The Five-Star Challenge Five-Year Team: Wide Receiver/Tight End

The fifth edition of the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented By Under Armour is in the books and, with such an important anniversary of an amazing event, we thought it would be cool to look back at the top prospects that attended at each position. Today we look at the wide receivers and tight ends.

Note: The order is based on a combination of success at the event, success at the high school level and, in many cases, success in college.

MORE: Five-Star Challenge Five-Year Team: QBs | RBs | Full Five-Star Challenge Coverage

The Skinny: Treadwell’s recruiting process was a hectic one, but he finally trimmed his list to Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Michigan and Michigan State in early October. The Rebels, Sooners and Cowboys grabbed official visits, which led to his commitment to Ole Miss in January. Treadwell overcome a horrific leg injury at the end of the 2014 season to turn in a very promising 2015 season. This eventually helped him get drafted in the first round by the Vikings in April.

Farrell’s Take: Treadwell was a star on the winning team at our first event in Atlanta and made some acrobatic catches for a bigger receiver. Perhaps the highlight of all five events was his catch down the middle of the end zone where he crashed into the Rivals banner but still held on. Stardom was evident for Treadwell in high school and he hasn’t disappointed at all.

The Skinny: Ridley was an early commitment to the Crimson Tide despite having offers from coast-to-coast. Throughout his senior season and leading up to National Signing Day rumors persisted that he may be looking at other schools, but he stuck with his word and signed with Alabama. Ridley had an amazing freshman season, comparing nicely to what former five-star Alabama receiver Julio Jones (Falcons) and former four-star Amari Cooper (Raiders) accomplished in their first year.

Farrell’s Take: Ridley was a quiet assassin of sorts at the Chicago event in 2013 as he just went out and effortlessly beat defensive backs without looking like he was trying. He was so smooth and such a natural route runner in high school it was evident from the first time we saw him that he was a five-star and a future star.

The Skinny: Boyd committed to Pittsburgh at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but made it known that he still wanted to take a couple of official visits. These took place to West Virginia and Tennessee, which made the days leading up to National Signing Day a stressful one for Panther fans. However, he stuck with his word and signed with Pitt. During his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Boyd became one of the more explosive and reliable receivers in the country. This led to him being drafted in the second round by Cincinnati in April.

Farrell’s Take: Boyd, like Treadwell, was at our first event in Atlanta back in 2012 and he had a very good showing in helping his loaded offense to the title. A high school quarterback for the most part, this was the event that showed us he would make an easy transition to wide receiver in college. He had a great career, as expected, at Pitt and should be a long-time contributor in the NFL with his natural ability to make tough plays on the ball.

The Skinny: While Texas A&M was always considered a favorite for Kirk, he also took official visits to UCLA, Arizona State and Auburn. Despite the push to stay closer to home and play for the Sun Devils, the relationship he built with coach Kevin Sumlin was enough to seal his commitment to the Aggies. Kirk had a stellar freshman season in College Station.

Farrell’s Take: Kirk was a heavily debated prospect for us during the rankings process but his performance at the 2013 event in Chicago helped push him over the edge to five stars. It was never about his skill but always about his height and how that would translate to college and beyond. His freshman season at A&M is showing us we made the right call, and he was arguably the most dominant wide receiver at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge.

The Skinny: After taking official visits to LSU, Alabama, Florida State, Ole Miss and UCLA, Dupre's final destination was still an unknown until National Signing Day. It came down to LSU, Florida State and UCLA, but even Dupre has said that was uncertain of his decision in the hours leading up to his signing. In the end, playing close to home won out, as he signed with the Tigers. After a slow freshman season, Dupre began to shine in 2015. As a result, expectations are very high this fall, as everyone is eager to see if he can take the next step.

Farrell’s Take: Dupre is a freaky athlete and we got to see a lot of that in Chicago with his amazing hops and reliable hands. He’s a kid who has never truly been utilized properly either at the high school or college level but has talent off the charts and could have a breakout year this season if LSU can balance its offense a bit more.

The Skinny: Howard committed to the Crimson Tide two years before his National Signing Day and never seriously wavered on his word. Alabama fans don’t have too much to complain about in recent years, but the lack of passes thrown Howard’s way has become a big issue. That began to change in 2015 and culminated in a memorable national championship game performance. Now it will be interesting to see if this trend continues in 2016.

Farrell’s Take: Howard was the most athletic and gifted tight end I’ve ever seen in high school, and he was dominant at our 2012 event in Atlanta. As a flex tight end, he couldn’t be covered consistently by anyone and fought for the ball in the air as much as anyone. He was fast, agile and had powerful hands which led to the highest ranking (at one point) for any tight end in history. An average senior season and not being targeted at Alabama have followed, but the title game could be the launching point he needs to show his greatness.

The Skinny: Nauta had a rather tumultuous recruiting process, which saw him originally commit to Florida State, but then de-commit. After taking official visits to Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss, it really came down to either the Bulldogs or Wolverines. Nauta decided to stay closer to home and committed to Georgia. As a true freshman this coming season, Nauta is already considered a viable tight end option for the Bulldogs. He impressed this spring and should be able to make an early contribution.

Farrell’s Take: Nauta came into the 2015 event with some questions that needed answering, especially regarding speed and conditioning. He answered them all. He was simply dominant and such a reliable target that he was the best offensive threat for his team, a rarity for a tight end at these events. He earned that fifth star and now a stellar career is expected.