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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. Here are the top 20:
NFL TOP 100 AS RECRUITS: Nos. 21-40 | Nos. 41 – 60 | Nos. 61 – 80 | Nos. 81-100
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20. CJ Stroud
Ohio State did not offer until very late but once the Buckeyes got involved they became the front-runner, especially since Stroud modeled his game after Justin Fields in many ways. Ironically, Georgia (where Fields had played before transferring to Ohio State) was the other main contender in Stroud’s recruitment along with Michigan, Oregon and USC. He was the second-best QB in the California state rankings behind Bryce Young. Stroud had two monster seasons at Ohio State where he threw 85 touchdowns and he was the second overall pick (behind Young) in the 2023 draft. Stroud had one of the best rookie years of all time last season.
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19. Roquan Smith
Ranked No. 77 overall and sixth at outside linebacker, Smith committed to UCLA on signing day but didn’t send in his paperwork as then-DC Jeff Ulbrich was leaving for the NFL. Days later, Smith flipped to Georgia. He ended up as the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft and has been phenomenal with 851 tackles and 20 sacks.
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18. Justin Jefferson
Jefferson could not commit to LSU until months after signing day because of academic issues, and his only other offer was from Nicholls State, so the Destrehan, La., prospect was assigned a two-star ranking. He had two phenomenal seasons in Baton Rouge with 165 catches for 2,415 yards and 24 touchdowns en route to being the No. 22 pick in the 2020 draft. He already has nearly 400 receptions for 5,899 yards and 30 TDs with the Minnesota Vikings.
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17. Micah Parsons
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A five-star linebacker, the Harrisburg, Pa., standout originally picked Penn State but backed off that pledge. Ohio State looked like it would land Parsons, but after being let on the ESPN College Gameday set to take a picture with Kirk Herbstreit, a former Ohio State player, it was deemed against NCAA rules and the Buckeyes were out. He ended up signing with the Nittany Lions, where he had 191 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Parsons was the No. 12 overall pick and has been a star for the Dallas Cowboys.
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16. Dak Prescott
After landing a Mississippi State offer at summer camp, the three-star from Haughton, La., committed soon after over offers from Memphis, North Texas and others. Prescott led the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking in school history and he ended up throwing for 9,376 yards with 70 touchdowns and 23 INTs and rushing for 2,521 yards and 41 scores. Prescott was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he was the rookie of the year and is still the starter. He’s now thrown for nearly 30,000 yards and more than 200 TDs.
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15. Jalen Hurts
Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M were the four programs Hurts was most focused on late in his recruitment before picking the Crimson Tide. Hurts had a phenomenal career at Alabama but eventually lost the starting job to Tua Tagovailoa. He then transferred to Oklahoma, where he threw for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 20 more scores for the Sooners. He was a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles and is now one of the best QBs in the NFL. The former four-star has 67 passing TDs and 41 rushing ones.
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14. George Kittle
Kittle chose Iowa over Air Force, his only other offer. Kittle was a legacy since his father, Bruce, played for the Hawkeyes and he was a coach as Kittle was a low three-star from Norman, Okla. Kittle didn’t really have a massive impact at Iowa. In over five seasons he totaled just 48 catches for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns before being a fifth-round draft pick. Everything took off in the pros where he’s been a five-time Pro Bowler with 37 receiving TDs.
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13. CeeDee Lamb
The high four-star receiver from Richmond (Texas) Foster originally committed to Oklahoma only to back off that pledge and then pick the Sooners again over Texas A&M and Ole Miss. In Norman, Lamb had 173 catches for 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons before being the No. 17 overall pick in 2020 by the Dallas Cowboys. Lamb has more than 5,000 receiving yards with 36 career TDs.
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12. Josh Allen
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Allen tried unsuccessfully to get a scholarship to Fresno State and then San Diego State offered a walk-on spot that Allen turned down. He instead went to junior college and then transferred to Wyoming, where he threw for 5,015 yards and 44 touchdowns in his final two seasons. The two-star was the seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft. A two-time Pro Bowler,…
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