nfl players who were small in high school nfl players who were small in high school

He knew that once his opportunity came, he needed to stand out with his performance because of where he was coming from. He has slightly below 4,000 kick/punt return yards in his career. Now teams are designing game plans just to stop him. He started out in the nursing program before realizing that some of his classes and shift rotations would interfere with football practice. Winfield became well known for his bone crushing tackles on the field. Both schools have players scattered throughout pro football, but even still, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end stands tall and stands out. His best season was in 2007 when he recorded 96 tackles and multiple turnovers. Anudike-Uzomah, who . Or he can run a 20 yard pattern and catch a deep pass, acting as a receiver. The NFL is a big man's league. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. He views himself as a three-down back with great hands who can run with power or take it the distance -- a "home-run hitter," as he describes it -- comparing himself to Alvin Kamara. "He fits. Tracking fifth-year options for 2020 first-rounders: Which were picked up, and which were declined? He committed to Florida with Georgia and Virginia Tech as his other finalists. Each story from each five-star recruit to guys with just one FBS offer is unique. And in 2017, seven players from area high schools were taken. 175 pounds is a very low weight for receivers in the NFL today. The Utes, with a commitment from another QB in the class of 2018, never offered Wilson a scholarship. "He's one of those guys that doesn't just try to block you. Sproles absolutely exploded against the Colts, running for two touchdowns, one being the game winner. Big 12 schools like Baylor and Oklahoma showed interest in Slater, but never offered him a scholarship. "I think he understood that, 'Hey, I'm from Fayetteville State University, but I'm here with all these other guys and I'm competitive.'". Backup Linemen: OT Charles Leno, Bears (6' 3", 306 pounds), G/C David Andrews, Patriots (6' 3", 306 pounds) Both are quality starters. Of course, because of these physical advantages, Watson probably hasn't been tested much when it comes to things like route precision and his ability to catch contested balls. Caleb Farley was a high school quarterback who committed to Virginia Tech as a wide receiver. Slater quickly moved into the starting lineup for the Wildcats and ended up starting 37 games in his career 26 at right tackle and 11 at left tackle. The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Strange has also showcased his versatility, as he worked at center during Senior Bowl week after playing left guard for most of his college career. He receives the play call and then explains the play to the rest of the group. 2017 position ranking: No. "He's not stopping until he's blocking guys underneath the bleachers." Some, such as Cole Strange, Christian Watson and Pierre Strong Jr., wowed observers at the NFL combine. There arent many top-tier recruits that come out of Rhode Island, and Kwity Paye was quick to pounce on a Power Five offer when he received one. 1 overall ranking by Rivals.com in the class of 2018, Lawrence was recruited by the top programs around the country and ended up committing to Clemson over in-state Georgia late in his junior year. Virginia Tech was the second school to offer him a scholarship, doing so just a day after Wake Forest. And he still accomplishes the same feats today, six years later. His size isn't a problem -- by comparison, Georgia's Jordan Davis is listed at 6-6, 340. 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Area high school graduates selected on final day of NFL draft. For Horn, his father is Joe Horn, the former New Orleans Saints receiver. 1 overall prospects, who were drafted back-to-back. Pick, Pos., Player, NFL team . 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. You know Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt as maybe the best defensive player in the NFL and a superstar who has cashed in on a massive contract and on numerous endorsement deals. He was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. There were 19 players each from Houston (TX) and Miami (FL) high schools on Kickoff Weekend rosters, tied for the most of any city. A total of 247 high schools contributed to the 262 players selected in the seven rounds of the April 28-30 Draft, the most different schools represented since 2016 (247 schools). -- Chris Low. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, had a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump. JaMarr Chases recruitment went all the way to national signing day in 2018. He had to battle through these doubts and prove himself. Power Five schools like Cal, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon State and Syracuse all offered Wilson, but none prioritized him like BYU did at that point in the process. They will outrun, jump over, and maybe even beat down the larger opponents. Perhaps the smallest receiver in NFL history to be so dangerous, fast, and hot-tempered at the same time, Smith has defenses guessing and arguing over defending him week after week. . Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The son of longtime NFL CB Patrick Surtain, Patrick Surtain II earned a five-star billing from Rivals, who tabbed him as the top cornerback in the country. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Can street race king Perez challenge Verstappen for the title? He should have had his pick of colleges from the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and many others, right? "No one has ever given me anything or honestly expected much from me because of where I've come from. By his sophomore year, Leatherwood was a starter. Ultimately, Chase opted to stay local by signing with LSU. 8 8. You apparently also cannot teach that a defensive back with blinding speed can be molded into one of the best to ever play the position. Before they were selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night, the 32 players who heard their name called were high schoolers with a dream. 2017 position ranking: No. Toney ended his recruitment before his senior season by choosing Florida before even stepping foot on campus. He was mainly an unbelievable kick/punt returner who started to get noticed for his ability. -- Bill Connelly. He signed and is now practicing with his new team. A dominant season followed, setting him up with options. He has over 5,000 kick return yards, 900 rushing yards, 900 receiving yards, and 1,000 punt return yards through a four season career. Active Coaches: Bill Belichick, . We want that Cinderella story of the small guy defeating his huge, mean nemesis. He is an all-around great player, and his only flaw is being undersized. Get better soon, Jordy. 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At 5'5", Holliday is the smallest player in the NFL. Life is funny, sometimes. All of that is what made Kraft, then a freshman, call home from SDSU, where he'd been redshirted by one of the two schools above Division II to even bother giving him a look, and declare to his mom that one day he was going to play in the NFL. Hailing from Oakland, Alijah Vera-Tucker decided to head south to Los Angeles for his college football career. The Ravens realized his potential though. The loss ended a 7-3 campaign for McCook's Rams, who missed the Division II playoffs for the first time in four years. In the last two NFL seasons, he has played a total of eight. "I just want to show everyone -- I mean, even when I was at the combine, the Senior Bowl, I'm like, 'These dudes aren't better than me, and they're still getting talked about over me,' and all this kind of stuff. He is a whole lot lighter though. He is now one of the most-feared defensive players in the league and a man who makes the Pro Bowl squad pretty much every year that he plays. Here's a list of those smaller guys who have very big talent in them. One of the best small forwards in the history of the NBA was barely an afterthought following his high school days. -- Harry Lyles Jr. 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. They would make up for it with seven playoff wins in Bagent's final three seasons. 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. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Either of those QBs could, at one point or another after high school, have given up on the game of football because they were not viewed to be elite players. Bagent's parents are both Shepherd grads. 2018 position ranking: No. Newsome cracked Northwestern's starting lineup as a true freshman and ended up playing in 21 games with 18 starts over three seasons. In other words, the lure of the transfer portal was never really a lure in his eyes. He owned every mistake that happened, from an interception to a sack to a mishandled snap, and I can tell you, he didn't create any of those mistakes. "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. XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. Thinking about giving up on a personal or professional dream? But, he is also one of the fastest. 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. 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. LaDainian Tomlinson sustained an injury in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. The vast majority of us have lost the genetic lottery that would have made us good football players. In November, he snagged the lone invitation the Senior Bowl issued to a Division II player, and there he matched up favorably with some of the best prospects in the draft. And Elliss and Watson have NFL experience in their blood. He is currently projected as high as a fourth-round pick. And he can stuff backs at the line. One of the best corners in the game today, Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield is known for his earth-shattering hits on the field. The three-star recruit chose the Wildcats over offers from Illinois, Kansas, Rice, SMU and Wyoming. The stars featured in this rundown were culled in part from the NFL's latest Top 100 players list. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? That versatility helped Toney land in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Jeff Bagwell could have pursued a career as a Major League Soccer player had he only been born a few years later. He has been given the nickname "The Hitman" by fellow teammates and coaches, because of his ridiculously hard hits on the field. 14 quarterback prospect on the board. Now he is headed to Philadelphia as a first-round pick. 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. And a handful of those players have North Texas ties, whether they played here in high school or . Strong said he felt that his NFL dreams came within reach once the Jackrabbits played Colorado State last season. "I think the experience [of] being a student athlete at Princeton is something that you can't really get anywhere else, or even other Ivy League schools," he said. Easily one of the most versatile players in the league, Sproles has the perfect blend of rushing, receiving, and returning skills in the NFL. A month later, Etienne committed to Clemson. Fantasy women's basketball: Why to focus on guards early in your draft, Miami Heat celebrate Florida Panthers while trolling Boston Bruins and Milwaukee Bucks, Transfer Talk: Manchester United see Lautaro Martinez as a striker option, Meet Cody Mauch, the most interesting offensive lineman in the NFL draft, NFL draft tier rankings: McShay stacks the 100 highest-graded prospects in the 2023 class, Kiper's final 2023 NFL draft rankings: Top 150 prospects and best at every position, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. For many players, high school football is the end of their playing careers. Darrisaw ended up being a three-year starter at left tackle for the Hokies. From Anamoose, North Dakota, Volson is, like Watson, an almost prototypical late-bloomer story. But I never got a sniff from them, not even as a preferred walk-on.". Lawrence won the starting job by Week 5 of his freshman season and never looked back. A Houston native, UH was Payton Turner's best offer by a significant margin. Predicting the quarterbacks every move, he knows when to use his speed to make a move on the ball. 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. "Coming from Miami--the competition is just different," said Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. Yes I know. The Eagles realized this small rookie's talent and set him up for the starting role. Bateman made an immediate impact, catching 51 passes for 704 yards and six TDs as a freshman. Howard became a walk on at Southwest Missouri State University, where he hit 50 home runs for a coaching staff that got a star seemingly out of nowhere. Starks was not recruited to play following high school and he was only on the taxi squad a group of backups who replaced starters who are either injured or suspended at Rogers State College. The 2023 NFL Draft has arrived! Now he is a first-round pick. 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 . "You know, I think there was a bias against the outside schools recruiting West Virginia players," Shepherd coach Ernie McCook said. Luther Elliss said a competitive edge can often help compensate for what some players in the FCS might lack in physical evaluations. Or he can split to the outside and outrun the entire defense for an 80 yard touchdown. "I think they were close, but they did not pull the trigger on that." He took his decision to national signing day with Alabama and Texas A&M as his two finalists. In the sixth round of the 2010 Draft, the Texans drafted this speed demon as a kick/punt returner. "When we were recruiting Tyson," McCook said, "we felt he could be a four-year starter for us. His upside is immense, as are his effort levels, with ESPN's Jordan Reid projecting him to be picked near the top of the second round in his latest mock draft and Todd McShay having him going toward the end of the first round. How did Tyson Bagent end up at Division II Shepherd? The closest he had come to playing on the offensive line to that point was taking a few snaps at tight end in high school. The 29-year old has been special for the Green Bay Packers. "I know that I have to work a little extra just to get to where I want to go," he said. A native of the state of Washington, Joe Tryon initially committed to Washington State in August 2016. NFL Coaches. The league's top prospects stepped into the NFL Photo studio for Draft portraits. They maul FCS defensive fronts and run the ball at will, and that colors the impression we get when a draft prospect bubbles to the surface. But only one town Rock Hill, South Carolina calls itself "Football City." That's because the city of 75,000 . A historic 2023 NFL Draft is in the books for the Jacksonville area, and with it, a host of college football players from here are set for some new addresses . Later on, though, Paye would attract more attention. College football reporters Ryan McGee, Harry Lyles Jr. and Bill Connelly take you inside the unconventional path taken by four of these prospects. "It was a game that I was just thinking like, 'Yeah, this is that game that put me on,'" he said. "There wasn't really a moment that it clicked for me at the Senior Bowl or anything like that. Other outliers include Lukas Van Ness, who ranked as a low three-star and the No. He placed in national track competitions. 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. Volson redshirted for one season, then served as a backup for two, piling on both pounds and technique in the process. It's a drive that rose from the pain of losing his father at age 12 and watching his mother fight through multiple medical ailments in the years that followed her husband's death. In the end, Smith bypassed the local school and picked Alabama. As far as what kind of a player an NFL team would get if it drafted him, Miller describes himself as "old school" with his leadership, aggression and leading by example. 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. Jayson Oweh was a basketball player for the early parts of high school. -- Heather Dinich, Virtually any North Dakota State draft prospect, especially on offense, has to be viewed through a very specific lens. He did acknowledge that he likely would be drafted higher had he played somewhere other than Princeton. "I just had to do something.". He earned a scholarship after making the Wisconsin roster and Watt is now a football star who will be noticed just about anywhere he goes. A quick look at this year's NFL Pro Bowl roster is telling. But when UGA fired Mark Richt, Smith opened up his recruitment. 2017 position ranking: No. He caught the national title-winning touchdown as a freshman and won the Heisman Trophy and another national title as a senior. But thanks to a late growth spurt, he got NDSU's attention. With the explosion of websites, podcasts and analysis of the NFL draft, it can be hard to go unnoticed if you're a Power 5 player with some potential. He played 188 NFL games, all with the Cincinnati Bengals, and made two Pro Bowls (1987, 1988) and two All-Pro teams (1987, 1988). Despite not playing at a Power 5 school, Iosivas said he never worried about being discovered by pro scouts, trusting that as long as he took care of business on his end, "talent will always be found." Just being able to play football was the only thing that mattered to me.". After that, he was picked up by the Dolphins, playing as their third receiver. XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. Zach Wilson is the son of a Utah football player but he ended up at rival BYU. All he did was throw for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs while leading the Crimson Tide to a national title. 7 wide receiver. Bagwell was an accomplished soccer player and his baseball skills got him a look from non-juggernaut, the University of Hartford. The Houston native was ranked by Rivals as the No. Graham was initially a basketball player and he played that sport while at the University of Miami. A 2 time Pro Bowler, defensive player of the year, and Superbowl champion, Sanders has many accolades to prove his success in the NFL. 6 wide receiver. But several players have navigated that route and are hoping to hear their name called during the 2022 NFL draft on April 28-30 on ESPN and ABC.