Each year, 255 former college football stars have the opportunity to hear their name called during the NFL Draft and start pursuing their dream of a career at the professional level. Some of those selections have been stars from the beginning, while others had to rewrite their story.

Recruiting rankings have become very prevalent in today’s college football. Bringing in four- and five-star prospects is always the goal for coaching staffs across the country, but being a blue-chip recruit doesn’t necessarily translate to success on the field or in the draft. As we’ve seen in the past, low-ranked players can absolutely become high-drafted prospects.

Following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, 247Sports looked back at where each player selected ranked as a high school recruit. Three-star players made up the largest portion of picks in this year’s draft, followed by four-star recruits. Former five-star players made up the lowest total.

Here’s the breakdown by stars, according to 247Sports.com:

  • Five-star: 19
  • Four-star: 73
  • Three-star: 110
  • Two-star: 32
  • Not Ranked: 21

Obviously, that doesn’t quite paint the whole picture. Five-star recruits make up the smallest pool each year in the recruiting rankings, which ultimately has an impact on the number that can be drafted each year. The number of three-star recruits is the most plentiful ranking by a large margin.

Still, it’s interesting to see these numbers broken down and realize that players don’t have to have four or five stars by their names to eventually hear their name called during the NFL Draft. Some went from having zero stars to getting picked.