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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.
NFL TOP 100 AS RECRUITS: Nos. 61 – 80 | Nos. 81-100
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MORE: Recruiting Rumor Mill | Do Nebraska and Tennessee have a legit shot at five-star David Sanders?
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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
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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
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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…
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