2019 NFL Draft: How every first-round pick was rated as a high school recruit

Are recruiting rankings all they’re cracked up to be?

That’s a big question as it pertains to college football. Some coaches want to bring in as many of the top-ranked recruits as possible. Programs like Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State welcome a flood of four- and five-star recruits through their doors. Meanwhile, other schools like Iowa, Washington State and Wisconsin are more concerned with having a type of player.

So, the big question is this: is there a right way to recruit?

Well, based on the results from the 2019 NFL Draft, it may not matter as much as you’d think. Although, based on the College Football Playoff results over the last five years, it’s pretty darn important to have at least a few four- and five-star guys on the roster.

But as far as recruiting rankings relating to the NFL, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a correlation. On Thursday night, 32 players realized their dream of playing football at the professional level, being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. And you might be surprised to know that former three-star prospects were in the majority of the selections.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the first-round picks by high school recruiting star rankings:

• 5-star: 8
• 4-star: 10
• 3-star: 11
• 2-star: 1
• NR: 2

While 18 of the 32 players drafted were ranked as a four- or five-star player in high school, there were 11 players who entered college as a three-star prospect. There was also one two-star recruit and two players who were not rated by 247Sports.

Here’s a look at every first-round draft pick from Thursday night’s NFL Draft and the star ranking he received as a high school recruit. Enjoy:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB