nfl players who were small in high school

He opted out in 2020, but was still able to slide in as the last pick of the first round. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, had a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump. He was so low on the depth chart at Michigan at one point that he considered transferring. Bagent's parents are both Shepherd grads. (formerly Lee) High School. For Cordell Volson, a spectacular Bison lineman, it's a similar story. Because of his 40-yard dash time, Strong went from being just another good FCS prospect to being considered among the best at the combine. Virginia Tech was the second school to offer him a scholarship, doing so just a day after Wake Forest. But, you know, I always feel like I always have something to prove, even if I am a lot better than a lot of these dudes in front of me." I believe we will hear this name in the near future as the newest NFL success. "Here I was in the Tennessee weight room, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. There were then whispers that the Dallas Cowboys did not see him as a future franchise quarterback when he was on the team's roster. But after the Tigers moved on from head coach Barry Odom in favor of Eliah Drinkwitz, meaning Miller would have his third different position coach, he felt his time in Columbia was up. He has played in four Pro Bowls and has nearly 8,500 career receiving yards. Each story from each five-star recruit to players without an FBS offer is unique. Or he can run a 20 yard pattern and catch a deep pass, acting as a receiver. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Mac Jones initially committed to Kentucky in July of 2015. In an age when online recruiting profiles often detail how future NFL or NBA players were underhyped coming out of high school, there is a common storyline. 10 and No. The Houston native was ranked by Rivals as the No. The Jets clearly valued his skillset, so they traded up and grabbed him at No. He has stayed with the Colts ever since. These are the stories of players who toiled away from the bright lights, but through hard work and dedication still attracted the attention of NFL scouts and are hoping to hear their names called during the 2023 NFL draft on April 27-29 (coverage begins at 8 p.m. After a four-year career at UM, Paye ended up as a first-round pick in the 2021 draft. Now a mini sensation, Sproles started to get the attention of every team in the NFL. During the summer of 2016, Wilson gave a verbal commitment to Boise State. But those who know Kraft, and especially Kraft himself, will tell you that he does his best work where there is work that must be done. Despite not playing linebacker before college, he led PSU in tackles as a freshman and became an All-American as a sophomore. Strong said he thinks building his career up from a smaller program has helped fuel the work ethic that pushed him to this point, with the beginning of his NFL career on the horizon. 1 dual-threat quarterback. His playing days could have ended at the College of Charleston when he failed to make the college team, but Gardner instead campaigned for an opportunity to practice with the squad. Rivals rating: 2 stars, not in Rivals 250. "Not being from a Power 5, you're going to be an underdog no matter what, no matter the things that you've done," Miller said. By 2001, he was in a starting role. A month later, the Georgia native signed with South Carolina in the early signing period. But what if you're a heptathlete in the Ivy League? After going through a couple of seasons involving limited playing time with Buffalo and Baltimore, Strong Safety Jim Leonhard decided it was time to go somewhere where they would start him for his ability and forget about his size. "I've always had the aspirations to play at the next level," said Elliss, one of 12 children in the family, including eight his parents adopted. Probably the least known player on the list, but a great player nonetheless. How did Tyson Bagent end up at Division II Shepherd? Big 12 schools like Baylor and Oklahoma showed interest in Slater, but never offered him a scholarship. He signed and is now practicing with his new team. He notably did not register a single sack in 2020, but the Ravens looked past the stats and saw the freakish athleticism. NFL Coaches. I just can't wait to show it." After sorting through dozens of offers, Sewell whittled his choices down to four: Alabama, Oregon, USC and Utah. You may not know that Brady's difficulties go all the way back to his high school days. New Orleans Saints: EDGE Samuel M'Pemba, IMG. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Turner proved to be a steal for the Cougars. Nick Fairley is an NFL defensive tackle, most recently with the New Orleans Saints. 36 offensive guard. Other than his hometown team, Turner's only other listed offers on Rivals were Alcorn State, Army, Brown, Cornell and Texas Southern. But, every once in a while a few small guys will come into the NFL and wreak a little havoc. A life philosophy forged from playing nine-man high school football in Timberlake, South Dakota, population 509, and spending every Friday night playing quarterback, running back, linebacker and punter. Others had to scratch and claw just to receive a college scholarship. That's a mindset formed from being the youngest of three boys, where every ball in the yard and biscuit on the table represented a battle of brothers. Recording great stats, he eventually moved up to become the team's top receiver. But a string of injuries ended up cutting his time in Westwood short. 59 wide receiver. "As far as dedication-wise, sacrifice-wise, anything you can name that you see in a football player that actually wants to get where he wants to be, that's me. Team analysis | Scouting reports ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App). He found this with the New York Jets. Glossary, Stat Minimums, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football. ended up attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he played multiple sports. "The first thing with him is that he has feet like a corner who is 5-10 and he has hips that are just like that," said Fayetteville State assistant head coach James Lott, a four-year starter for Clemson from 1985-89. Just being able to play football was the only thing that mattered to me.". 2018 position ranking: No. He is an all-around great player, and his only flaw is being undersized. "My motor is always running because I don't know how else to do it but work," Kraft said shortly before he returned to the South Dakota State lineup this past midseason. Bateman made an immediate impact, catching 51 passes for 704 yards and six TDs as a freshman. Where every 2021 NFL first-round pick ranked as a high school recruit. Some of the entries were high-profile high-schoolers. college players are selected. Now he is off to Jacksonville as the No. In the 2005 NFL Draft, Sproles was drafted in the fourth round by Chargers. Iosivas said he felt like the path he took was much more difficult than most, and it has formed who he is. The big men dominate and conquer. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 1:16. Detroit (MI) produced the third-most players (16) in 2022 followed by Tampa (FL) with 15 players. This past season, Miller had 40 solo tackles, two sacks and four forced fumbles en route to being named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. But I embrace that. Williams saw his entire 2020 season wiped out due to COVID, so while he kept working out, there was ground to be made up from a technical standpoint. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? "It's not much talking," he said. Oweh racked up dozens of offers but eventually whittled his choices down to two Big Ten East schools: Ohio State and Penn State. . Well before he was the best rebounder in the NBA and a charismatic and controversial figure who should maybe give more thought to the heads of state he hangs out with during his free time, Dennis Rodman was undersized and even rejected by basketball and football teams. It turns out that reps and practice time are really worth so much when the individual involved has the natural gifts and abilities to be one of the best pass-rushers in NFL history. He understands how to read quarterbacks and make the play. He is now one reason that college football coaches watch basketball tape to locate wide receivers and tight ends. "We ate decently too. Winfield became well known for his bone crushing tackles on the field. Minnesota brought Bateman, a four-star recruit out of Georgia, up to the Twin Cities in the class of 2018. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. They will outrun, jump over, and maybe even beat down the larger opponents. A month later, he picked the Hokies and stuck with that commitment even after several other Power Five offers came in. But most people forget to imagine how small this receiver really is. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. He jokes now that even as a lifelong Tennessee Volunteers fan who never missed a home game as a kid, the only way he could get on campus as a recruit was to tag along with a high school teammate. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5): Cameron Brate (Harvard), Aaron Stinnie (James Madison), Josh Wells (James Madison), Chris Cooper (Stony Brook), Cam Gill (Wagner) Gary Putnik has worked at the FSView . So, in 2007, Welker signed with the New England Patriots. At 5'5", Holliday is the smallest player in the NFL. Data Provided By Later on, though, Paye would attract more attention. Not every Michigan player drafted this year was a star coming out of high school. ABC News. But a Miami offense in shambles did not give Welker the support to play to his full potential. His physical traits are thrilling, and he has NFL in his blood: His father, Tim, spent five seasons in the league, while brother Tre had a cup of coffee with the Miami Dolphins. 2018 position ranking: No. Anything. He was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. We decided to go back and look at how all 32 were perceived as high school recruits. One of those schools was Alabama. "When we were recruiting Tyson," McCook said, "we felt he could be a four-year starter for us. At that point (December 2016), Fields was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals. He caught the national title-winning touchdown as a freshman and won the Heisman Trophy and another national title as a senior. "I felt all along that I could play with anybody," said Strange, a five-year starter at Chattanooga and first-team FCS All-American as a senior. After nearly a year as a BC commit, Paye received a late offer from Michigan and it was too much to pass up. He is the best little man in the game today. The vast majority of us have lost the genetic lottery that would have made us good football players. "I remember watching my dad play, and I remember him coming out of the tunnel and that made me at that moment want to be like him and get there. 2017 position ranking: No. There were 19 players each from Houston (TX) and Miami (FL) high schools on Kickoff Weekend rosters, tied for the most of any city. Jaelan Phillips was one of the top-rated recruits in the entire nation when he signed with UCLA in the class of 2017. In his final season at South Dakota State, Strong rushed for 1,686 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 7.0 yards per carry. "Once he heard about me, he reached out to me so that's just how it happened," Strong said. Gardner had great speed right out of high school, but he was not recruited by schools. Given the way he finishes blocks and just about everything else, nobody's betting against him. One of the top strong safeties in the game today, Bob Sanders dominates on the football field. However, South Dakota State's running backs coach at the time, John Johnson, had heard of Strong because he also is from Arkansas. When healthy, Sanders has been one of the fastest and toughest defenders on the football field with an amazing field presence. "I just had to do something.". He was all set to go to Air Force before deciding that Colorado was farther away from home than he wanted to be as a 17-year-old. Tracking fifth-year options for 2020 first-rounders: Which were picked up, and which were declined? "I knew when I first saw him that if there was anything he wanted to do, he could. 2017 position ranking: No. The school was real and so was Green's talent, and he became one of the best defensive players to ever play for the Washington Redskins and also an ageless wonder who remained a superstar late into his career. It is a good thing his coaches obliged because Gardner became a star of the team. He measured 6-6 and 315 pounds, and despite his length, he was an absolute mauler in the run game. Can street race king Perez challenge Verstappen for the title? Some were lower-rated players that got a great education and the coaching staff helped mold them into a star in college and an NFL player now. He placed in national track competitions. Not too many people who are running backs run 4.3s, so I've got to make myself stand out even more. Even so, the word was out last summer among NFL scouts that Williams was someone worth checking in on. Tebow reportedly working out at TE with Jags, Harris apparently had three plane tickets with him during that trip. The Philadelphia Phillies did not let Howard get past the club in the 2001 draft and Howard repaid the team with multiple noteworthy years, including one that saw Howard win the National League Most Valuable Player award. Tyson Bagent's 24-yard TD pass to Josh Gontarek with 1.9 seconds left in the game lifts Shepherd to a 38-34 win over Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA D2 playoffs. Predicting the quarterbacks every move, he knows when to use his speed to make a move on the ball. Leatherwood ended up as the No. He's 6-foot-3, 213 pounds -- he's not an undersized quarterback. In June 2016, Jones flipped his commitment to the Crimson Tide, becoming the second QB in Bamas 2017 class (alongside a guy named Tua Tagovailoa who you may be familiar with). The Ravens realized his potential though. In other words, the lure of the transfer portal was never really a lure in his eyes. But he also brings a predictable unknown to the table when it comes to pass blocking. "No one is going to outgrind Tucker Kraft.". "We had played for a Division II national championship in 2015, and I really believe that it came down to him having a chance to play in front of his family and friends." The Jaguars announced they were adding 10 undrafted free agents to their 90-man roster. The NFL released its initial 53-man roster of 20 former Iowa high school football players. "You know, I think there was a bias against the outside schools recruiting West Virginia players," Shepherd coach Ernie McCook said. The rumors swirled all the way up to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, and Harris apparently had three plane tickets with him during that trip: one to Alabama, one to Michigan and another back home to California. Listed at just 5-9 as a high school sophomore, he saw recruiting attention go primarily to more physically impressive teammates -- including former Indiana star Whop Philyor -- at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. He started out in the nursing program before realizing that some of his classes and shift rotations would interfere with football practice. While the percepti. He took some snaps at QB early in his UF career, before settling in as an offensive weapon and later on as a receiver. 3 state in the country that sends players to the next level. But touchdowns were stolen by McGahee and McClain. In 2009, he attained 1,348 yards in only 13 games. Just imagine that the ultimate bad boy of the NBA could have been just some short guy who wasn't able to make it. XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. The 2023 NFL Draft has arrived! FBS schools like Air Force, Boise State and Northern Illinois all gave Lance a look as a quarterback, but many Power Five programs wanted Lance to switch positions. 4 overall. And a handful of those players have North Texas ties, whether they played here in high school or . His dad and former position coach, Luther Elliss, described it as a "flash in the pan of a college career" that included overcoming a torn ACL and MCL in 2019. Kiper ESPN+ recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 Nope. In 2021, he caught 65 passes for 773 yards and six touchdowns, and was named to a pile of FCS All-American teams, but only in part because of those receiving stats. "When I first got into coaching 30-plus years ago, I remember recruiting a high school player, and the high school coach telling me he's a 'one in 10' -- a kid that you only get to coach one of these every 10 years," McCook said. In his nine NFL seasons, Smith has recorded over 1,000 offensive yards six times. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Aaron Rodgers, Pleasant Valley (Chico, Calif.) Green Bay Packers. "That really shows a lot about his character, his resolve, his grit.". Former Idaho defensive tackle Noah Elliss is poised to follow his father's footsteps to the NFL, and he's nearing his lifelong dream despite having played only 11 collegiate games. . As a 245-pound defensive end/linebacker coming out of Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, Strange flew under the radar during the recruiting process. 2017 position ranking: No. ", Miller said the biggest thing he got out of Jackson State and Sanders was "playing for a coach who's a pro. He knew that once his opportunity came, he needed to stand out with his performance because of where he was coming from. Or a quarterback in Division II? Some were rated by Rivals.com among the nations most elite prospects. "I just chose to go to Mizzou just because I thought that's what the best competition was," Miller said, referring to playing in the SEC. Bagent was invited to the NFL combine and projects as a late-round pick, somewhere between the No. He has gone to two Pro Bowls in the previous two seasons. Though still a young player at 29, he can still make up for those missed years. "It was a game that I was just thinking like, 'Yeah, this is that game that put me on,'" he said. Active Coaches: Bill Belichick, . A month later, Etienne committed to Clemson. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. In his final season at Princeton, Iosivas had 66 catches for 943 yards and seven touchdowns. He jumped in for a few offensive plays here and there, but he mainly stayed on special teams. Michigan football had the second-most players (9) drafted in the 2023 NFL draft. He ended his career as one of the most celebrated players ever for a celebrated small-school program. In the months that followed, Fields rocketed up the rankings all the way to No. Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles; We're Social.for Statheads. Joe Flacco, Deleware. He is an experienced eleven year veteran who still has huge hits left in him. Jimmy Graham is a unique instance of an elite athlete not being noticed in high school because nobody could have guessed, at the time, that he would develop into the best tight end in the NFL. Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports. "I know that I have to work a little extra just to get to where I want to go," he said. The University of Minnesota, in fact, was recruiting Lance as an athlete. Then in 2004, Winfield went on to join one of the top defenses in the league, the Minnesota Vikings, where his career took off. He tries to hurt you," Wright said. . But he missed the entire 2006 season due to an ankle injury, and he fell off the radar again. Most people like cheering for the underdog. A 2 time Pro Bowler, defensive player of the year, and Superbowl champion, Sanders has many accolades to prove his success in the NFL. Even though he has had a very large number of injuries, Sanders has still managed to succeed. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. -- Bill Connelly, Four small-school NFL draft prospects you should know for 2023, Nikola Jokic dominates Suns as Nuggets go up 2-0, Devils blank Rangers for 1st series win since 2012, Serena announces she's pregnant with 2nd child, Snoop Dogg joins Sparks' bid to buy Senators, LeBron 'locked in' as rivalry with Steph resumes, Harper ready: 'Body has been very good to me', Jets bolster OT group by signing veteran Turner, Ohio halts betting on Alabama baseball games, Calipari thanks Bryants for package honoring Gigi, 'This is probably his best shot': Why the time is now for Harden and the 76ers. That's not the only commitment Strange has made to Chattanooga. He was listed at 242 pounds in high school and chose to follow his brother Tanner to NDSU over offers from Wyoming and in-state rival North Dakota, where he could have starred opposite another 2022 draft prospect, tackle Matt Waletzko. -- Harry Lyles Jr. Elliss said he consulted an online program based in California to help strengthen his knee, and while most FBS teams have a full-time nutritionist, Elliss said most of the dietary monitoring during that time was on him. Coming out of tiny Hominy, Oklahoma, Zaven Collins played quarterback and safety for his high school team. "[Insert player] was only a two-star prospect. The only problem is Sanders has never played a full season in his career. Even though Romo has gone on to break multiple franchise records, he receives criticism because of the fact that he has never won a championship and also because he has made costly mistakes late in seasons. Jordy Nelson was a productive high school quarterback athletic enough to excel at other sports. Every NFL team passed on Owens several times, as he fell to the third round before the San Francisco 49ers took a flier on him. Smith is an extremely versatile player with great speed and amazing hands. It is, in fact, routinely reported that only percent of the players who feature in the highest division of college football were, out of high school, deemed to be five-star recruits. Just behind Lawrence in the 2018 rankings was Justin Fields, another Georgia native. He started in 2019 and the 2021 spring season, and took advantage of the extra year of eligibility allotted to all 2020-21 athletes by starring again as a super senior this past fall. During his time in uniform with the Trojans, Vera-Tucker showed his versatility by starting games at both guard and tackle. Winfield became apt at creating turnovers and bringing pressure to the quarterback. Relationships, though, outweighed the brand names, and when former defensive line coach Brian Baker left Mississippi State for Alabama, Elliss chose to join his dad at Idaho. Newman Lowrance2012. Alabama and Georgia had 10 each. Smith is a nine year veteran that still has a lot of gas left in his tank. Caleb Farley was a high school quarterback who committed to Virginia Tech as a wide receiver.
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