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Mondays during the college football season, we will check in on former five-stars to see how they are panning out at the next level and beyond. This week, we skip college football altogether and check in on former five-stars in the NFL to see who is living up to their high school billing.
As a recruit: Collins had one of the most famous recruitments in the modern era, committing to Alabama on national TV at the Under Armour All-American Game, much to the chagrin of his mother, who was expecting him to choose LSU. It turned out he made the right choice as went onto win a national championship with the Tide and turn into a second-round draft pick of the New York Giants.
What he did this week: Collins has been a starter since Day 1 with the Giants, recording more than 400 career tackles and eight career interceptions through this weekend. In Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, Collins made headlines after punching the team’s medical tent, but before that he was the team’s best player on defense. He finished the game with 11 tackles, despite leaving early, and even though the Giants have had a disappointing season, Collins continues to be a bright spot. Collins has obviously lived up to his five-star status and probably has several teams wishing they had drafted him higher.
As a recruit: Kamara was initially a four-star as a high school recruit and committed to Alabama over Georgia, Oregon and several others. After a year with the Tide, Kamara transferred to junior college, where he was re-ranked as a five-star. He landed at Tennessee, where he played two seasons, accounting for nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 23 total touchdowns. He left early for the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was a third-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.
What he did this week: Kamara is one of the bright young stars of the NFL, winning the offensive rookie of the year honors in 2017 and picking up right where he left off this season. In Sunday’s blowout victory over Philadelphia, Kamara had 71 yards rushing and 37 yards and one touchdown receiving. In 26 career games, Kamara has already eclipsed his rushing and receiving yards in college and is a perfect fit in the modern NFL. Teams all around the NFL regret not taking Kamara earlier and in hindsight, he should have been a five-star both times around when he was ranked by Rivals.
As a recruit: Smith’s recruitment came down to a battle between L.A. programs USC and UCLA and he committed to the Trojans on Signing Day 2014. Ranked by Rivals as a safety, Smith become a wide receiver at USC and was a star, going onto be a second-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2017.
What he did this week: One of the NFL’s brightest young stars, both on and off the field, Smith-Shuster had another big game in Sunday’s win over Jacksonville. He finished the game with eight catches for 104 yards, and with 64 catches on the season, he’s already eclipsed total from his rookie season. Playing opposite of star Antonio Brown, Smith-Shusher has more than lived up to his five-star ranking is is probably making several teams regret not drafting him higher.
As a recruit: Stafford had a national recruitment but in the end it came down to two schools, Georgia and Texas, and Stafford elected to chose the Dawgs during the spring of high junior year of high school. Once in Athens, Stafford was a star, throwing for 7,731 yards and 51 touchdowns before leaving school early to enter the draft. Stafford was selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
What he did this week: Stafford has a fixture for the Lions throughout his career, starting every game for the team since 2011. In Sunday’s win over Carolina, Stafford threw for 220 yards and a touchdown as he bested fellow former five-star Cam Newton. Stafford has more than 37,000 yards passing in his career and many think he will have a chance to finish among the NFL all-time leaders in several statistical categories. Stafford has more than lived up to his five-star billing.
As a recruit: Watson committed to Clemson two years before Signing Day 2014 and stuck with the Tigers despite flirtations with Auburn, Oregon and a few other programs. After leading Clemson to a national championship, Watson left early for the NFL and was a first round pick of the Houston Texans.
What he did this week: Watson was a rookie sensation last season before going down with a knee injury and after a slow start to this season he is hitting his stride. The Texans won again on Sunday, the seventh-consecutive victory after starting the year 0-3, and as usual Watson played a big role. He completed 16-of-24 passes for 208 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. On the year, Watson is completing 65 percent of his passes and has already set career highs in passing yards and completions. Rivals was the only site to rank Watson as a five-star and he’s paid that back by more than living up to that billing.
