NFL 100 Countdown: Nos. 41-50
Top 50 CFB: Farrell Fifty
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The Skinny: Mack was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Florida in the class of 2009. In high school, Mack originally focused on basketball and then suffered a torn patella that slowed him down until his senior season, when he finished with 140 tackles. Because of this, Buffalo was able to snag a gem who continuously worked on his game in college and is already considered one of the top young linebackers in the NFL.
Farrell's Take: Mack's emergence coincided with the acceleration of the recruiting process that had senior years almost irrelevant for an under-the-radar recruit (which is how it is today). Mack was a hoops guy who was new to football, and Buffalo saw something no one else did and extended his only offer. Mack proved everyone wrong.
48
RB
Matt Forte, Tulane
Slidell, La., 2004, two-star
The Skinny: Forte was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Louisiana in the Class of 2004. Considered more of a fullback coming out of high school, Forte excelled at Tulane and has carried that over into the NFL with the Chicago Bears. Known as one of the best pass-catching backs in the league, Forte set an NFL record last season with 102 receptions for a running back.
Farrell's Take: No one wanted Forte and there are college coaches, especially in Louisiana and Texas and Oklahoma who are probably still kicking themselves. Tulane was the only school that wanted him and it's hard to imagine why he flew under the radar so much. For us, it was 2004 and we relied upon VHS tapes and he never really crossed our radar. But looking back at a 220-pounder who ran a 10.68 100 meters in high school and showed off good pass-catching skills, you wonder where LSU, Oklahoma and the Texas schools were? Hey, at least we were the only recruiting site in the world to rank him at all! So there's that!
47
OL
Longview, Tex., 2006, three-star
The Skinny: Williams was the No. 28 offensive guard and the No. 63 recruit from Texas in the Class of 2006. Williams had an All-American caliber career at Oklahoma before moving on to the NFL. Selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2010 draft by Washington, Williams has already made four Pro Bowls and is one of the offensive leaders for the Redskins.
Farrell's Take: The highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history was just a three-star? No excuses here -- we missed. He was 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds and while he played a bit stiff and wasn't as aggressive as you'd like for his size, he still had more talent than we gave him credit for. Longview had other players we coveted more and he reminded some of us of former Longview lineman Terrance Young, who was massive but just couldn't stay on the field and never panned out. We held that against Williams a bit too much. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
46
LB
Elvis Dumervil, Louisville
Miami (Fla.) Jackson, 2002, three-star
The Skinny: Dumervil was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Florida, in the class of 2002. Despite being dominant at Louisville, Dumervil's size still worried NFL scouts, which led to him slipping to the fourth round in the 2006 draft. However, he proved that these worries were unnecessary as he has also dominated in the NFL, first with Denver and now with Baltimore.
Farrell's Take: The knock on Dumervil was that he was too short, and he overcame it. At a generous 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds coming out of high school, he was a three-star because he was so good at getting after the quarterback (78 career sacks in high school) and he continued to show that in college and the NFL. He's now the example I get everytime we rank a short defensive end too low for a fan base, but like Rivers, he is a one-of-a-kind.
45
TE
Julius Thomas, Portland State
Lodi (Calif.) Tokay, 2006, (in database for basketball only)
Farrell's Take: These basketball guys, sheesh. They are just such great athletes that focus on one sport for a long time and then, like a flick of a switch, just become football stars because they are so gifted. Thomas didn't play a down of high school football, thus he had no profile in the class of 2006 (he wasn't ranked in hoops that year by Rivals, but was in the database) as he headed off to Portland State to play basketball. After playing football at Portland State for the first time in 2010, giving up hoops after his eligibility was done, he was drafted into the NFL and became a Pro Bowler. Crazy stuff, but guys like Thomas, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham are out there even today. We just don't know who they are ahead of time.
44
DL
North Charleston (SC) Fort Dorchester, 2008, four-star
The Skinny: Quinn was the No. 18 strongside defensive end and the No. 10 recruit from South Carolina in the class of 2008. Overcoming a brain tumor in high school, Quinn dominated for two years at North Carolina before getting ruled ineligible by the NCAA for his junior season. Moving onto the NFL, Quinn is considered one of the top young pass rushers in the league, racking up 40 sacks in the last three seasons with the St. Louis Rams.
Farrell's Take: You know you're high on a prospect's potential when a player has surgery for a brain tumor and is still rated as our No. 4 pass rusher in the class. Quinn overcame a scary situation where there was question whether he would ever suit up again to become part of one of the best defensive lines in the NFL and his triumph over adversity, despite some issues in college, is an inspiration for others.
43
QB
Philip Rivers, N.C. State
Athens, Ala., 2000 (Pre-Rivals Era)
Farrell's Take: Rivers would have been a low three-star in the class of 2000. Just being honest here. His mechanics were, and still are, just ugly to watch, but he's turned that shotput style into a repeatable motion that more than does the job. Alabama and Auburn offered him, but neither pursued hard like NC State did and the rest is history. If I saw a release like Rivers has today, I'd downgrade the quarterback in a second. There is only one Phillip Rivers who can release a ball in that ugly matter but still put up amazing numbers at the highest level.
42
LB
Richlands, N.C., 2003, four-star
The Skinny: Williams was the No. 11 strongside defensive end and the No. 3 recruit from North Carolina, behind only Chris Leak and Mike Mason, in the class of 2003. Williams showed great ability and potential at N.C. State, which led to his selection as the top overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by Houston. He continued to impress with the Texans and now in Buffalo, after making the move to the Bills prior to the 2012 season.
Farrell's Take: We knew Williams was a great athlete as a pass rusher and he came around just at the time the NFL was really paying attention to elite edge rushers more than ever. Some compared him to Julius Peppers a bit, although he wasn't considered as athletic or dominant at the same stage. He was a big-time prospect for sure, but his No. 1 pick status makes him underrated a bit.
41
DB
Norfolk (Va.) Maury, 2006, three-star
The Skinny: Chancellor was the No. 27 pro-style quarterback and the No. 20 recruit from Virginia in the Class of 2006. Chancellor began his collegiate career at Virginia Tech as a quarterback, but quickly made the move to cornerback and then safety. At safety he excelled, but was only drafted in the fifth Round by Seattle in 2010. After becoming a starter in 2011, he quickly began to impress and now is considered one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league.
Farrell's Take: The quarterbacks in high school that end up switching positions are arguably the hardest evals of all. Did we think Chancellor would be a quarterback in college? Not really, but he was promised a shot. Did we think he'd turn into one of the most valuable defensive backs in the NFL on a Super Bowl winner? Nope, didn't see that coming either. Great athlete out of high school.
Top 50 CFB: Farrell Fifty
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
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