First Round Flashback

Today is the NFL draft, but not long ago the draft's stars were but pups fresh out of high school.  For a general idea of how well regarded each player was, I've consulted several Phil Steele College Football Preview magazines to get a "PS number" on the players in the first round.

The PS number is a consensus ranking of a prospect from several recruiting services.  It helps show how well regarded a player was out of high school relative to his peers by position and signing year.

1. JaMarcus Russell, LSU: PS# 4 quarterback
2. Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech: PS# 17 receiver
3. Joe Thomas, Wisconsin: PS# 12 offensive tackle
4. Gaines Adams, Clemson: PS# 113 tight end (Fork Union Military Academy)
5. Levi Brown, Penn State: PS# 47 defensive line
6. LaRon Landry, LSU: PS# 18 safety
7. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma: PS# 1 running back
8. Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas: PS# 76 wide receiver (!!!)
9. Ted Ginn, Jr., Ohio State: PS# 1 cornerback
10. Amobi Okoye, Louisville: PS# 397
11. Patrick Willis, Ole Miss: PS# 265 running back
12. Marshawn Lynch, California: PS# 23 running back
13. Adam Carriker, Nebraska: PS# 92 defensive line
14. Darrelle Revis, Pittsburgh: PS# 52 cornerback
15. Lawrence Timmons, Florida State: PS# 11 linebacker
16. Justin Harrell, Tennessee:PS# 52 defensive line
17. Jarviss Moss, Florida: PS# 3 linebacker
18. Leon Hall, Michigan: PS# 23 cornerback
19. Michael Griffin, Texas: PS# 20 safety
20. Aaron Ross, Texas: PS# 40 cornerback
21. Reggie Nelson, Florida: PS# 10 (JUCO)
22. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame: PS# 12 quarterback
23. Dwayne Bowe, LSU: PS# 62 receiver
    
24. Brandon Meriweather, Miami (FL): PS#26 safety
25. Jon Beason, Miami (FL):  PS# 24 defensive back
26. Anthony Spencer, Purdue: PS# 44 defensive line
27. Robert Meachem, Tennessee: PS# 5 receiver
28. Joe Staley, Central Michigan: PS# 178 tight end
29. Ben Grubbs, Auburn: PS# 132 defensive line
30. Craig Davis, LSU: PS# 30 receiver
31. Greg Olsen, Miami: PS# 1 tight end
32. Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio State: PS# 25 receiver

There you have it.  There's a few top at their position type guys who fulfilled expectation (Olsen, Ginn, Peterson) and a healthy mix of underrated players and overachievers.  Sometimes the scouting services just collectively whiff, as well.  I remember hearing about Joe Thomas years ago and that he was the best lineman in his class, yet he was only the 12th best at his position per the consensus.

Comments

[PB at BON]

Very cool post. Thanks for noting this.

[Mark]

Wow, that's amazing. It'd be interesting to do this over a few years to see how guys pan out. Of course, if (as I would expect) the 1st or 2nd round results show how much recruiting is a crapshoot, I expect the guys from Scout and Rivals would show up at your door in the middle of the night to have a little "chat." :)