The football season is around the corner and during the summer NFL.com releases its top 100 list for the upcoming season. Years ago, all these players were ranked and went through the recruiting process. We take a look back on how those things played out.
THIS SERIES: Nos. 81-100
No. 80 Sam LaPorta
Iowa offered after a huge senior season where LaPorta caught 68 passes for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns at Highland, Ill., and about a week later he was committed to the Hawkeyes. A bunch of MAC programs were the only other ones involved.
In his final two seasons in Iowa City, LaPorta caught 111 passes for 1,327 yards and then was an early second-round draft pick in 2023 by the Detroit Lions.
*****
No. 79 Minkah Fitzpatrick
There was a long list of programs involved with Fitzpatrick, including Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State and many others, but during his trip to Alabama’s spring game, the five-star safety committed to the Crimson Tide.
Fitzpatrick totaled 171 tackles, nine interceptions and five sacks in Tuscaloosa before going No. 11 overall in the 2018 draft to the Miami Dolphins. Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fitzpatrick has 512 career tackles and 19 INTs.
*****
No. 78 Kyren Williams
Notre Dame beat out Michigan, Missouri and others for Williams, who was a high three-star athlete but there were size concerns coming out of St. Louis (Mo.) St. John Vianney.
In his final two seasons at Notre Dame, Williams totaled 2,127 yards with 27 touchdowns before becoming a fifth-round NFL Draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams.
*****
No. 77 Trey Hendrickson
Ranked as a two-star tight end coming out of Apopka, Fla., at 222 pounds, Hendrickson picked Florida Atlantic over Western Kentucky and Florida A&M. After a strong career at FAU and developing into a 270-pound defensive end, Hendrickson was a third-round pick in 2017.
He’s totaled 174 tackles and 59.5 sacks during his time with the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals.
*****
No. 76 Dre Greenlaw
After decommitting from Arkansas State where his father coached the defensive line, Greenlaw committed to Arkansas and then-coach Bret Bielema. The Fayetteville, Ark., standout was rated as a high three-star safety but he also played some linebacker.
After finishing with 321 tackles for the Razorbacks, Greenlaw was a fifth-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 draft. He has 446 career tackles.
*****
No. 75 Justin Herbert
After not playing his junior season because of injury, Herbert had offers from Montana State, Northern Arizona and Portland State before Oregon got involved late. It was a dream for the Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon three-star quarterback to play for the Ducks and he made the most of it by throwing for 10,541 yards with 95 touchdowns and rushing for 13 more.
Herbert was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft and the third QB taken after Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.
*****
No. 74 Jessie Bates
A former Toledo commit, in early February right before signing day the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider two-star safety flipped to Wake Forest. After a great career with the Demon Deacons, Bates was a second-round draft pick in the 2018 draft.
So far mainly with the Cincinnati Bengals and last season with the Atlanta Falcons, Bates has 611 tackles and 20 interceptions.
*****
No. 73 Jeffery Simmons
A five-star prospect who was the top-ranked strong-side defensive end in the 2016 class, Simmons chose Mississippi State over Ole Miss and Alabama. Simmons played very well in Starkville with 163 tackles but only seven sacks in three seasons.
The No. 19 pick in the 2019 draft, Simmons has played his whole career with the Tennessee Titans where he has 26.5 sacks.
*****
No. 72 Garrett Wilson
Wilson is one that will haunt us because we pretty much had his ranking perfect at No. 32 nationally but that recruiting cycle we named only 30 five-star prospects. Wilson chose Ohio State over Texas as he played high school football in Austin but grew up outside Columbus.
He was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 draft and he’s had more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons with the New York Jets.
*****
No. 71 Laremy Tunsil
The top-ranked offensive tackle and No. 14 overall prospect in the 2013 recruiting class, Alabama and Georgia led his recruitment for months but a final visit to Ole Miss sold the Lake City (Fla.) Columbia five-star on the Rebels and then-coach Hugh Freeze. He starred at Ole Miss until accusations of improper benefits sidelined him for seven games in his junior season.
Tunsil was still projected as a possible No. 1 overall draft pick but minutes before the event started, a video leaked of him wearing a gas mask and smoking from a bong. Tunsil dropped to No. 13 overall but is still one of the best offensive tackles in the league as a four-time Pro Bowler.
*****
No. 70 Amari Cooper
Alabama beat out Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and West Virginia for the high four-star receiver from Miami (Fla.) Northwestern. After a huge 2014 season in Tuscaloosa where Cooper caught 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, he was the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Cooper has more than 9,400 career receiving yards and 60 touchdowns.
*****
No. 69 Cooper Kupp
Kupp is one of the biggest misses in at least a decade at Rivals and he was also one of the biggest recruiting misses by every coach across the country. The Yakima (Wash.) AC Davis unranked receiver didn’t land any offers until after his senior season and they came from Eastern Washington and Idaho State.
In college, Kupp caught 428 passes for 6,464 yards and 73 touchdowns before getting picked in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams. He’s now a Super Bowl champion, the Super Bowl MVP and one of the best receivers in the league.
*****
No. 68 Danielle Hunter
Missouri was the early leader but then LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas and others got involved and the four-star defensive end from Katy (Texas) Morton Ranch picked LSU in the summer before his senior season.
Hunter finished with 90 tackles but only 4.5 sacks in Baton Rouge before being a third-round pick in the 2015 draft. In eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Hunter has registered 462 tackles and 87.5 sacks.
*****
No. 67 Terron Armstead
Armstead does not even have a Rivals profile as the Miami Dolphins offensive lineman played his college football at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He was all-SWAC his final three seasons and then ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest time for an offensive lineman since the event began in 1982.
He was a third-round pick in 2013 and has been a five-time Pro Bowler.
*****
No. 66 Brandon Aiyuk
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.
The two-star was a late first-round NFL Draft pick and he has 27 total touchdowns during his career with the San Francisco 49ers.
*****
No. 65 Jordan Poyer
A two-star cornerback from Astoria, Ore., Poyer committed to Oregon State over offers from Eastern Washington, Idaho and Portland State. He played offense, defense and special teams for the Beavers and then became a seventh-round pick in the 2013 draft.
In a pro career that’s spanned more than a decade, Poyer has totaled 806 tackles and 24 INTs.
*****
No. 64 Patrick Queen
When the Livonia, La., linebacker showed up to LSU’s junior day, then-coach Les Miles offered Queen and he committed to the Tigers on the spot. Indiana and Nebraska were the only other Power Five offers Queen had and he had a great career in Baton Rouge before being a later first-round pick.
He’s played for the Baltimore Ravens for four seasons and has 454 tackles and 13.5 sacks.
*****
No. 63 Jaylen Waddle
Alabama beat Texas A&M and many others for Waddle, who earned his five-star ranking after proving to be too fast and too talented at the Army All-American Bowl. With the Crimson Tide, Waddle caught 106 passes for 1,999 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons before being the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Waddle has more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
*****
No. 62 Bradley Chubb
In the summer prior to his senior season, Chubb selected NC State over Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Mississippi State, West Virginia and others. Chubb, who had visited NC State weeks before his decision, committed to the Wolfpack on his birthday.
In four seasons at NC State, Chubb had 25 sacks and then was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft. The former three-star has 39.5 career sacks.
*****
No. 61 Justin Madubuike
Early in his senior season, Madubuike committed to Texas A&M over Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and many others. The four-star defensive end from McKinney (Texas) North totaled 105 tackles and 11 sacks in College Station.
Madubuike was a third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens and he has 153 tackles and 21.5 career sacks.
