Ask Farrell: Which three-star WR will emerge in 2020 class?
Wide receiver is always a controversial position and there are always rankings arguments about which prospects should be at the top of the list and which ones should be further down.
There is rarely complete agreement.
This recruiting cycle, Ohio State’s Julian Fleming held on to the top spot although he was pressured late by Texas A&M’s Demond Demas, one of the more athletic receivers in recent memory, along with fellow five-stars Rakim Jarrett (Maryland), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State) and Jordan Johnson (Notre Dame).
Like every position, though, there are always three-star prospects who emerge over the years that make us scratch our heads on their rankings and asking why we didn’t bump them higher in their respective years.
MORE ASK FARRELL: Which three-star RB will emerge in 2020 class?
Some of the most-recent three-stars who definitely have outplayed their ranking include Purdue’s Rondale Moore, Baylor’s Denzel Mims and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, who could be one of the first receivers taken in April’s NFL Draft.
In the 2020 class, there are five five-stars and 50 four-stars, so there is a deep pool of talent down the wide receiver rankings.
Then come the three-stars and there is still a tremendous amount of good players that far down in the rankings led by Clemson’s Ajou Ajou, followed by Alabama’s Thaiu Jones-Bell, Arizona State’s Chad Johnson, Jr., Cincinnati’s Chris Scott and Penn State’s Jaden Dottin.
If history is any indication, there are going to be plenty of three-star receivers who outplay four- and maybe even five-stars in this class.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to name some three-star receivers who he thinks could emerge and outplay their rankings in the coming years?
"I’m going with Javien Hester, who is headed to Missouri, for a few different reasons. First, I like his size and catch radius. He can fill out his tall frame well and play at 210 pounds down the line as a big receiver who can be a red zone threat.
"Secondly, George Kittle was overlooked in Norman as a under recruited wide receiver and grew into a great tight end. Hester isn’t expected to reach the heights of Kittle but if wide receiver doesn’t work out he can also grow into a tight end with athleticism and good ball skills.
"And finally, Missouri has done a good job coaching up kids over the years and Hester has a ton of potential and a high ceiling he just needs to have it coached up. I think they can do that."