The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis and more than 20 former five-stars are in attendance. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney remembers them as recruits.
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The Columbia (S.C.) Hammond School standout committed to South Carolina over mainly LSU during the Early Signing Period but waited to sign with his teammates in February. Burch was an awesome-looking prospect in high school but didn’t do many national events so while he ended up as a five-star it was a risky pick.
He started to live up to his potential later at South Carolina and then had 8.5 sacks at Oregon last season. Currently projected as a third-round pick, Burch hasn’t lived up to his five-star billing but he has elite traits at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds.
An early commitment to Oklahoma did not last and then the five-star receiver from East St. Louis, Ill., had a final three of Missouri, Georgia and Alabama before picking the Tigers. I remember seeing him numerous times in high school but especially coming out to Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco and dominating a really good defense.
What I loved about Burden is that he always had a massive dog factor, played hard and had phenomenal hands.
At Missouri, Burden had his best year as a sophomore with 86 catches and 1,212 yards but was elite all three years as he’s projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick.
Campbell started out as a wide receiver but as he grew, the five-star moved to linebacker and that wasn’t the only change in his recruitment. An early Clemson commit, Campbell backed off that pledge when coach Brent Venables left for Oklahoma and then he picked Alabama over Texas A&M and many others.
A projected first-round NFL Draft pick, Campbell led the Crimson Tide with 117 tackles this season and he should be the only linebacker taken in that opening round.
Clemson beat out Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State and many others for his commitment as the Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett five-star linebacker was third in the Georgia state rankings that recruiting cycle behind Amarius Mims and Brock Vandagriff, which was a miss.
Carter was super productive and consistent at Clemson with 233 tackles in his career, including 82 last season, but he’s projected more in the second or third round as linebackers don’t come off the board early.
The Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach five-star offensive tackle waited months after signing day to make his choice and there was drama until the end. USC was considered the favorite in the final days but then Conerly took a semi-secret trip to Oregon and the Ducks won out.
Conerly was always so consistent in high school even if his size didn’t blow anyone away. He just never lost reps and now the former five-star is a fringe first-round projection so a big week in Indianapolis is crucial.
Washington and Oklahoma were the other finalists for the five-star receiver from Steilacoom, Wash., but Ohio State won out as Egbuka’s relationship with position coach Brian Hartline was a big reason why.
Egbuka was never a physical specimen but he always got open and was basically unguardable in high school, plus his production was never a question to earn his five-star ranking. Maybe lost a little in all the deserved Jeremiah Smith hype last season, Egbuka actually led Ohio State in catches this season and he finished his illustrious career with more than 200 catches and nearly 3,000 receiving yards.
After Burden and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan in the WR pecking order, Egbuka is a fringe first-round pick.
An early commitment to Texas did not last as the five-star quarterback from Southlake (Texas) Carroll then committed to Ohio State. After one season in Columbus, Ewers transferred to Texas.
The No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class (which was a miss as Caleb Williams was in the same group), Ewers threw such a beautiful ball in high school and had such a dynamic arm that it was tough to take him off the top line. While Ewers had a successful career with the Longhorns, there have been some concerns that could push him out of the first round. Since he’s throwing at the combine and has a live arm, he could move up after that performance.
His five-star brother, Chris, chose Michigan out of high school and went undrafted, playing now for the Los Angeles Chargers. But Myles chose a different path – at first. The five-star offensive lineman chose Stanford over the Wolverines but then transferred to Michigan.
In a five-star offensive line class led by Broderick Jones, Tate Ratledge and Paris Johnson Jr., Hinton was a miss. He could be a late-round selection but might go undrafted like his brother.
The top-rated prospect in the 2022 class, Hunter was involved in the most shocking flip in Rivals' history as he went from Florida State to Jackson State on signing day. Hunter, who last season won the Heisman at Colorado, could arguably be the top receiver and cornerback in the NFL Draft.
He has a legitimate shot of being the No. 1 pick if the Tennessee Titans don’t take a quarterback. Hunter is the most talented and versatile prospect in this draft class.
Ohio State beat out Texas and Georgia for the top-rated offensive guard in the 2021 class and Jackson was the third-best prospect in the Texas state rankings. A three-year starter in Columbus, Jackson has shown consistency and dominance for years at the high school level and then at Ohio State where he won a national championship last season.
A fringe first-round pick, Jackson is definitely in the mix as the best interior offensive lineman in this draft class.
The Mobile (Ala.) Faith Lutheran standout committed to Florida but then de-committed only to re-commit to the Gators over Georgia and Florida. I pushed hard for James to be a five-star prospect, which now looks like a miss, after incredible junior season film. While he had special moments in Gainesville and was productive at times, he was also slowed by a knee injury and is a fringe draft pick.
There was a lot of discussion about who should end up as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2022 class but after seeing Johnson perform at the Under Armour Game, those talks were over and he moved to the top spot.
We’re happy that move was made because Johnson was outstanding in Michigan’s run to the national championship in 2023. He was sidelined with a turf toe injury for long stretches of the 2024 season and when Michigan’s season went south, Johnson didn’t exactly rush back. The five-star is still widely expected to be the first corner taken and might be the only one in the first round.
McCoy had one of the craziest recruiting journeys in Rivals' history as he signed with USC but left after less than three weeks to transfer to Texas, only to leave after spring practice and return to USC, where he played one season before leaving and ending up at Tennessee. McCoy, a two-way standout in the 2019 class, has unique traits but his five-star ranking was a miss as it’s questionable if he’ll even get drafted.
McMillan was committed to Oregon but flipped to Arizona as some of his Anaheim (Calif.) Servite friends were also headed to Tucson and the five-star receiver had a unique personality. One example: During COVID, McMillan vacationed in Hawaii and didn’t take a cell phone there so he could disconnect, surf and not deal with the recruiting process.
His athleticism is off the charts. He had two massively productive seasons at Arizona and is WR1 heading into the draft.
The coveted five-star defensive tackle chose Texas A&M and committed to then-coach Jimbo Fisher over Tennessee and Georgia. Alabama, Florida, Michigan and others were involved as well.
Rated as the second-best prospect in the 2022 class behind only Hunter, Nolen played two seasons for the Aggies where he was impressive up front but maybe had his best performance after transferring to Ole Miss, where he totaled 48 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season. He should be comfortably in the first round of the draft.
The five-star from Rome (Ga.) Darlington kept a very low profile throughout the recruiting process and eventually picked Georgia over Tennessee.
He was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs. He showed off a tough mentality and a dogged attack at the line of scrimmage, but it’s highly unlikely that Ratledge will be picked in the first round. The former five-star is more in the third-round range, which is solid but doesn’t back up his lofty ranking.
Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame and others were involved with Sawyer but the five-star defensive end from Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington North committed to Ohio State early, never wavered and it felt like his destiny.
In the fringe first round range, Sawyer got better and more productive every year with the Buckeyes. He totaled 144 tackles and 23 sacks in his career, none bigger than against Texas when he stripped the ball from Ewers, picked it up and returned it for the game-sealing touchdown in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Stewart was a tricky one to figure out in high school and it remains that way heading into the draft. He looks like an Adonis and has every physical trait possible but the word ‘potential’ has been thrown around for years and at some point production needs to follow.
We decided to move Stewart to a five-star after an impressive showing at the Under Armour Game but we weren’t totally sold on him. Stewart, who picked Texas A&M over Miami on signing day, had just 65 tackles and 4.5 sacks in three years in College Station. He is still expected to go in the first round because of his incredible physical traits.
The Bellevue (Wash.) Eastside Catholic standout was super patient with his recruitment and then COVID hit and Tuimoloau was way behind in making a decision. He waited through the early and late signing periods, narrowed his list to Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington and then picked the Buckeyes the following summer.
His senior season was his best in Columbus with 61 tackles, 12.5 sacks and a national title. Some mock drafts have him late in the first round and others have Tuimoloau going in the second or third.
After committing and then de-committing from Oklahoma, the five-star receiver from Allen, Texas, made a second pledge to the Sooners and that one stuck.
Wease played for four seasons in Oklahoma but his career really took off after transferring to Missouri, where he had 109 catches for 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns over the last two years.
He even led the Tigers over Burden in receiving yards this season but Wease is considered a fringe late-round pick at best.
Georgia beat Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and others for the five-star center and the second-best player in the 2019 Georgia state rankings, but his career never took off and there was an off-the-field incident that could concern NFL teams.
Webb saw limited action at Georgia and then transferred to Jacksonville State, where he showed off his typical power but he’s a late-round pick in the best-case scenario.
After an early commitment to USC following a great trip to Los Angeles, Williams flipped his commitment – like so many other Southeast stars – to Georgia in the middle of his senior season. Actually, Williams’ first year in Athens was his most productive with 28 tackles and 4.5 sacks but his explosiveness and length off the edge has NFL execs salivating and he should be a mid-first round pick.
