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NFL Draft: Top 10 former three-stars selected

Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow (AP Images)

With the NFL Draft finishing up over the weekend, this is now the time to review how it all played out. Here is a look at the top-10 former three-star prospects to get picked.

MORE NFL DRAFT: Top 10 former four-stars selected | Top 10 former five-stars selected

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022: Top 100

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JOE BURROW: LSU QB, No. 1 overall (Bengals)

Recruiting: Burrow committed to Ohio State over West Virginia, Boston College and Iowa State in the spring prior to his senior season. The three-star prospect never won the starting job with the Buckeyes, so he transferred to LSU and this past season won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship.

Draft pick: Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick, the third-straight transfer quarterback following Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

Farrell’s take: Burrow was raw out of high school and up-and-down during in-person evaluations. However, Ohio State and then LSU saw something in him. He took some time to develop and played like a three-star until his senior season, but now he’s the No. 1 pick in the draft and a clear miss for our high school evaluation.

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JUSTIN HERBERT: Oregon QB, No. 6 overall (Chargers)

Recruiting: Oregon, Montana State, Northern Arizona and Portland State were Herbert’s only offers especially after he missed time in his junior season. The Ducks were always the favorite as he grew up in Eugene and was an Oregon season-ticket holder.

Draft pick: The former three-star was the sixth overall pick and third quarterback following Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.

Farrell’s take: There are plenty of reasons Herbert was ranked as a three-star. He was injured his junior year, he played weak competition and we never got an in-person eval on him. He obviously developed quite nicely, but he was a lump of clay out of high school.

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ISAIAH SIMMONS: Clemson LB, No. 8 overall (Cardinals)

Recruiting: Clemson got involved late in his recruitment and after a bunch of defensive backs left the Tigers for the NFL, Clemson became the favorite. Arkansas was the dream school but never offered. Michigan and Nebraska were also involved.

Draft pick: Simmons was the eighth overall pick and the first linebacker drafted in the first round.

Farrell’s take: Looking back on this one, I don’t have an explanation. We can point to his ‘tweener status and how he projected as a smallish linebacker or a somewhat stiff safety but, looking back at his film and his camp performances, it’s clear he should have been a four-star.

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JAVON KINLAW: South Carolina DT, No. 14 overall (49ers)

Recruiting: Kinlaw committed to South Carolina out of high school but then went to junior college and backed off his pledge. Alabama, USC and the Gamecocks emerged as frontrunners and he picked Carolina again.

Draft pick: Kinlaw was the No. 14 overall pick and the second defensive tackle taken after Auburn’s Derrick Brown.

Farrell’s take: Kinlaw was a big kid with the build of an offensive lineman out of high school and JUCO and he lacked great aggression. The high school and JUCO Kinlaw is nothing like what you see today.

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DAMON ARNETTE: Ohio State CB, No. 19 overall (Raiders)

Recruiting: Arnette had been committed to South Carolina since the summer before his senior season but he was a late flip to Ohio State right before National Signing Day. Michigan was also a contender in his recruitment.

Draft pick: One of the biggest surprises in the first round, Arnette was the No. 19 overall pick and the fourth cornerback taken.

Farrell’s take: Arnette played at a big school in Florida and was a solid player but we never saw potential first-rounder in him when it came to speed and fluidity.

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JORDYN BROOKS: Texas Tech LB, No. 27 overall (Seahawks)

Recruiting: Brooks visited Texas Tech the week before he committed and the Red Raiders had been a leader for some time. He picked Texas Tech over Houston, his other favorite at the time.

Draft pick: Brooks was the No. 27 pick overall and the third linebacker after Simmons and Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray.

Farrell’s take: Brooks was overlooked by many as a high school prospect because he was big but he wasn’t long or tall. That mattered a lot more back then than it does now.

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JEFF GLADNEY: TCU CB, No. 31 overall (Vikings)

Recruiting: A three-star receiver in high school, Gladney committed to TCU over his only other offers from Rice, Tulsa and UTSA.

Draft pick: Gladney was the second-to-last pick in the first round and the sixth cornerback drafted.

Farrell’s take: Gladney wasn’t heavily recruited for a few reasons. He wasn’t big or filled out and he was an average wide receiver at the time and was projected to play offense. Flip him around and add some beef and you have a first-rounder.

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CLYDE EDWARDS-HELAIRE: LSU RB, No. 32 overall (Chiefs)

Recruiting: Edwards-Helaire committed to LSU early in his recruitment but said he was reopening his recruitment but not decommitting when he wasn’t happy with the lack of communication from the Tigers’ coaching staff. Coach Ed Orgeron and the staff made Edwards-Helaire a priority and he stuck with the Tigers. He had no other SEC offers.

Draft pick: The LSU running back was the last pick of the first round but also the first running back taken off the board.

Farrell’s take: Too short. Oops. That was the reason. He was shifty and powerful and bounced off people, but he was so darned short we felt he’d have trouble blocking and catching passes. Ugh.

ROSS BLACKLOCK: TCU DT, No. 40 overall (Texans)

Recruiting: Blacklock committed to TCU over Texas A&M, Houston and Alabama at the Army All-American Bowl.

Draft pick: The TCU standout was the first defensive tackle drafted in the second round following first-rounders Brown and Kinlaw.

Farrell’s take: Blacklock was a high three-star and was discussed as a four-star but fell short. He helped his stock at the Army Bowl, but I guess we should have pushed him up a bit more.

LAVISKA SHENAULT: Colorado WR, No. 42 overall (Jaguars)

Recruiting: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State and Baylor were some other programs involved in his recruitment, but after Shenault visited Colorado he was sold on the program and made his commitment.

Draft pick: Shenault was the No. 10 overall pick in the second round after receiving some earlier first-round consideration. He was the ninth receiver drafted and the second from the Pac-12 after USC’s Michael Pittman Jr.

Farrell’s take: He wasn’t as dynamic as you’d think coming out of high school and there’s no way we saw his early impact and dominance at the college level.

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