NFL Draft: Breaking down the first 10 three-stars selected
The first 10 former three-stars selected over the weekend in the NFL Draft were picked in the first round. Here is a breakdown.
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Josh Allen: Seventh pick, Jaguars
The skinny: Allen committed to Kentucky during his official visit to Lexington a few weeks before National Signing Day. His recruitment was actually pretty easy, since the Wildcats were his only listed offer. Allen had seven sacks in each of sophomore and junior years before he exploded on the national scene as a senior with 88 tackles and 17 sacks. Many analysts believed Allen could have been a top five pick.
Farrell’s take: Allen’s Twitter claims he was a two-star, but we had him as a low three-star after he changed states and positions and ended up in New Jersey as a linebacker. He was raw as can be and still learning the position but he had that natural explosion off the snap. But there was no way we could tell he was going to be this good.
T.J. Hockenson: Eighth pick, Lions
The skinny: Shortly after receiving an offer from Iowa, Hockenson visited with the Hawkeyes and committed. Iowa was always considered the dream school. Iowa State and Eastern Michigan were his only other offers. In two seasons with the Hawkeyes, Hockenson finished with 73 catches for 1,080 yards and nine touchdowns. Fairly or unfairly, some analysts compared Hockenson to Rob Gronkowski through the pre-draft process.
Farrell’s take: Hockenson was a local recruit that was ignored by almost every out-of-state program despite good size and hands. He wasn’t the quickest kid out of high school, but he was very productive so it’s a bit odd that he was ignored so much. He really broke out his senior season and his film was very solid, but by then he was already locked in to Iowa. Now he’s emerged as tight end 1A with his teammate (Noah Fant) as tight end 1B.
Chris Lindstrom: 14th pick, Falcons
The skinny: The spring before his senior season, Lindstrom committed to Boston College after numerous visits to the school. Old Dominion was his only other offer. Lindstrom shined at the Senior Bowl and his stock only skyrocketed from there right into the first round. As a high school prospect, Lindstrom was 236 pounds. He measured in at 308 at the NFL combine.
Farrell’s take: Lindstrom was a small lineman out of Massachusetts that Boston College took a chance on and it paid off in a big way. He was a nasty kid and held his own with bigger defensive linemen despite being around 240 pounds and he’s kept that aggressive style while adding weight and power. He’s a very good run blocker. But there was no way anyone could foresee him being a first-rounder if they saw him in high school.
Noah Fant: 20th pick, Broncos
The skinny: Fant committed to Iowa during the summer before his senior season. Nebraska and Minnesota remained involved through his final year of high school but close to signing day, Fant shut it down and stuck with the Hawkeyes. In the last two seasons, Fant caught 69 passes for 1,013 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had a strong showing at the combine as well, where he ran 4.5 in the 40-yard dash to keep him in the first-round discussion.
Farrell’s take: Fant was a high three-star coming out of high school. He was not as big as Hockenson but was more athletic and sudden. Fant also had more room on his frame to fill out. He was being recruited by different schools as a tight end or defensive end, so he wasn’t an easy evaluation and he lacked a lot of strength in high school. However, he made up for it with his athleticism and ability to stretch the field. As a Nebraska kid, we didn’t see him a ton but he stood out at our St. Louis Rivals Camp and played both ways.
Darnell Savage: 21st pick, Packers
The skinny: Maryland was considered the frontrunner for a while in Savage’s recruitment and he committed to the Terrapins in the summer before his senior season. Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple were also involved. Savage finished with 182 tackles and eight interceptions in his college career. There were mixed feelings by the analysts on Savage this high, as some believed he should have been an early-round pick. The heat on him during the pre-draft process might have been overdone.
Farrell’s take: Savage was a three-star athlete out of high school who could have played offense or defense but lacked size. He was very quick and sudden but didn’t have a big frame to grow on and wasn’t very strong. He’s become a natural in coverage at Maryland and one of my favorite players in the draft.
Josh Jacobs: 24th pick, Raiders
The skinny: Jacobs had no offers in December leading up to National Signing Day even after running for 2,704 yards with 31 touchdowns in his senior year. Wyoming and New Mexico State first got involved and then Oklahoma, Alabama and Missouri entered the picture after the New Year. He picked the Crimson Tide in early February. Prior to this past season, Jacobs was not the first running back on draft boards, but his versatility and physical play moved him up quickly. He finished with 640 yards and 11 touchdowns this past season.
Farrell’s take: Jacobs did not hit my radar, or the radar of many others, until after his huge senior season and Alabama needed a back late in the process and took a chance. Things obviously worked out well for both parties. On film, Jacobs was a powerful runner out of Oklahoma for his size (170 pounds back then) but his strengths were his speed and ability to cut in the open field. He always ran hard and the NFL loves that about him as well. He’s the best of a weak crop of running backs.
Jonathan Abram: 27th pick, Raiders
The skinny: Abram was a three-star prospect in the 2015 class who committed to Georgia and appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs the following season. He then transferred to Ellisville (Miss.) Jones County J.C., and the three-star signed with Mississippi State for its 2017 class. The ballhawking and hard-hitting safety finished with 195 tackles in his college career and could have been the first safety off the board.
Farrell’s take: Abram was a three-star out of high school and JUCO who had good size and was a big hitter, but he lacked natural coverage skills. At Mississippi State, he used that size and aggression to make a ton of plays near the line of scrimmage and he’s improved his coverage skills dramatically.
Montez Sweat: 26th pick, Redskins
The skinny: Sweat played at Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson and picked Michigan State out of high school but then transferred to Wesson (Miss.) Copiah-Lincoln before landing at Mississippi State. He had 10.5 sacks two seasons ago and then 12 sacks this past season before going to the combine and smashing records with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash. Sweat was diagnosed with a heart issue at the combine but on draft night reports surfaced that any concerns were overstated.
Farrell’s take: Sweat went from being a two-star tight end signee for Michigan State to a three-star defensive end out of JUCO for Mississippi State and he’s played like a five-star. He was a good athlete out of high school and JUCO but not the freak you see now. He should have gone in the top 10 with his athleticism, and that’s something we would have never expected.
L.J. Collier: 29th pick, Seahawks
The skinny: Collier was committed to Texas Tech earlier in his recruitment but after planning a visit to TCU he backed off that pledge and ended up picking the Horned Frogs. He finished his TCU career with 82 tackles and 14.5 sacks. He was the seventh and final defensive end drafted in the first round.
Farrell’s take: Collier was a shorter defensive end and underweight coming out of high school, so he was only rated as a low three-star. He had a great motor and loved to get after the passer, but I never thought he would develop into a first-rounder.
DeAndre Baker: 30th pick, Giants
The skinny: The summer before his senior season, Baker committed to Georgia just as his recruitment was getting busier with new offers from Clemson, Tennessee, Kentucky and others. Baker finished with 116 tackles and seven picks in his career, and he was the only cornerback drafted in the first round.
Farrell’s take: Baker was a skinny cornerback with solid skills coming out of high school, but he was a three-star prospect because of questions about his strength. He could run with anyone but he wasn’t very strong in run support and could get pushed around a bit. He had a good showing at the U.S. Army All-America Bowl and raised his stock a bit, but we still saw him as a project and mid three-star. However, he developed into one of the best defensive back prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft.