Farrell Postseason 50: Nos. 26-30

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With the college football regular season over and bowl games underway, it’s time for the final installment of the Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country for 2016. However, as usual here at Rivals.com, we take a quick look at how each ranked out of high school and if they are exceeding or simply living up to expectations. Today we look at Nos. 26-30, led by two elite cornerbacks.

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

Farrell postseason 50: Nos. 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The skinny: With in-state offers from Texas Tech, Houston and Rice, Mahomes committed to the Red Raiders during the spring after his junior season. Leading Texas Tech’s potent offense, Mahomes put up pinball-type numbers over the last two seasons. After passing for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2015, Mahomes took his game to another level with 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns this fall. Most notable this season was an NCAA-record 819 yards he threw during a 66-59 loss to Oklahoma.

Farrell’s take: The stats are staggering, yet Mahomes is still a polarizing quarterback in the eyes of NFL scouts. Mahomes was a big, dual-threat who was in the national top 12 at his position and just shy of a fourth star. We don’t base rankings on offers, which is good for Mahomes, who didn’t have many. We also don’t base them on stats alone, just like the NFL, but Mahomes' senior stats in high school were ridiculous. Perhaps we should have seen a bit more from him out of high school as he’s out-playing his ranking and is the nation’s most productive passer from a yardage standpoint.

The skinny: King was originally committed to Ball State, but eventually flipped to Iowa when he received an offer from the Hawkeyes. After surprising everyone by deciding to return for his senior season after winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2015, King totaled 53 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and seven pass break-ups. While his season may not have matched up statistically with his last two with the Hawkeyes, he was still very impressive considering quarterbacks avoided his side of the field.

Farrell’s take: King wasn’t tested as much this season as teams learned to avoid his side of the field. He was not heavily recruited out of high school and was essentially ignored by in-state powers Michigan and Michigan State, much to their dismay now. King was always a guy who was around the ball with double-digit interceptions consistently in high school, but we questioned his speed. King's instincts continue to be off the charts and make up for that lack of blazing quickness. He breaks on the ball like a sub-4.4 guy even though that's not his straight-ahead speed. He’s clearly one of the best corners in the country. He just didn’t get as much action this year.

The skinny: Carr did not have any BCS offers coming out of high school in California, and after considering walking on at Northwestern, TCU and San Diego State, he found his home in Evanston. This eventually led him to be a starter and earned him a scholarship during his junior year. This season, he led the Big Ten in receptions (84), receiving yards (1,196) and receiving touchdowns (12), which earned him several post-season honors.

Farrell’s take: Carr wasn’t on our radar at all as a walk-on prospect and a guy who saw most of his interest from FCS schools when it came to scholarships. It took him awhile to develop, but once he did, he became a superstar his senior season and one of the biggest surprises in the country.

The skinny: Barkley was originally committed to Rutgers, but re-opened his process as additional offers began to pile up. Penn State almost immediately became the favorite as the Nittany Lions made Barkley a recruiting priority, which eventually led to his commitment. Barkley showed flashes of brilliance during his true freshman season last fall, and continued to showcase his abilities in 2016 with 1,302 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, plus 347 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

Farrell’s take: Barkely is an early Heisman candidate for next year and rightly so. He was an upright slasher who showed good receiving skills out of high school, so it's not a huge surprise he's made a big splash his first two years. But to this level? That’s a bit more than we expected as he’s become a dominant Big Ten back and one of the best running backs in the country. His lower body strength and power to run through arm tackles has improved greatly. A very athletic kid, Barkley was a guy who pushed for Rivals100 status but is showing us he should have been ranked higher.

The skinny: Alexander first took an official visit to South Carolina, but then committed to Louisville during his visit with the Cardinals. After showing great potential during his true freshman season last fall, Alexander quickly developed into one of the pleasant surprises for Louisville this season. Finishing with 36 tackles, five interceptions, eight pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble, big things will be expected out of Alexander in 2017.

Farrell’s take: A skinny cornerback out of a newer school in North Carolina, Alexander was a mid three-star recruit who started to emerge a bit at the end of the rankings cycle. In high school, he never showed the ability to dominate as he has done as a college football player. Alexander had ball skills and ability in coverage, but the way he physically manhandles players in coverage, off the line and in run support is as impressive as any cornerback in the country. This kid is a star and the NFL will be drooling after next season.