerhart

Real name: Tobinbo Gunnar Gerhart

This one was hard to peg down. We can't say with 100 percent certainty that Gerhart's real first name is Tobinbo, but it has been reported as such by many legitimate outlets. That's ... really something.

Retired players

Heath Miller

Real name: Earl Heath Miller Jr.

Miller would have been way less cool if all the fans in Pittsburgh shouted "Earllllll" every time he caught a pass.

Champ Bailey

Real name: Roland Bailey Jr.

Roland doesn't exactly scream "winner," while Champ literally does.

Bo Jackson

Real name: Vincent Edward Jackson

"Vincent Knows" would have made for a much worse ad campaign.

Boomer Esiason

Real name: Norman Julius Esiason

Believe it or not, his parents didn't name him Boomer.