During his time in uniform with the Trojans, Vera-Tucker showed his versatility by starting games at both guard and tackle. He committed to Penn State as a sophomore, but later walked back on that verbal commitment. He started at a high-level Division II school for four years and brought his team to two playoff semifinals -- he's not a yards-over-success guy. The Jets guaranteed Leonhard a starting job, and he agreed. But, he is also one of the fastest. Unlike the lightly recruited stories above, cornerback Joshua Williams never even had a profile created, his high school career was so obscure. He completed 69% of his career passes -- he's not an all-or-nothing passer. In his lone season at Miami, Phillips had 45 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Lance became the starter as a redshirt freshman and had a remarkable season: 2,786 passing yards, 1,100 rushing yards and 42 total touchdowns. The Bison are an FCS dynasty, winners of nine of the past 11 national titles and purveyors of a unique brand of precise and physical play. "I think I made myself a little bit of money today," he said to the media following his workout, laughing. 2-Star Recruits Who Made It to the NFL & Shocked the World - Joker Mag Smith made official visits to four schools: Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Miami. T.O. This 5'7" Goliath can do what every NFL player wants to be able to do. For Cordell Volson, a spectacular Bison lineman, it's a similar story. Predicting the quarterbacks every move, he knows when to use his speed to make a move on the ball. Not too many people who are running backs run 4.3s, so I've got to make myself stand out even more. Najee Harris had one of the more infamous recruitments in recent memory. Now a Pro-Bowler and known as one of the best backs in the game today, Jones-Drew is the perfect example of NFL superstar talent in a smaller body. And while that was an impressive run, he understands he might not be looked at the same as other players. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Turner proved to be a steal for the Cougars. NFL's 10 Smallest Players with Greatest Talent: Size Isn't Everything So, in 2007, Welker signed with the New England Patriots. Bagent was invited to the NFL combine and projects as a late-round pick, somewhere between the No. Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 NFL Draft! 2018 position ranking: No. NFL Draft 2023: Jacksonville Jaguars add 11 undrafted free agents "I just knew I had to do something to separate myself from the others that were already on the map," he said. "I think the heptathlon kind of lets me show more on a numbers basis on how athletic I am," he said. . He's got the physical tools an NFL passer is supposed to have, and he wasn't some wild "5-foot-8 in high school and enjoyed a late growth spurt" story. He receives the play call and then explains the play to the rest of the group. "[He] changes direction and has good body control and wants to come off the ball and be the most violent person in the nation," NDSU offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl told North Dakota's Inforum after Volson's NFL combine performance. -- Lyles Jr. That deal is widely viewed as one of the worst trades in the history of Major League Baseball, as Jeff Bagwell went on to have a career that may land him in the Hall of Fame. Top 10 NFL Series Journeymen Under 6-feet tall Versatile Never scored TD Overpaid Ringless vets Born outside U.S. Small-school Undrafted Marketable While most NFL stars were four- or five-star . Despite setting a single-season school record for total yards in 2001 (2,466 total . George, who is only 25-years old and not yet in his prime, is one of the best defensive players in the NBA today. The NFL is a big man's league. "The facility wasn't as great, but that didn't really matter to me at all. Glossary, Stat Minimums, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football. "I just chose to go to Mizzou just because I thought that's what the best competition was," Miller said, referring to playing in the SEC. "As far as effort-wise, as far as character-wise, teaching you things to say, how to carry myself, as far as how to be a pro on and off the field. Later on, he resurfaced at Miami and showed the traits that made him such a coveted recruit. I knew it was an opportunity for me to prove myself -- not prove it to myself, but prove to the scouts and teams who were watching me go against guys who played at bigger schools. Houston even uses him as a tight end every now and again during games. 'Football City': Nearly 2 dozen NFL players have come from one small Big college programs passed on the quarterback and Romo ended up playing for Eastern Illinois University. Minnesota brought Bateman, a four-star recruit out of Georgia, up to the Twin Cities in the class of 2018. Other than his hometown team, Turner's only other listed offers on Rivals were Alcorn State, Army, Brown, Cornell and Texas Southern. After graduating from LSU, Holliday decided to enter the NFL draft. 2017 position ranking: No. Despite not playing at a Power 5 school, Iosivas said he never worried about being discovered by pro scouts, trusting that as long as he took care of business on his end, "talent will always be found." The difference is the competition they've faced. By his sophomore year, Leatherwood was a starter. Overall, we saw 11 five-star prospects get drafted in the first round. Because after Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and 61 other players from the SEC were selected by NFL franchises in the three-day event, the conference claimed the honor of having the most players . However, he didn . Darrell Green went to college at what was known, at the time, as Texas A&I University, which kinda/sorta sounds like an online school that would email you a degree when you were finished taking classes. Caleb Farley was a high school quarterback who committed to Virginia Tech as a wide receiver. A Houston native, UH was Payton Turner's best offer by a significant margin. 1 outside linebacker. Who are the shortest NFL players right now? Sidney Crosby was seen as hockey royalty and The Next One years before he first held up a jersey of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A look at how many Georgia football players were selected in the NFL An incredible athlete who had the size and hands to play the tight end position for such a big school, Graham had to walk onto the Miami football team to have an opportunity to play. 1 overall prospects, who were drafted back-to-back. NDSU's offensive line -- "the Rams," as they call themselves -- was even more devastating than usual in 2021, and he's an obvious reason why. The league's top prospects stepped into the NFL Photo studio for Draft portraits. And how did he stay there for four seasons, 17,034 yards, 159 touchdowns and 44 wins? The Gophers were on Bateman early and Bateman stuck with Minnesota even after multiple SEC schools, including Georgia, began recruiting him. "Coming from Miami--the competition is just different," said Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. 175 pounds is a very low weight for receivers in the NFL today. The battle for Horn was hotly contested across the SEC. The Florida native narrowed his choices down to LSU, Miami, Oregon and USC. He still recorded 727 all-purpose offensive yards. Other outliers include Lukas Van Ness, who ranked as a low three-star and the No. But when UGA fired Mark Richt, Smith opened up his recruitment. Wilson showed flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons on campus, but really flourished in 2020 as a junior when he threw for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns. Jeff Bagwell could have pursued a career as a Major League Soccer player had he only been born a few years later. Finally in 2008, he got his chance. High Schools With the Most NFL Players on 2022 Kickoff Weekend Rosters Data Provided By Active Coaches: Bill Belichick, . Nick Fairley is an NFL defensive tackle, most recently with the New Orleans Saints. Because of that, attending Stanford was his goal because of its standing as a Division I program in the Pac-12 that also has high academic standards. Born in Menomonie and a graduate of Mondovi High School, Krumrie was a three-time All-Big Ten selection at Wisconsin and a 12-year pro. The rumors swirled all the way up to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, and Harris apparently had three plane tickets with him during that trip: one to Alabama, one to Michigan and another back home to California. Strange made that clear last summer when he walked into Wright's office and told him, "I made a commitment to y'all, and that's not going to change.". "I remember watching my dad play, and I remember him coming out of the tunnel and that made me at that moment want to be like him and get there. He led the Tigers to a national title that year and brought them back to the College Football Playoff as a sophomore and junior. "When I first got into coaching 30-plus years ago, I remember recruiting a high school player, and the high school coach telling me he's a 'one in 10' -- a kid that you only get to coach one of these every 10 years," McCook said. The second half of 2015 will be rough for Nelson, as he will miss the entire NFL season because of a torn ACL. Tyson Bagent's 24-yard TD pass to Josh Gontarek with 1.9 seconds left in the game lifts Shepherd to a 38-34 win over Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA D2 playoffs. 8 8. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. In the months that followed, Fields rocketed up the rankings all the way to No. The four-star recruit ended up becoming a starter as a true freshman. The move paid off in a big way. Jackson State had an undefeated regular season before losing to North Carolina Central in the Celebration Bowl. He was so low on the depth chart at Michigan at one point that he considered transferring. Listed at just 5-9 as a high school sophomore, he saw recruiting attention go primarily to more physically impressive teammates -- including former Indiana star Whop Philyor -- at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. In an age when online recruiting profiles often detail how future NFL or NBA players were underhyped coming out of high school, there is a common storyline. He can get low and run over defenders. He tries to hurt you," Wright said. The Ravens realized his potential though. In 2007, he moved up to the second string running back. At that point (December 2016), Fields was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals. Once he landed in Tuscaloosa, Waddle became a big play threat any time the ball touched his hands. Both schools have players scattered throughout pro football, but even still, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end stands tall and stands out. His career started in 1999, when the Buffalo Bills drafted Winfield in the first round of the NFL Draft. He combined for 42 tackles in his first two seasons. But what if you're a heptathlete in the Ivy League? Rodman would experience a growth spurt and he found a college home at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Just imagine that the ultimate bad boy of the NBA could have been just some short guy who wasn't able to make it. His career at Buffalo hit a peak when in 2003 he recorded 107 tackles, 3 turnovers, and 11 deflected passes. He became the epitome of a "clutch" receiver. (From first-round quarterbacks Trey Lance and Carson Wentz to linemen such as 2021 second-rounder Dillon Radunz and Billy Turner, a starter for the Green Bay Packers now with the Denver Broncos, plenty of prospects have done just that of late.). "My dad was always really hard on me academically," Iosivas said. In the end, Sewell signed with Oregon after quickly striking up a relationship with new coach Mario Cristobal. We decided to go back and look at how all 32 were perceived as high school recruits. Of course, because of these physical advantages, Watson probably hasn't been tested much when it comes to things like route precision and his ability to catch contested balls. The numbers speak for him. That high level of play put him on the radar of NFL teams. 31 overall prospect in the nation. Check out the highlights from South Dakota State's tight end Tucker Kraft. In his career so far, he has 740 tackles, 32 turnovers, 2 defensive touchdowns, 71 deflected passes, and even a few blocked field goals. Sproles is the face of the little man of the NFL. The NFL cares that you're talented and you have the DNA or the makeup to sustain and do well in the league.". According to Jake Steinberg a 22-year old college student who has developed a reputation as notable marketer for NFL players did . Jackson is the opposite of Ray Rice. He obtained 328 all-purpose yards, the third most in NFL postseason history. 2018 position ranking: No. Pick, Pos., Player, NFL team . 12 wide receiver. Now he is a first-round pick. Sanders is known for being a great teammate and an amazing decision maker on the football field, when he is healthy. Greg Newsome, an Illinois native, opted to stay in his home state for college even after finishing out his high school playing career at IMG Academy in Florida. Now Lance is headed to San Francisco. He totaled 20 pass breakups and made a highlight reel interception against Justin Fields and Ohio State in the 2020 Big Ten title game. Oweh ended up picking PSU, where he ended up displaying his raw pass rush skills. The NFL released its initial 53-man roster of 20 former Iowa high school football players. All of that is what made Kraft, then a freshman, call home from SDSU, where he'd been redshirted by one of the two schools above Division II to even bother giving him a look, and declare to his mom that one day he was going to play in the NFL. He has set a large number of records involving kick/punt return, rushing, and receiving yard combos in single games and throughout the season. He played 188 NFL games, all with the Cincinnati Bengals, and made two Pro Bowls (1987, 1988) and two All-Pro teams (1987, 1988). Bagent hails from Martinsburg, a town of less than 20,000 in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, 10 miles from the Shepherd campus. 1. After a four-year career at UM, Paye ended up as a first-round pick in the 2021 draft. Area high school graduates selected on final day of NFL draft. Slater had great grades in high school and Northwestern proved to be the perfect mix of athletics and academics. Despite some of the medical concerns, the Dolphins grabbed Phillips in the first round. For many players, high school football is the end of their playing careers. The 2023 NFL Draft has arrived! More than a year later, just before the beginning of the early signing period, Wilson backed away from that commitment. Active Coaches: Bill Belichick, . 36 offensive guard. . He first verbally committed to Tennessee in August of 2017, but he backed away after Butch Jones was fired. Watson was, like so many FCS stars, a late bloomer. "No one has ever given me anything or honestly expected much from me because of where I've come from. . Before they were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night, the 32 players who heard their name . -- Kyle Bonagura, 'If you can play, they'll find you': How small school NFL draft prospects fought to get noticed, Nikola Jokic dominates Suns as Nuggets go up 2-0, Devils blank Rangers for 1st series win since 2012, Serena announces she's pregnant with 2nd child, Snoop Dogg joins Sparks' bid to buy Senators, LeBron 'locked in' as rivalry with Steph resumes, Harper ready: 'Body has been very good to me', Jets bolster OT group by signing veteran Turner, Ohio halts betting on Alabama baseball games, Calipari thanks Bryants for package honoring Gigi, 'This is probably his best shot': Why the time is now for Harden and the 76ers. He flourished in that position and, despite multiple back surgeries, worked his way into the first round. You don't need to be big if you can outrun everybody. All Player Colleges, High Schools. From that game forward, Strong ran his way to an invitation to the NFL combine. The big schools' loss was Shepherd's -- and now, perhaps, the NFL's -- gain. Some were rated by Rivals.com among the nations most elite prospects. He accumulated 1,765 all purpose offensive yards, and 16 offensive touchdowns. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was already a heralded prospect at that point, but he ended up ascending to the top of the Rivals rankings for the class of 2017. He would rather play football for LSU. Fate would be kind to Pippen during his college days, as he went through a growth spurt that gained him roughly seven inches in height. In 2009, he attained 1,348 yards in only 13 games. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. A 2 time Pro Bowler, defensive player of the year, and Superbowl champion, Sanders has many accolades to prove his success in the NFL. That's an average of 20.4 yards per catch and 8.0 yards per carry; throw in a 26.4-yard kick return average, and you've got a player who was plainly too explosive for college football's second subdivision. The 6-foot-4, 359-pound Elliss was invited to the NFL combine and spent about two months in Arizona training for it. His size isn't a problem -- by comparison, Georgia's Jordan Davis is listed at 6-6, 340. Lawrence won the starting job by Week 5 of his freshman season and never looked back. "I felt all along that I could play with anybody," said Strange, a five-year starter at Chattanooga and first-team FCS All-American as a senior. 2018 position ranking: No. Being in the Reese's [Senior] Bowl kind of exposed a lot of things as far as me going against those type of guys. A month later, he picked the Hokies and stuck with that commitment even after several other Power Five offers came in. He ended up playing both guard and tackle for the Crimson Tide. When the season began, he immediately made up for the lost time, returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in the season opener. 39 strongside defensive end. 4 overall. He is relatively short for a receiver, but not too much shorter. Howard became a walk on at Southwest Missouri State University, where he hit 50 home runs for a coaching staff that got a star seemingly out of nowhere. college players are selected. (formerly Lee) High School. Poor Tony Romo has not been able to land respect since even his high school days. ", He just needed a chance. Where every 2021 NFL first-round pick ranked as a high school recruit. While he initially committed to Arkansas State after deciding to leave Missouri, Deion Sanders convinced him to go to Jackson State, where he was one of the leaders of a defense that allowed just 13.5 points per game in 2022. We want that Cinderella story of the small guy defeating his huge, mean nemesis. He took his decision to national signing day with Alabama and Texas A&M as his two finalists. "Here I was in the Tennessee weight room, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. A quick look at this year's NFL Pro Bowl roster is telling. Of the 38 cornerbacks at the NFL combine, Williams' NFL Next Gen stats evaluation score ranked him No. 360-754-5473. Published: Apr 29, 2023 at 12:16 PM. Good thing for Nelson that somebody saw what he could become, as Nelson has been a stud for a quarterback who will be mentioned later in this list. Their stories are different but share a common thread: They played far from the bright lights of the big-time college football programs, but didn't give up their dream of playing in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence lived up to the hype. "I'm one of the hardest workers you're ever going to find on the field," he said. Even though he has had a very large number of injuries, Sanders has still managed to succeed. Tryon stuck with his WSU commitment after the offers from Oregon and Utah, but he ended up flipping to Washington in January 2017. 12. As somebody who also competed as a heptathlete, Princeton wide receiver Andrei Iosivas might be one of the best overall athletes in the NFL draft. Offers poured in for the Florida native, and Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Miami and Ohio State were all heavily in the picture. The story of how Tom Brady fell to the New England Patriots and the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft has been told and retold on television shows and in articles. In 2009, he started at his role of Strong Safety for all 16 games of the season. -- Heather Dinich, Virtually any North Dakota State draft prospect, especially on offense, has to be viewed through a very specific lens. He had been sidelined six weeks by leg injuries suffered during the very first drive of the campaign, a 7-3 loss at Iowa. Relationships, though, outweighed the brand names, and when former defensive line coach Brian Baker left Mississippi State for Alabama, Elliss chose to join his dad at Idaho. NFL Coaches. "[Insert player] was only a two-star . Originally an LSU sprinter, speed was a natural talent for Holliday. He was pursued by the top schools from around the country and ended up circling back to the Nittany Lions. . They would make up for it with seven playoff wins in Bagent's final three seasons. But touchdowns were stolen by McGahee and McClain. Our team of college football reporters -- Chris Low, Heather Dinich, Bill Connelly, Harry Lyles Jr. and Kyle Bonagura -- share the stories of some small school draft prospects who, through hard work, determination and resolve, are bucking the odds in taking an unconventional path to the draft. Hailing from Oakland, Alijah Vera-Tucker decided to head south to Los Angeles for his college football career. "I think the combine showed that as well, I'm just a really well-rounded athlete and all aspects of how I play and how I am.". But when he took up football, college coaches began swarming. NFL scouts have taken notice of both, but also see work to be done in his mechanics, with a tendency to run loose routes and fall into bad habits of too-high blocking technique. And once he stayed local and chose Miami, the coaches there molded him into a pass-rusher. The Philadelphia Phillies did not let Howard get past the club in the 2001 draft and Howard repaid the team with multiple noteworthy years, including one that saw Howard win the National League Most Valuable Player award. Travis Etienne became the one that got away for LSU coach Ed Orgeron. One of the top strong safeties in the game today, Bob Sanders dominates on the football field. Even in the era of Hudl film, a pro-style prototype quarterback evidently can get overlooked. Or a quarterback in Division II? The Jaguars announced they were adding 10 undrafted free agents to their 90-man roster. His physical traits are thrilling, and he has NFL in his blood: His father, Tim, spent five seasons in the league, while brother Tre had a cup of coffee with the Miami Dolphins. I know he hasn't even started playing in the NFL yet, but I could not pass up on this Texans rookie. Jimmy Graham is a unique instance of an elite athlete not being noticed in high school because nobody could have guessed, at the time, that he would develop into the best tight end in the NFL. Stokes' other offers included Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and West Virginia. "Not being from a Power 5, you're going to be an underdog no matter what, no matter the things that you've done," Miller said. But, every once in a while a few small guys will come into the NFL and wreak a little havoc. Now a mini sensation, Sproles started to get the attention of every team in the NFL. Pro scouts and coaches attend high school and even middle school sporting events in the hopes of finding the next James or the next Crosby. The big schools' loss was Shepherd's -- and now, perhaps, the NFL's -- gain. 0:06. "We had played for a Division II national championship in 2015, and I really believe that it came down to him having a chance to play in front of his family and friends." Rice uses pure toughness and speed to overcome his small size. He was listed at 242 pounds in high school and chose to follow his brother Tanner to NDSU over offers from Wyoming and in-state rival North Dakota, where he could have starred opposite another 2022 draft prospect, tackle Matt Waletzko. -- Harry Lyles Jr. Now the kid no FBS schools bothered to call is projected as a Day 2 pick at worst, following in the cleat steps of another Jackrabbits tight end, Philadelphia Eagles standout Dallas Goedert, a Day 2 selection in 2018. Iosivas said he felt like the path he took was much more difficult than most, and it has formed who he is. Kiper ESPN+ recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 Well before he was the best rebounder in the NBA and a charismatic and controversial figure who should maybe give more thought to the heads of state he hangs out with during his free time, Dennis Rodman was undersized and even rejected by basketball and football teams. And he can stuff backs at the line. The 29-year old has been special for the Green Bay Packers. He was even qualified for the 2007 World Championship Athletics competition for sprinting, but he decided not to go. Now he is headed to Philadelphia as a first-round pick. You see him walking around with the other offensive linemen, he fits." Even when other schools entered the picture later that year (including Alabama), Toney stuck with the Gators and enrolled early. Owens would make plenty of scouts and coaches look rather silly, as he went on to be one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of pro football; even if he was a pain in the neck for coaching staffs and teammates. By 2001, he was in a starting role. Eric Edholm provides analysis for every player drafted . He has been a Carolina Panther since the start of his career in 2001. He had to split his carries with both Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain. 17 Star Athletes Who Didn't Start Until Their Senior Year of High School He has over 5,000 kick return yards, 900 rushing yards, 900 receiving yards, and 1,000 punt return yards through a four season career. Do not ignore them. It was big news when it was reported leading up to the game that neither the Seattle Seahawks nor the New England Patriots would be starting any five-star recruits at Super Bowl 49. By early 2016, Jones was bumped up to a four-star grade by Rivals and began to attract attention from other schools. Bagwell was an accomplished soccer player and his baseball skills got him a look from non-juggernaut, the University of Hartford. Alabama and Georgia had 10 each. Rivals rating: 4 stars, not in Rivals 250. Strange's broad jump of 120 inches was an inch off the combine record for an offensive lineman. He committed to Florida with Georgia and Virginia Tech as his other finalists. Rounds 2-3. In 2008, Rice was drafted by the Ravens. Like Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn is the son of a longtime NFL player. Regardless of the exact number, it is clear that only a small minority of high school football players go on to play at the collegiate level. Power Five schools like Cal, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon State and Syracuse all offered Wilson, but none prioritized him like BYU did at that point in the process. One of the most versatile running backs in the game today, Jones-Drew can pound it through the line for a first down. After that, he was picked up by the Dolphins, playing as their third receiver. In the last two NFL seasons, he has played a total of eight. "And yet there's other kids at Alabama, Georgia, that aren't even getting looked at -- three, four stars. But after the Tigers moved on from head coach Barry Odom in favor of Eliah Drinkwitz, meaning Miller would have his third different position coach, he felt his time in Columbia was up. One of the best small forwards in the history of the NBA was barely an afterthought following his high school days. Top 10 NFL players who came from obscure colleges | theScore.com He owned every mistake that happened, from an interception to a sack to a mishandled snap, and I can tell you, he didn't create any of those mistakes. Zach Wilson is the son of a Utah football player but he ended up at rival BYU. After nearly a year as a BC commit, Paye received a late offer from Michigan and it was too much to pass up. In 2009, the Chargers had him rushing beside Tomlinson as the starter. In 2008, Rice was drafted by . "He fits. Iosivas has always had the dream of being an NFL player, but his father also had a strong influence on his path. 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