10 Top Elite Players That Were Not 5-Star Recruits in High School

Everyone always wants to know how many stars a certain player is and how many 5-star recruits their favorite school signed.

Five-star players come to campus surrounded all of the hype and hooplah. Sometimes they perform to expectations, while other times see them flame out.

Just because a player is not a 5-star recruit does not mean that player won't amount to anything.

On this list, I have 10 players who went on to stardom that prove that stars really mean nothing in recruiting.

I want to stress that these are just 10 players, not the top 10 players. There's a plethora of non-5-star recruits that could have made this list. 

Mike Williams, WR

There's a story that Williams' faxed LOI was among the first sent in to Pete Carroll in 2002. Allegedly, once Carroll got it in hand, he was downright giddy. Mostly a 3- and—at highest—4-star player by most, Williams was seen as a big receiver who should move to tight end or defensive end.

At the time 6'5", 200 pounds, he committed to Florida his senior year at Plant (FL) High School. But when he learned that the Gators wanted him to move to tight end, he moved on.

Williams went on to have a great season as a true freshman and a dominant sophomore year. He challenged the NFL and lost his case to enter the draft early, and he was forced to miss a year.

After a trying time with the Lions, Williams has shown why he was so touted with the Seahawks, who are coached by Carroll.

Jake Long, OT

A 6'7", 295-pounder, Long was just a 4-star player out of high school. He was only the sixth best player in the state and was just the 21st best offensive tackle in the country per Rivals.

Purdue was close to landing Long, yet he chose to stay home and head to Ann Arbor. There, he became a multi-year All-American and went to become the first pick in the NFL Draft in 2008 to the Dolphins.

You should probably look at your favorite school's recruiting classes over the past few years and that measly offensive tackle they signed. Yeah, there's a chance he could be the No. 1 overall pick in a few years. Jake Long was.

Santonio Holmes, WR

In 2002, Holmes was seen as some little 5'11", 175-pound receiver from Florida that was going to Ohio State. He was seen as a 3-star caliber player, and as someone that would catch a couple balls from the slot and return a few kicks during his stay in Columbus.

Holmes had other ideas, as he developed into a true No. 1 receiver for Ohio State and went on to become a first-round draft pick by the Steelers. His release quickness is among the best I've seen from a receiver, and he easily separates out of his breaks.

He's among the most athletic and quickest WRs in the NFL today.

David Harris, LB

Considered only a 3-star linebacker in 2002, Harris decided he could play at Michigan—and he did. Well.

The knock on Harris was his speed; he was timed at only 4.7 in high school, and many felt he wasn't fast enough to be a consistent starter in college. He proved them wrong and is a great case for linebackers that have excellent instincts and read/react ability who can play faster than their timed speed.

He's a perfect fit as a 3-4 ILB, and considered part of the "Core-4" of the New York Jets.

Sam Bradford, QB

Looking at some Rivals rankings archives, I see they actually had Bradford as a 3-star QB in 2006. I had him as a 4-star recruit on my board that year. Guess we were both wrong.

The 6'4", 200-pound Bradford signed with the Sooners and went on to light up college football like a Christmas tree.

He took a red-shirt year, then took the job over as a red-shirt freshman and played so well that going into his sophomore year, talk was the draft-eligible Bradford would be the first pick. He won the Heisman that year but shockingly announced he was staying in Norman.

The funny thing with Bradford is, I think his personal dream was to actually play QB at Oklahoma, not the NFL. The Sooners were his team as a kid and playing for them meant more than being a pro.

But the following year the Rams took him No. 1, and all he did was win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year this past season.

Matt Ryan, QB

In 2003, Ryan was a 3-star QB from the Philly area. At 6'4", 200 pounds, he was regarded as a pro-style signal-caller with some potential to develop down the road. Ranked as the 12th best player in the state, Ryan was not a big name as he is today.

He went on to BC and became their best QB since Doug Flutie. I remember noticing Ryan during a bowl game in his junior year and saying, "This guy's an NFL QB."

Today, he is considered one of the best young QBs in the league and is the face of the Falcons franchise. From 3-star recruit to being the third pick on the draft? Not bad.

Calvn Johnson, WR

Johnson was a pretty highly touted player out of Georgia in high school, but you look at what he did at Georgia Tech and how he's fared in the NFL, and you wonder "Where the heck was his fifth star?"

As a prep star, he was 6'4", 210 pounds; today Johnson is 6'5", 235 pounds. No, he's not a tight end, as he runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. He was the best receiver in the country by he time his junior year came and was considered the best receiver prospect since Randy Moss in the 2007 draft.

He is one of the best receivers in the NFL and—along with Matthew Stafford and Ndamokung Suh—gives the Lions hope for the future.

Ndamukong Suh, DT

Suh is another player like Calvin Johnson—you scratch your head and ask why was he just a 4-star player. In the bottom 50 nationally in 2006 out of Oregon, Suh was a good (but not great) defensive tackle prospect.

He was 6'4", 280 pounds and headed to Nebraska...where he almost won a Heisman Trophy and was arguably the top defensive player in the country as a sophomore.

He became the second overall pick to the Lions last year and made the All-Pro team as a rookie. That's like a true freshman being named to the first team AP All-American squad in college football, it just doesn't happen often.

Suh already is considered of the elite defensive players, not just tackles, in the NFL.

Joe Thomas, LT

Okay, maybe I'm a little biased here, as I was a scouting intern for the Browns the summer of Thomas' rookie year. When we got word he agreed to a contract, the room exploded.

Everyone knew Thomas would be a franchise player, and he came in immediately to camp and dominated one on ones.

Yet in high school, he was only the 18th best tackle in 2003. A 4-star recruit (though he was ranked lower than many would think) and just the 23rd best player in the Midwest region. Think about that.

Thomas is perhaps the best left tackle in football, and he wasn't even considered one of the best 100 players nationally in his class.

Wow. Today he is a Pro Bowl mainstay and is on track for a Hall of Fame career with the Browns.

Darrelle Revis, CB

In 2004, Pitt signed some average 3-star local DB that stood 5'11", 180 pounds. He looked like the average corner recruit and was not highly rated. His name was Darrelle Revis.

All Revis did at Pitt was take out the opposing Big East team's best receiver and become of the best return men to ever play college football. His athleticism, instincts, quickness and natural cover ability is downright silly.

If you watched "Hard Knocks" last summer then you know Rex Ryan telling the Jets during Revis' holdout, "Do we need him?...yeah, he's really f'n good!", was a true and factual statement.

He was selected in the first round by the Jets and is considered the best cornerback in football. From 3-star recruit to best player at your position in the NFL? Who needs those two extra stars.