Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The NFL Draft for 2018 is over and with it numerous former two stars and unranked prospects were selected. Here are the top 10 picked.
MORE IN THIS SERIES: Top 10 former five-stars who were picked in 2018 | Four-stars | Three-stars
MORE NFL DRAFT: These 10 could be first-rounders in 2019 | How SEC stars fared in draft | Draft by position | NFL Draft by conference | Gorney's Takeaways | Grading the first-round picks
QB Josh Allen (Wyoming): No. 7 overall to Buffalo
The skinny: With no offers coming his way out of his high school, Allen decided to take the junior college route to help his game mature. This plan worked as he managed to pull in offers from Wyoming and Eastern Michigan before committing to the Cowboys in late December after an official visit. After an impressive first season with the Cowboys, Allen suddenly became a hot name in the 2018 NFL Draft. And despite a somewhat inconsistent performance in 2017, his physical abilities and potential maintained his high status with pro scouts.
Farrell’s take: Out of high school, there was nothing remarkable about Allen, aside from his height. He attended a high school of around 600 students and never really got any looks despite putting up solid numbers, as there were questions about his ability to handle the rush at the next level.
His JUCO year did wonders for him, but still most chose to ignore him, including Rivals.com, as we had him as a two-star. Now he’s taken that dual-threat ability he showed in high school and JUCO to the FBS college level, and NFL scouts loved him - even though I don’t. The Bills traded up to get him but they might have reached.
DE Marcus Davenport (UTSA): No. 14 overall to New Orleans
The skinny: With UNLV being his only other offer, Davenport committed to Texas-San Antonio on National Signing Day after taking a late official visit to check out the Road Runners. Since his arrival at UTSA, Davenport transformed his body from a 210-pound end to one of the top available pass rushers in the NFL Draft. While his production at the college level was impressive, it is his potential and athleticism that had NFL scouts excited.
Farrell’s take: Davenport was a 205-pound skinny defensive end out of high school with very little interest and has now emerged as one of the small school stars of the draft. UTSA was recruiting him more as a wide receiver than a defensive end out of high school, which speaks to his athleticism but also to the difficulty of evaluating his true position. He has an amazing NFL ceiling.
3. Leighton Vander Esch (Boise State): No. 19 overall to Dallas
The skinny: Coming from a tiny town in Idaho, Vander Esch actually played eight-man football in high school before walking on at Boise State. After totaling 47 tackles in 2015 and 2016, Vander Esch exploded in 2017 with 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. He followed that up with an impressive combine performance which sealed the deal for his status of a high-level NFL Draft pick.
Farrell’s take: Vander Esch had a Rivals profile which is a miracle in its own right, but we never saw him or evaluated him.
TE HAYDEN HURST (South Carolina): No. 25 overall to Baltimore
The skinny: An elite recruit in both football and baseball coming out of high school, Hurst initially chose the MLB route and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates over a scholarship offer from Florida State. He played two seasons with the Pirates organization before deciding to walk-on at South Carolina, where he totaled 92 receptions for 1,175 yards and three touchdowns during the last two seasons.
Farrell’s take: Once he took off on the baseball route, he was off our radar. We did have him as a four star pitcher if that counts for anything but he never got evaluated for football because of his desire to play baseball.
OL Austin Corbett (Nevada): No. 33 overall to Browns
The skinny: As a senior in high school, Corbett was a 240-pound offensive linemen, which eventually led to him walking on at Nevada. He became a starter with the Wolfpack during his redshirt freshman season and was a team captain during his final three seasons in Reno. While he played tackle with the Wolfpack, NFL teams are intrigued by his versatility, which may mean a move to guard at the next level.
Farrell’s take: Corbett was a walk on and a skinny, under-developed offensive lineman who had no FBS interest so he had no Rivals profile and wasn’t evaluated.
G Will Hernandez (UTEP): No. 34 overall to New York Giants
The skinny: Hernandez committed to UTEP, who was his only offer, a few days before National Signing Day. With the Miners, Hernandez redshirted in 2013 and then started every game over the next four seasons. After being named to several All-American teams after the 2016 seasons, he emerged as a viable NFL player, who then further solidified his status after an eye-opening performance at the combine.
Farrell’s take: Add him to the list of players who just weren’t on our radar and weren’t evaluated.
LB Darius Leonard (South Carolina State): No. 36 overall to Indianapolis
The skinny: Leonard dreamed about playing for Clemson, which is where his brother played, but when that offer never arrived he made his way to South Carolina State. Despite playing for a smaller program, Leonard flourished against top competition. He totaled 16 tackles during a 2016 game against Clemson and then led the Senior Bowl with 14 tackles during the spring.
Farrell’s take: FCS options led to a lack of evaluation by Rivals for Leonard, who wanted to be a Clemson Tiger but fell far short of that goal out of high school.
CB Josh Jackson (Iowa): No. 45 overall to Green Bay
The skinny: Jackson originally planned to take a few official visits before making his decision, but an August trip to Iowa changed everything. Soon after his visit, he committed to the Hawkeyes over offers from Colorado State, New Mexico State and Nevada. After making a minimal impact on the field during his first two seasons, Jackson exploded onto the scene in 2017 to become one of the top cornerbacks in the country.
Farrell’s take: Jackson was a lightly-recruited two-star prospect out of high school and it was unclear whether Iowa would use him on offense or defense. He had good length but was very light and not very strong or physical. He clearly took the next step in that department in college. One thing he always had was ball skills which he showcased on offense in high school. He’s among the best in the country out of the defensive backs in that category and those ball skills landed him in round two.
TE Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State): No. 49 overall to Philadelphia
The skinny: Offers never materialized for the South Dakota native, so he eventually walked on with the Jackrabbits. Over time he became one of the elite players at the FCS level, earning All-American honors twice and being nominated for the Walter Payton Award last season, which is annually given to the top player in the FCS. He dominated the competition during his final two collegiate seasons, totaling 164 receptions for 2,404 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Another on the list from a remote area of the country who never got any big looks and made it big in the draft.
WR Anthony Miller (Memphis): No. 51 overall to Chicago
The skinny: Miller never made an impact during his recruiting process, which led to him walking on at Memphis, his hometown school. It took time for Miller to hit his stride with the Tigers, but over his last two seasons, after the arrival of Coach Mike Norvell, he flourished. Grabbing 191 receptions for 2,896 yards and 32 touchdowns, he quietly established himself as one of the elite wide receivers in the nation.
Farrell’s take: Miller wasn’t on anyone’s radar it seems as he walked on at Memphis and the only time we saw him was at Vanderbilt’s summer camp in 2012. Then he emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the country. And this is only the beginning as he will be an amazing NFL receiver as well if he stays healthy.
