Midwest Spotlight: The path from HS to draft star for 5 prospects
The 2020 NFL Draft was completed over the weekend, and the Monday morning quarterbacking has begun. At Rivals, we have covered most of those players selected since high school, and recall the recruitments of several of the weekend’s top story-makers.
*****
NFL DRAFT: What We Learned | Biggest winners of the weekend | Five storylines | Did we hit or miss on HS rankings of 32 first-rounders? | First-round grades | Why did Rivals miss on Burrow's, Herbert's rankings? | Day Two thoughts | Looking ahead to top 10 players for 2021 draft
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
*****
ISAIAH SIMMONS, Clemson
Drafted: First Round, No. 8 overall to Arizona
Recap: Simmons finished with a baker’s dozen scholarship offers and signed with a Clemson class that finished sixth-best in the 2016 class. However, he was only generating regional interest until the final month of his recruitment, which is when Clemson offered. In retrospect, our rating of 5.7 is low considering how his career turned out, but it was perceived as being a little high based on his offer list and recruiting attention going into his senior year. What held Simmons back from a higher rating on Rivals, in part, was questions about his position fit, and it took college coaches awhile to work out the answer to that question as well.
Recruit Comparison: C.J. Hicks
K.J. HAMLER, Penn State
Drafted: Second Round, No. 46 overall to Denver
Recap: We got to know K.J., then known as Kahlee, very early in his career, when the question was whether he would ever be big enough to play at the high FBS level. In the end, size was nothing but a number for Hamler. Even as a junior in high school we measured him less than 150 pounds, but since no one could catch him, it did not matter. It was a factor in Hamler’s mindset, though. He always played with a chip on his shoulder because his size was constantly questioned.
After transferring from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School in Michigan to Florida's IMG Academy, Hamler would miss his senior year due to a torn knee ligament. We had already seen enough to rate him four-stars, however, and Penn State had seen enough to accept his commitment.
Recruit Comparison: JoJo Earle
CHASE CLAYPOOL, Notre Dame
Drafted: Second Round, No. 49 overall to Pittsburgh
Recap: Canada is gaining respect for its production of college football talent, but most of their top prospects are still transferring to schools in the States to finish out their prep careers. This 2020 NFL Draft is a testament to Canadian prospects being able to find success playing in Canada with both Claypool and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore getting drafted.
Claypool used off-season camps and combines to generate interest, and watched the college attention soar after impressing in the spring of his junior year. We see more and more big receivers who are told they are going to be tight ends at the college level, but as long the ability to create separation is there, there’s no reason they cannot stay on the outside. Claypool is a perfect example of that.
Recruit Comparison: Julian Nixon
A.J. EPENESA, Iowa
Drafted: Second Round, No. 54 overall to Buffalo
Recap: An Iowa legacy, there was little doubt where Epenesa would play out his college career, and he ended what little suspense remained in January of his junior year by committing to the Hawkeyes.
Epenesa was rated as a high four-star for much of the recruiting process, moving up to a five-star in the final update for the 2017 class after a strong performance at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He earned freshman All-Big Ten honors after his first season in Iowa City, and then first team All-Big Ten honors in each of his final two seasons. He likely slipped out of the first round due to a sub-par combine performance, which included a 5.04 40-yard dash.
Recruit Comparison: Aaron Armitage
ZACK BAUN, Wisconsin
Drafted: Third Round, No. 74 overall to New Orleans
Recap: You can redo Baun’s high school evaluation 100 times and never conclude with a third-round NFL Draft grade. Wisconsin, where he ultimately would go on to be an All-Big Ten linebacker, did not offer until after the start of Baun’s senior high school season, and the Badgers were the only FBS offer he received in his entire recruitment.
Baun was a high school quarterback, so his future as a defensive player was completely projecting skill set to position. Like No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, Baun’s stock rose considerably due to a strong fifth college year and his story is another testament to Wisconsin’s development, which has also produced J.J. Watt and Ryan Ramczyk, who were similarly ignored in the high school recruiting process.
Recruit Comparison: Cooper DeJean