How top stars in the NFL playoffs ranked as high school recruits

The NFL playoffs are here and the star players reveal once again that football recruiting is an inexact science. 

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was a five-star recruit and the top quarterback in the nation as a senior in Texas and Titans running Derrick Henry was a five-star standout and the country's No. 1 athlete at Yulee. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Bills quarterback Josh Allen didn't have any offers out of high school and went the junior college route. 

They weren't the only ones who went under the radar or bloomed later in their careers.

Here's a look at how one of the top offensive and defensive players for each of the 14 playoffs teams were rated as prep prospects.

AFC

Tennessee Titans

RB Derrick Henry

Henry was one of the premier recruits in the nation in the class of 2013 as a senior at Yulee. He was rated the No. 1 athlete in the nation and the No. 4 recruit in Florida on the 247Sports composite. Henry committed to Georgia before his junior year, but decommitted 11 months later and pledged to Alabama during his senior season. Henry won the Heisman Trophy and helped Alabama win the national title in 2015.

S Kevin Byard

The Titans lone Pro Bowl selection was not a highly sought-after recruit as a wide receiver from Martin Luther King Jr. (Lithonia, Georgia) in 2011. Byard was listed as a two-star recruit, the No. 205 receiver in the nation and the No. 117 overall senior in Georgia on the 247Sports composite. Byard played at Middle Tennessee State, which was the only school to offer.

Kansas City Chiefs

QB Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes was a three-sport star at Whitehouse High School (Texas), but he wasn’t exactly a major college football prospect. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 22 pro-style quarterback on the 247Sports composite. Mahomes’ other offers were Oklahoma State and Rice. The top two pro-style quarterbacks that year were Texas A&M signee Kyle Allen (currently with the Washington Football Team) and Florida signee Will Grier (Cowboys).

DT Chris Jones

Jones was one of the premier recruits in the nation in the Class of 2013. The Houston High School (Mississippi) grad was rated a five-star recruit and the No. 2 defensive end in the nation behind Robert Nkemdiche — the consensus No. 1 player in the nation. Jones signed with Mississippi State over Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn and Florida. 

Buffalo Bills

QB Josh Allen

Allen was unrated and had no major college offers as a senior at Firebaugh High School (California) in 2014. He spent one year at Reedley College and was the No. 5 ranked junior college prospect in the nation. Even then, the only two schools to offer were Eastern Michigan and Wyoming. He ended up being a Cowboy and the Bills drafted him seventh overall in 2018.

S Micah Hyde

Half of the Bills’ standout safety duo, Hyde primarily was a quarterback at Fostoria High School (Ohio). Hyde was ranked the No. 108 cornerback recruit and the No. 76 overall player in Ohio on the 247Sports composite in 2009. Hyde signed with Iowa over offers including Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo.

Cincinnati Bengals

QB Joe Burrow

The No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was one of the top 300 recruits in the nation on the 247Sports composite as a senior at Athens High School (Ohio) in 2015. A four-star recruit and the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the nation – Kyler Murray was No. 1 and Sam Darnold was No. 5 – Burrow’s offers included Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky, Ohio State and West Virginia. He signed with Ohio State before transferring to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship.

DE Trey Hendrickson

The first-time Pro Bowl selection helped Apopka win the 2012 state championship as a senior but had little interest from major programs. Hendrickson was ranked the No. 307 recruit in the state and the No. 101 weakside defensive end in the nation on the 247Sports composite in 2013. The two-star recruit signed with FAU over offers from New Mexico and Western Kentucky.

Las Vegas Raiders

QB Derek Carr

Carr’s older brother, David, was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, but that didn’t translate to a ton of offers. Derek Carr was ranked a three-star recruit and the No. 29 pro-style quarterback by Rivals as a senior at Bakersfield Christian (California) in 2009. He followed in David’s footsteps by going to Fresno State over offers from Southern Methodist and Utah.

DE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders defensive captain and Pro Bowl selection had almost no interest from colleges as senior at Colleyville Heritage (Texas) in 2015. Crosby was ranked the No. 152 strongside defensive end and the No. 464 recruit in Texas on the 247Sports composite. Crosby signed with Eastern Michigan, which was the only school to offer.

New England Patriots

RB Damien Harris

Harris, who tied for second in the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns, was one of the premier recruits in the nation as a senior at Madison Southern (Kentucky) in 2015. He was the No. 1 running back in the nation – ahead of Ronald Jones II (No. 4) and Saquon Barkley (No 13) and the No. 31 overall player on the 247Sports composite. Harris picked Alabama over Kentucky, Ohio State, Michigan and others.

CB J.C. Jackson

Jackson emerged as one of the premier defensive backs and earned his first Pro Bowl selection this fall. He was a four-star wide receiver and rated the No. 21 recruit in the state on the 247Sports composite as a senior at Immokalee in 2014. Jackson signed with Florida but wound up at Riverside College after being acquitted of robbery and related charges in 2015. He wound up at Maryland in 2016 and signed with the Patriots as an undefeated free agent in 2018.

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben only had one year as a starting quarterback at Findlay High School (Ohio) because his coach thought the team was better with the 6-foot-5 prep star at wide receiver during his sophomore and junior years. Colleges liked his size — Ohio State was interested in him as a tight end — but Roethlisberger wanted to play quarterback. He went to Miami (Ohio) and won MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. 

DE/LB TJ Watt

Watt, who tied the NFL record for most sacks in a season with 22.5, was a three-star athlete coming out of Pewaukee High School (Wisconsin) in 2013. Watt was the No. 65 athlete in the nation and the No. 942 overall player on the 247Sports composite. He signed with Wisconsin – the same school where his older brother J.J. famously walked-on – over offers from Minnesota and Northern Illinois.

NFC

Green Bay Packers

QB Aaron Rodgers

The three-time NFL MVP was considered too small as a senior at Pleasant Valley High School (California) in 2002 to be a major college recruit. After a year at Butte Community College and a late growth spurt to 6-2, 195 pounds, Rodgers was ranked the No. 2 pro-style, junior college quarterback in the nation and signed with Cal. 

DL Kenny Clark

The Pro Bowl nose tackle was a highly rated recruit out of Wilmer Amina Carter High School (California) in 2013. Clark was ranked the No. 23 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 33 overall player in California on the 247Sports composite. He picked UCLA over Arizona State, Cal, Miami, Nebraska, Washington and others.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB Tom Brady

Brady was a multi-sport star at Junipero Serra High School (California). After his family sent out VHS highlight tapes to more than 50 schools, Brady had offers from Cal, UCLA, USC, Michigan and Illinois. He opted for football at Michigan over a baseball career (the Montreal Expos selected Brady as a catcher in 1995).

LB Devin White

The Buccaneers' leading tackler the past two seasons was a 6-foot, 258-pound dynamo as a senior at North Webster High School (Louisiana) and considered one of the top running backs in the nation. White was ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 5 running back on the 247Sports Composite in 2016. He signed with LSU, who listed him as a defensive lineman, over Arkansas, Florida State and others.

Dallas Cowboys

QB Dak Prescott

Prescott, who broke the Cowboys single-season touchdown record last week, was a three-star recruit at Haughton High School (Louisiana) in 2011. He was ranked the No. 20 dual-threat quarterback in the nation – Teddy Bridgewater was No. 5, Johnny Manziel was No. 13 and Marcus Mariota was No. 18 – and the No. 23 recruit in Louisiana on the 247Sports composite. He picked Mississippi State over LSU.

LB Micah Parsons

A Pro Bowl selection and odds-on favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Parsons was one of the premier recruits in the nation as a senior at Harrisburg High School in Pennsylvania. Listed as a defensive end, Parsons was the consensus No. 1 player in the state and the No. 2 defensive end in the nation on the 247Sports composite. He committed to Penn State in 2016, decommitted in 2017 but ultimately signed with the Nittany Lions on National Signing Day. 

Los Angeles Rams

WR Cooper Kupp

The NFL’s receiving triple crown winner was not a major recruit as a senior at Davis High School (Washington). Kupp was a first-team all-state defensive back and received honorable mention as a wide receiver in 2011 but was not even considered a one-star player by any major recruiting service. He picked Eastern Washington over Idaho State.

DT Aaron Donald

Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, had just four offers as a senior at Penn Hills High School (Pennsylvania) in 2010. Rivals rated Donald as a three-star recruit, the No. 14 recruit in the state and the No. 37 overall defensive tackle in the nation. Donald signed with hometown Pitt over offers from Rutgers, Akron and Toledo.

Arizona Cardinals

QB Kyler Murray

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was a five-star recruit as a senior at Allen (Texas) in 2015. Murray was the No. 5 overall recruit in the state and the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation on the 247Sports composite rankings. Murray signed with Texas A&M over Oklahoma. He transferred to Oklahoma after his freshman season and won the Heisman Trophy in 2018.

DE/LB Chandler Jones

Jones, who recently was selected for his fourth Pro Bowl, was not a heavily recruited tight end as a senior at Union-Endicott High School (N.Y.) in 2008. Rated a two-star recruit by Rivals and the No. 8 recruit in New York by Scout, Jones signed with Syracuse. After not playing as a freshman, Jones was moved to defense in 2009.

San Francisco 49ers

WR Deebo Samuel

A first-time Pro Bowl selection, Samuel was a three-star recruit as a senior at Chapman High School (S.C.) in 2014. He was the No. 23 overall recruit in South Carolina and the No. 112 wide receiver in the nation on the 247Sports composite. Samuel picked South Carolina over Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Vanderbilt and others.

DE Nick Bosa

The Pro Bowl pass rusher was one of the premier recruits in the nation as a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2016. Bosa was ranked as the No. 1 strongside defensive end, the No. 2 recruit in Florida and the No. 8 overall recruit in the country on the 247Sports composite. He picked Ohio State over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame and others.  

Philadelphia Eagles

C Jason Kelce

The five-time Pro Bowl selection played running back and inside linebacker as a senior at Cleveland Heights High School (Ohio) in 2006. Kelce did not receive any college offers and chose to walk-on at Cincinnati as a running back. He eventually switched to fullback and ultimately to the offensive line.

CB Darius Slay

The Pro Bowl defensive back was a three-star athlete and a three-star recruit as a senior at Brunswick (Georgia) in 2009. Slay attended Itawamba Community College and received offers from several SEC programs, including Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee. He signed with Mississippi State in 2011.