NFL Draft: Thirteen five-stars that went undrafted
The NFL Draft wrapped up over the weekend and while many five-star prospects were taken through the seven rounds there were also a handful that missed out on getting picked. Here is a look at that list as we analyze another NFL Draft.
MORE NFL DRAFT: Gorney's memories, grades of first-rounders
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A potential first-round NFL Draft pick, Anderson was suspended by Georgia late in the season and then charged and indicted with felony rape earlier this week stemming from an alleged incident in late October. At the time of his suspension, Anderson, who chose the Bulldogs over Alabama as part of the 2018 recruiting class, was leading Georgia in sacks at the time of his suspension. Rated as the second-best weak-side defensive end in his class, Anderson is expected to be arraigned in June and according to reports will plead not guilty.
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Anthony was always short even back in high school but he was so productive at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy flying all over the field and diagnosing plays and attacking the ball carrier.
The top-ranked inside linebacker in the 2017 class, Anthony started his career at Michigan but never really had a major impact with the Wolverines. He transferred to Troy for this past season and finished with 35 tackles and one fumble recovery but was never on mock drafts heading into the weekend.
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Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and others were involved with the Vienna (Ga.) Dooly County standout but Florida was the leader for some time and he committed to the Gators.
After totaling just 11 tackles in three seasons in Gainesville, Clayton transferred to Georgia Tech but never really caught on there, either. Rated as the second-best weak-side defensive end in the 2016 class, Clayton played in just two games for the Yellow Jackets this past season and did not total any tackles. The former five-star has also dealt with off-field issues.
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The top-ranked inside linebacker and No. 5 prospect in the 2016 class behind only Rashan Gary, Dexter Lawrence, Shea Patterson and Gregory Little, Davis looked like he would become a surefire superstar at Alabama – he was also a Crimson Tide legacy – but it never panned out.
Davis was a part of two national title teams in Tuscaloosa but never had a big impact with the Crimson Tide. He transferred to Texas and this past season with the Longhorns, Davis totaled 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The five-star picked Alabama over Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame.
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Hinton finished as the second-best defensive tackle and the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2019 class after a strong showing at the Army All-American Bowl solidified his ranking as a five-star prospect.
The Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian prospect also stayed with an early commitment to Michigan even though Georgia coach Kirby Smart did everything in his power to flip Hinton and other programs were involved as well. But Hinton never really materialized with the Wolverines and after finishing with 55 tackles and only two sacks in three years in Ann Arbor, Hinton surprisingly came out early but did not get drafted. He signed a free agent deal with the New York Giants.
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Juarez is one of the most confounding prospects in Rivals.com history because he was so dominant in high school as a quarterback and at his projected positions in college of safety and linebacker but almost immediately did not pan out.
He showed up to the Army All-American Bowl out of shape and looked much more like an inside linebacker than someone who only a month prior was flying all over the field making athletic plays. He picked UCLA over Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and BYU but hardly saw the field on defense.
The Torrance (Calif.) North standout was supposed to do a graduate transfer to Utah but that didn’t pan out. A few months ago on Instagram, Juarez wrote next to a picture of him visiting USC if he could do it all over again, he would. He’s included on this list as the 2016 class wraps up inclusion in the NFL Draft.
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The sixth-year linebacker at Oklahoma actually saw his career come to an end in November when he tore his ACL for the third time and called it the end. A great-looking linebacker with length and speed out of Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West, Kelly had an incredibly difficult time choosing between Oklahoma and Notre Dame in his recruitment and ended up picking the Sooners.
The five-star went from 36 to 56 to 61 tackles in his first three years but then the injury bug got him hard and Kelly’s career tailed off.
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After an early commitment to Nebraska did not stick, Radley-Hiles ended up picking Oklahoma over Clemson, UCLA, Florida State and others as the five-star planned to bring his ferocious and aggressive style of playing defensive back to Norman. While Radley-Hiles posted decent stats, he struggled at times being late or out of position and never maximized his ability.
A transfer to Washington for one season didn’t change much as he finished with 46 tackles and one interception for the Huskies. After going undrafted, Radley-Hiles signed a free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Cal beat Notre Dame and Georgia for Robertson and his first year in Berkeley went extraordinarily well as Robertson had 50 catches for 767 yards and seven touchdowns. The five-star athlete looked well on his way to a huge career and the NFL Draft. But then Robertson fell off a cliff stat-wise and didn’t have much of an impact at all until he transferred to Georgia.
In 2019, Robertson totaled 30 catches for 333 yards and three scores but then didn’t do much the following season and transferred to Auburn. In his sixth season of eligibility, Robertson was third on the Tigers with 37 catches for 489 yards and tied for a team-high with four touchdowns. Going undrafted, Robertson signed a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
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Considered for the top receiver spot in the 2018 class that went to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ross had a prolific and - at times - dominant college career where he finished with 158 receptions for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns and when he was on the field, Ross was considered one of the best in the game.
But in 2020, Ross missed the entire season after having surgery for a congenital fusion in his spine. He also missed three games in 2021 with an ankle injury but still ended up leading Clemson in receptions. Still, that injury history had to have concerned NFL decision-makers as he went undrafted.
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The Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County standout committed to Michigan early, then backed off that pledge only to re-commit to the Wolverines on signing day. However, for one reason or another Solomon never seemed to gain any serious traction on the field in Ann Arbor and he decided to transfer to Tennessee, which was held up by the NCAA but finally granted.
Solomon had 28 tackles and two sacks in his first season in Knoxville but then faded away and never made much of an impact. He hardly saw the field this past season.
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Following an early commitment to Oregon, Steele backed off that pledge and signed with Florida but the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco five-star cornerback never played a game there and left after spring football. Steele landed at USC where he played for three season and totaled 94 tackles and three interceptions but too often was beaten on the outside.
Five-stars Derek Stingley, Jr., and Andrew Booth were the only corners ranked ahead of him in the 2019 class.
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The San Diego (Calif.) Helix prospect was made a five-star because of his elite athletic ability with the bet that his coverage skills would tighten up but that never clicked at USC, either. There is no questioning Taylor-Stuart’s testing numbers - he ran 4.42 in the 40-yard dash at the combine - but his on-field performance left something to be desired. Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia and others were also involved in his recruitment. After going undrafted, Taylor-Stuart signed a free-agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys.