NFL Top 100: Nos. 41-60 as high school recruits
The football season is around the corner and as always, NFL.com releases its top 100 list for the upcoming season. Years ago, all these players were ranked and went through the recruiting process. We take a look back on how those things played out.
NFL TOP 100 AS RECRUITS: Nos. 61 - 80 | Nos. 81-100
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No. 60 Raheem Mostert
Rated as a three-star receiver out of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., in the 2011 class, Mostert picked Purdue over Wake Forest, UCF and others a few weeks before signing day. Moved to running back in West Lafayette, Mostert didn’t really break out until his final season at Purdue with 529 rushing yards.
Mostert went undrafted and then bounced around the league for a few years before finding his place with the San Francisco 49ers and now the Miami Dolphins.
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No. 59 Bobby Wagner
Wagner was a two-star prospect out of Ontario (Calif.) Colony who played at Utah State, his only offer, where he totaled 445 tackles including 280 in his final two seasons.
He was a second-round pick in the 2012 draft by the Seattle Seahawks. In his heralded career, Wagner has 1,706 tackles and is a Super Bowl champ.
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No. 58 Christian Wilkins
A five-star prospect and the fourth-best defensive tackle in the 2015 class, Wilkins committed to Clemson over Penn State, Ohio State and many others. A two-time national champion who totaled 40.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks for the Tigers, Wilkins was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
He’s totaled 355 tackles and 20.5 sacks so far in his pro career.
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No. 57 Justin Simmons
Simmons committed to Boston College over Purdue, Illinois, FIU and others as then-assistant Ryan Day (Ohio State’s coach) recruited him.
After playing both safety and cornerback in Chestnut Hill, Simmons was a third-round pick in the 2016 draft by the Denver Broncos, where he’s spent his whole career and has 604 tackles and 30 interceptions.
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No. 56 Stefon Diggs
Maryland landed the Olney (Md.) Good Counsel standout as he announced his commitment from College Park, but Florida, Ohio State and Auburn also battled for the five-star receiver.
Diggs caught 150 passes for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons (his freshman year was his best) before being selected in the fifth round. A four-time Pro Bowler, Diggs is coming up on 10,000 career receiving yards.
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No. 55 Brian Burns
The high four-star from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage chose Florida State over Florida and Georgia on signing day as he was the No. 65 prospect overall and the fourth-best weak-side defensive end in the 2016 class.
Burns shined with the Seminoles and totaled 123 tackles and 23 sacks over three seasons before becoming the No. 16 pick in the 2019 draft. He’s had 246 tackles and 46 sacks with the Carolina Panthers before being traded to the New York Giants this offseason.
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No. 54 Jonathan Allen
Alabama beat Florida, Ohio State, Penn State and Virginia Tech for the five-star defensive end from Ashburn (Va.) Stone Bridge. Allen finished with 152 tackles and 28 sacks over his college career.
The five-star was then the No. 17 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Washington Commanders and he’s spent his whole career there. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and has 382 tackles and 39 sacks.
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No. 53 Zack Martin
A four-star prospect from Indianapolis (Ind.) Bishop Chatard, Martin picked Notre Dame over Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and others. He became the starting left tackle for the Irish after his redshirt freshman year.
Following a great career in South Bend, Martin was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2014 draft. He’s been a seven-time first-team All-Pro and has started 152 consecutive games.
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No. 52 Patrick Surtain II
LSU was considered the favorite for a long time while Florida State and Ohio State also made runs, but in the end the five-star cornerback from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage committed to Alabama.
After a very solid career at Alabama, Surtain went ninth overall in the 2021 draft and he’s already been a two-time Pro Bowler.
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No. 51 Keenan Allen
Originally committed to Alabama where coach Nick Saban made him a top priority, Allen was ranked as a five-star safety coming out of high school. But Allen flipped to Cal to play with his brother and that’s where he shined as a wide receiver.
Allen was then a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s been a six-time Pro-Bowler and has more than 10,000 receiving yards.
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No. 50 Rashan Gary
On National Signing Day, Gary picked Michigan over Clemson. The Wolverines were considered the front-runner for some time. Alabama and Auburn were also in the running late in the recruiting cycle.
After an impressive career in Ann Arbor, Gary was the No. 12 overall pick by Green Bay in the 2019 draft and he’s totaled 179 tackles and 31.5 sacks so far.
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No. 49 Derrick Henry
Henry rushed for more than 12,000 yards and 153 touchdowns in high school but it was done on 1,397 carries and the concern over making him a five-star was just how much he touched the ball at Yulee, Fla., and his upright running style.
An early Georgia pledge, Henry backed off that commitment and picked Alabama over the Bulldogs and Tennessee. The high four-star went on to rush for 3,591 yards and 42 touchdowns in three seasons before being a second-round pick in the draft.
The former four-star is widely considered as one of the best running backs in the league.
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No. 48 Jared Goff
Once Cal offered, it was going to be tough to beat the Golden Bears for the Kentfield (Calif.) Marin Catholic standout but Washington State and Boise State were the other contenders at the time.
In Berkeley, the four-star had three phenomenal seasons, throwing for 12,195 yards with 96 touchdowns and 30 picks en route to being the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. He’s been a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the best QBs in the league.
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No. 47 Aidan Hutchinson
A double legacy to Michigan since his mother went there and his father played on the defensive line for the Wolverines, the Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child standout picked the Wolverines nearly a year before National Signing Day.
Prior to being the second overall pick in 2022, he had 14 sacks in the 2021 season with the Wolverines. He already has 21 sacks for the Detroit Lions,
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No. 46 Antoine Winfield Jr.
A two-star prospect who played at The Woodlands, Texas, but spent part of his high school days in Minnesota, Winfield picked the Golden Gophers over a handful of other Power Five offers.
In college, Winfield was especially a star in his senior season with 83 tackles and seven interceptions. That season helped him become a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. He’s already a Super Bowl champion and has 384 tackles.
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No. 45 Ja’Marr Chase
Chase’s recruitment is unforgettable. He was supposed to commit on the NFL Network but that got botched as he was expected to pick TCU. After re-evaluating his options, he picked Florida. That commitment didn’t last and as a signing day choice neared it looked like Auburn was going to win out. But then the Metairie (La.) Rummel standout picked LSU.
In 2019, Chase caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns en route to being the fifth overall pick in 2021. The former four-star was the offensive rookie of the year and is one of the best receivers in the league.
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No. 44 Demario Davis
Davis was a two-star linebacker in the 2007 class but was mainly a wide receiver through his sophomore and junior years at Brandon, Miss.
Arkansas State was his lone offer and he starred there before being a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The linebacker has 1,257 tackles and 42.5 career sacks.
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No. 43 Kyle Hamilton
Georgia and Michigan made a major run at the four-star safety from Atlanta (Ga.) Marist School but Notre Dame won out for Hamilton, who had 138 tackles and eight interceptions over three seasons in South Bend.
He was the No. 14 pick in the 2022 draft by the Baltimore Ravens and he has 18 pass deflections in his first two seasons.
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No. 42 Matthew Stafford
A five-star prospect and the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2006 class, the Dallas (Texas) Highland Park standout finished sixth overall nationally and picked Georgia, which had been his leader for a long time, over Texas.
He was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft and is one of the best QBs in the league over an extended time, throwing for more than 56,000 yards and winning a Super Bowl.
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No. 41 Lane Johnson
Johnson went from an under-the-radar and unranked quarterback in high school to junior college tight end and then eventually the offensive line at Oklahoma. Out of Kilgore (Texas) CC, Johnson was tried at defensive end and tight end but made the move to the O-line with the Sooners and he became the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
A Super Bowl champ, Johnson has started 143 straight games.