Two-stars in the NFL Draft
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Kevin Johnson
Johnson was not ranked at his position or in Maryland in the Class of 2010. He also held offers from Minnesota, Syracuse, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Johnson was extremely skinny coming into college and is still considered on the thin side heading into the NFL. What he always had going for him are his ball skills, which should make Houston fans very happy.
Farrell's Take: Listed at 160 pounds in our recruiting database, that was a bit on the generous side for Johnson, who was closer to 150 pounds and didn't truly bulk up until his junior year in college. However, we had numerous opportunities to see him in person from camps to games to even a local all-star game and there wasn't anyone who felt he could add the weight and strength to become a great college player, much less a first-rounder in the NFL. Looking back, he reminds me of another skinny cornerback from Maryland in the 2010 class, Kyle Fuller, who went on to becoming a first-rounder. At least with Fuller, we had the sense to make him a three-star, but maybe we should start looking at tall, super skinny cornerbacks from Maryland the way we look at Michigan State cornerback commits?
26. WR
Lithonia (Ga.) Arabia Mountain, UCF
Breshad Perriman
Perriman was not ranked nationally or in Georgia in the Class of 2011. UCF was the only offer for Perriman, who also broke his leg during his senior season. A very impressive set of workouts is what truly moved him into the first round. If he can cut down on his high dropped ball ratio, the Ravens may have found another offensive threat for Joe Flacco to use.
Farrell's Take: A combine warrior or a difference-maker in the NFL? I tend to lean towards the former as Perriman's testing numbers are what shot him up the draft into the first round. Out of high school he was virtually unknown, with UCF having the smarts to take a shot on him even after he broke his leg his senior season.
27. CB
Bristol (Conn.) St. Paul Catholic, Connecticut
Byron Jones
Jones was not ranked nationally, but he was the No. 9 recruit in Connecticut in the Class of 2010. Jones is the definition of a combine warrior, as his numbers on the vertical and broad jump were both off the charts. While he had a solid 2014 season despite a shoulder injury, it should be interesting to see if he can bring his combine performance to the football field in Dallas.
Farrell's Take: Talk about your combine freaks, Jones takes the cake. He set the world record, that's right, the world record for the broad jump and his vertical was just shy of the combine record. I live in Connecticut and likely saw Jones at a few college camps in the area and, of course, on film. The problem? He didn't stand out at all. Congrats to former UConn head coach Randy Edsall for finding another diamond in the rough and all the coaches that developed Jones, but the real credit goes to the player himself who obviously worked very hard to become an athletic freak.
59. OT
Watsonville (Cali.) St. Francis Central Coast Catholic, Colorado State
Ty Sambrailo
Sambrailo was not ranked at his position or in California in the class of 2010. He committed to the Rams over offers from Weber State, Sacramento State and Southern Utah. There are a couple of reasons that Denver thought highly of Sambrailo. First, he offers them versatility as he is able to play either tackle or guard. Secondly, playing in Colorado State's pro-style offense transferred nicely to what the Broncos are doing in Denver. And, of course, playing his college ball in their home state made him well-known to the scouts. He will likely see early playing time in Denver, but it is unlikely that he would be starting as a rookie.
Farrell's Take: Sambrailo was arguably a better skier than he was a football player coming out of high school as he was a Junior Olympian on the slopes but lightly regarded on the recruiting trail. Projected as a third- or fourth-rounder by many, Denver saw something in him and it didn't help he got so much exposure blocking for the draft's third-rated quarterback, Garrett Grayson. But as a skinny lineman from the San Jose area at a school not known for producing prospects, this one was tough to see in advance.
86. RB
Clinton, Iowa, Northern Iowa
David Johnson
Johnson, who was considered an athlete in the Class of 2010, was not ranked nationally, at his position or in Iowa. While Johnson had a fantastic high school career, recruiting never took off for him. Along with offers from Northern Iowa and Illinois State, Johnson did have a greyshirt option at Iowa that he turned down. In Arizona, Johnson should add a nice big-back dimension to their running game playing alongside the shiftier Andre Ellington. He also proved himself as a viable receiving threat at Northern Iowa, something the Cardinals will look to take advantage of.
Farrell's Take: Well known in Iowa and projected as an FCS prospect (then D-1AA), that's just how things played out for Johnson, who got a sniff from Iowa essentially as a potential fullback and was actually recruited by UNI as a wide receiver. He had good size but wasn't considered sudden or flat out fast enough to be a running back at the next level, so positional question marks contributed to the lack of interest and ranking.
99. LB
Dallas (Tex.) Skyline, TCU
Paul Dawson
Dawson was not ranked coming out of high school, and primarily played as a wide receiver. He made his way to TCU after a stop at Trinity Junior College. At TCU, he became one of the more productive linebackers in the country, but his lack of size and less-than-impressive combine performance deterred some NFL scouts. There are some comparisons floating around between Dawson and Vontaze Burfict, which is ironic since they are now teammates. And if Dawson produces as well as Burfict has for the Bengals, then Cincinnati fans will be extremely happy.
Farrell's Take: Skyline is a huge talent-producing school in Dallas, so for a player to get overlooked by almost everyone means there were plenty of eyeballs on him but no takers. Listed as a 6-foot and 180-pound wide receiver in 2011, Dawson was drafted in the top 100 as a 6-foot, 235-pound standout linebacker with a stop at JUCO before his TCU stint. As it usually goes with two-stars, a big position shift and late development leads to a career that surpasses any high school thoughts or projections.
109. S
Hemingway (SC) Carvers Bay, UCF
Clayton Geathers
Geathers was not ranked at his position or in South Carolina in the Class of 2010. UCF was his only offer, despite a productive high school career at Carvers Bay. While he is a fourth-round draft choice, there is a huge opportunity for Geathers to make an immediate contribution for the Colts. Known as a hard hitter in the secondary and aggressive against the run, he fills a huge need for Indianapolis.
Farrell's Take: Might as well make any Geathers from South Carolina at least a three-star, right? After all, Clayton is one of many successful prospects from a great family tree. However, this Geathers was lightly regarded as even a college success, much less an NFL draftee. His high two-star ranking was based mainly on his high school productivity, but all the big boys passed on him and we didn't see him as much more than a role player in college. You have to hand it to UCF as no program produces more high draft picks that almost everyone else overlooked a few years previous.
127. LB
Ellisville (Miss.) Jones County J.C., Minnesota
Damien Wilson
In the Class of 2013, as a junior college recruit, Wilson was not ranked nationally. He started his collegiate career successfully at Alcorn State, but craving to play big-time football, he transferred to Jones County J.C. before finally signing with the Big Ten Golden Gophers. He finished his senior season at Minnesota with a team-leading 119 tackles. What Wilson lacks in size, he makes up for in instincts and attitude. He also has the versatility to play all three linebacker positions, while likely becoming an immediate key contributor on special teams.
Farrell's Take: Another good way to be a two-star and end up being drafted in the NFL? How about being a lighty-regarded D-I AA (now FCS) prospect, wanting more and transferring to an FBS Power Five Program and then having an amazing senior season? That's how Wilson ended up being drafted by the Vikings and there was no way to predict that. However, kudos to the Gophers staff for making him NFL-ready.
130. OL
Monterey (Cali.) Monterey Peninsula J.C., San Diego State
Terry Poole
Poole was not ranked coming out of his high school and was a two-star recruit, but not ranked nationally coming out of Junior College. He did not qualify academically coming out of high school and he also did not fully focus on football until he was at Monterey Peninsula. Drafted by Seattle, Poole will likely start at guard, but also has the ability to play either tackle or center. His versatility made him a valuable pick in the fourth round.
Farrell's Take: Poole wasn't even in our database as a high school prospect. That's how far off the radar he was and he chose San Diego State over Fresno State, Middle Tennessee State and San Jose State after just starting to scratch the surface of his potential and because of his immense size. He was almost a reluctant football player who found his niche long after high school and is now a potential NFL player.
143. TE
Kirkwood, Mo., Southern Illinois
MyCole Pruitt
Pruitt was not ranked at his position or in the state of Missouri in the Class of 2010. Overlooked by bigger schools, Pruitt found a home at Southern Illinois, where he ended his career with a Missouri Valley Conference record 221 receptions for 2,601 yards and 25 touchdowns. While he does not possess the height of a prototypical NFL tight end, he has the potential to create match-up nightmares for linebackers because of his athleticism, speed and receiving talents.
Farrell's Take: A mid-level two-star grade isn't bad for a prospect who wasn't really close to any major offers, plays in a state where only a handful of prospects reach regional attention and was considered too short to be a tight end. Listed 6-foot-3 in our database (not verified height), he was closer to 6-foot-2, which turned off many colleges. FCS to the NFL isn't unheard of these days and being the 143rd pick in the draft after zero FBS attention in 2010 isn't shabby at all.
150. S
Calipatria, Cali., Minnesota
Cedric Thompson
Thompson was not ranked at his position or in the state of California in the Class of 2011. He actually committed to Minnesota over offers from Portland State and Northern Arizona a few days after National Signing Day in 2011. The Dolphins needed depth at the safety position and Thompson will give them this. Thompson, a three-year starter for the Gophers, will also bring athleticism to the position. He ran a 4.40 40, plus had a 40.5 inch vertical and 10'2" broad jump during pre-draft workouts.
Farrell's Take: It's fairly easy to get overlooked in the talent-laden state of California and that's what happened to Thompson, who played at an unknown school east of San Diego. The Gophers did a great job of finding Thompson. There was obviously a great lack of scouting opportunities for the then-cornerback who played in a city much more well known for its state prison than for anything football related.
152. OG
Navasota, Tex., Texas A&M
Jarvis Harrison
Harrison was not ranked at his position or in the state of Texas in the Class of 2010. Harrison did not focus on football until the final two seasons of high school. He was also a late addition to the Aggies Class of 2010, as he signed approximately two weeks after National Signing Day. Harrison has the talent to be a starter at guard in the NFL, but his desire has been questioned from time to time. His draft stock dropped after an average senior season at Texas A&M, so everyone will have to wait and see if the Jets can relight his fire.
Farrell's Take: A surprise late take to fill out the A&M class, Harrison was supposed to be nothing more than a project and a big body who could help with some depth issues along the offensive line down the stretch. With no other offers and being new to football, he wasn't anything close to being a polished product.
154. DT
Scottsdale (Ari.) Desert Mountain, Fresno State
Tyeler Davison
Davison was not ranked at his position or in Arizona in the Class of 2010. He committed to Fresno State over Air Force, plus had additional offers from UNLV, Northern Arizona and Portland State. The Saints needed help trying to stop a porous run defense and Davison has the ability to plug some of those holes. He likely isn't an immediate impact player, but with the proper coaching and mentoring, he can be a contributor down the road.
Farrell's Take: Defensive tackles are a need for almost every team, so it's not a surprise that Davison is a higher value prospect than some others. Davison was a high two-star, but he was projected to be more of a role player than a star in college.
159. WR
Midfield, Ala., UAB
Jamarcus Nelson
Nelson was not ranked at his position or in Alabama in the Class of 2010. He was seen as a "sleeper" and committed to UAB with his three-star high school teammate Jamarious Crusoe. At UAB, he became a key contributor for the Blazers at both receiver and on special teams. He finished his UAB career as the all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 4,670. It is his special teams talents that might find him a home with the Dolphins. In 2014, he led the country with 38.3 yards per kickoff return, which is fifth-highest in NCAA history, he was the NCAA leader in kickoff return touchdowns with four and also was the national leader in combined kick return yardage.
Farrell's Take: This is an example of a prospect that might have sat on the bench at Alabama or Auburn but instead became a star at a smaller school. He was considered too small and too light to be a Power Five kid and he didn't get many looks at all despite a great high school career.
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Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
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