NFL Draft: Top two-star, unranked prospects selected
With the NFL Draft finishing up last week, this is the time to review how it all played out. Here is a look at the top-10 former two-star and unranked prospects who got picked.
MORE NFL DRAFT: Top 10 former three-stars selected | Top 10 former four-stars selected | Top 10 former five-stars selected | Looking ahead to top 10 players for 2021 draft
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
*****
Justin Jefferson, LSU WR, No. 22 overall (Vikings)
Recruiting: Jefferson committed to LSU in the summer after National Signing Day. His only other offer came from Nicholls State.
Draft pick: The former two-star was the fifth wide receiver taken and the No. 22 overall pick in the first round.
Farrell’s take: Jefferson was a late addition to the LSU class due to academics, but there’s no excuse for this one as we evaluated him in person and he had at least three-star talent. He lacked great speed and has improved that immensely.
*****
Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State WR, No. 25 overall (49ers)
Recruiting: Aiyuk went to junior college out of high school and Arizona State won out because the Sun Devils wanted him to play receiver while many other colleges preferred him as a defensive back or return specialist.
Draft pick: Aiyuk was the sixth receiver drafted and the former two-star was the No. 25 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Farrell’s take: Aiyuk was a JUCO kid we thought would be a very average defensive back and he turned into an amazing wide receiver. You’d think with JUCO film we would have liked him more, but we whiffed on this one.
*****
Jordan Love, Utah State QB, No. 26 overall (Packers)
Recruiting: In the summer before his senior season, Love committed to Utah State over Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Northern Colorado, his only other offers.
Draft pick: The No. 26 overall pick, Love was a surprise selection by Green Bay as he was the fourth quarterback taken in the first round.
Farrell’s take: Love was a skinny kid with not a ton going for him when it comes to FBS talent. He grew, added arm strength and here we have the most polarizing first-rounder of the draft.
*****
Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne S, No. 37 overall (Patriots)
Recruiting: Dugger does not appear in the Rivals database, but he was a two-sport star in football and basketball at Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater.
Draft pick: Dugger was the second safety taken off the board, one spot after Alabama’s Xavier McKinney early in the second round.
Farrell’s take: I have no recollection of ever hearing the name Kyle Dugger out of high school, which is why he went the FCS route. He was on no one’s radar.
*****
Robert Hunt, Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 39 overall (Dolphins)
Recruiting: A two-star prospect out of Burkeville, Texas, Hunt’s only offer was Louisiana-Lafayette and his commitment was announced on National Signing Day.
Draft pick: Hunt was the first offensive guard drafted as he was an early second-round selection.
Farrell’s take: Hunt was a massive kid who couldn’t move much and was a low-level, two-star project. He changed that and developed in college.
*****
Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota S, No. 45 overall (Buccaneers)
Recruiting: In December of his senior season, Winfield picked Minnesota over seven other offers, including Purdue, Northwestern, Missouri, SMU and others.
Draft pick: There was a huge run early in the second round on safeties and Winfield was the fourth one taken after McKinney, Dugger and LSU’s Grant Delpit.
Farrell’s take: This was a mistake because Winfield had the bloodlines of an NFL player and despite being small had some solid coverage skills.
*****
Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois S, No. 64 overall (Panthers)
Recruiting: Chinn was injured during his junior year and was largely overlooked by schools, which is one reason why he landed at Southern Illinois.
Draft pick: Another safety that was caught up in that flood of picks in the second round, Chinn was the fifth safety selected.
Farrell’s take: Chinn is a freak athlete and missing his junior season kept him off the radar for us. We didn’t get much to evaluate and felt he was not a high or even lower-level Power Five talent.
*****
Logan Wilson, Wyoming LB, No. 65 overall (Bengals)
Recruiting: A member of the 2015 recruiting class, Wilson played defensive back at Casper (Wyo.) Natrona County and Wyoming was his lone offer. Colorado was also showing interest.
Draft pick: Wilson was the first pick in the third round and he was the sixth overall linebacker drafted.
Farrell’s take: Wilson was never evaluated or ranked, so we didn’t see this coming at all.
*****
Ashtyn Davis, Cal S, No. 68 overall (Jets)
Recruiting: Davis walked on to the Cal football team after going to Berkeley to compete on the track team.
Draft pick: After five safeties were picked in the second round, Davis was the first safety selected in the third round.
Farrell’s take: Davis was a track star in high school, and we didn’t have him playing football at the college level.
*****
Jonah Jackson, Ohio State G, No. 75 overall (Lions)
Recruiting: Jackson signed with Rutgers out of high school as Monmouth was his only other offer. After playing at Rutgers for four years, Jackson finished his career at Ohio State.
Draft pick: The former two-star prospect was the third offensive guard drafted after Hunt and LSU’s Damien Lewis.
Farrell’s take: Jackson is a great example of a lower-level FBS prospect who finds his way at a smaller school and then jumps to a powerhouse to gain more attention. He is light years better now than he was back then.