Recruiting Rewind: The 10 Most Hyped WR Recruits of the Decade
Yesterday we took a look back and ranked the 10 most hyped QB recruits of the 2000s, and today, we'll do the same for the receivers. I must stress again that first, this is about hype, not about if they lived up to the hype or not or how good they are today. This is about the hype surrounding these players as "recruits".
My next point is this about high school hype. Those of you who were upset that Tim Tebow was only No. 3 on the QB list forget that while Tebow was certainly a super-hyped high school recruit, his pop culture phenomenon really took flight while he was at Florida, not when he was in high school. College hype, yes Tebow is No.1; high school hype, he's more like top five.
Looking at the receivers was a tough task as well, as we've had some supposedly big time pass catchers come along in the recruiting world. So much so that I had to leave Steve Smith, Calvin Johnson, Johnathan Baldwin, Michael Floyd, Ryan Moore, Robert Woods and Reuben Randle off this list.
Come see who were the top 10 most hyped WR recruits in the past decade of college football recruiting.
10. Arelious Benn
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Benn was among the top players overall in the 2007 recruiting cycle and was billed as a receiver with tight end size and strength. At 6'1" and nearly 220 pounds, Benn's main asset in his skill set was the strength in his hands. He could strike quickly and forcefully to clear cornerbacks attempting to press him at the line and snatched balls out of the air with ease.
He had offers from an array of programs across the country and was rumored to be seriously considering pairing with Jimmy Clausen to head to Notre Dame. Benn was even seen scouting Clausen at a summer seven on seven tournament to see if he thought the two could work well together.
He ended up choosing to head to Illinois, which served as a bit of a shock to observers. Benn enjoyed a solid career for the Illini and got drafted in the second round by the Buccaneers, where he is now one of their key receivers.
9. Patrick Turner
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USC fans got used to getting the big, tall receiver after seeing how much success Mike Williams enjoyed in his two years with the Trojans. Also, Williams is not on this list because, believe it or not, he was not hyped too much coming out of high school and was rated as low as a three star player.
But Turner was the top receiver in his class in 2005, standing 6'5", 210 pounds. He was expected to be the next dominant receiver at USC and served as the third amigo to Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith. He was so hyped that USC even game him Williams' No.1 jersey number. Observers projected Turner to be a future first round pick as a high schooler and a player that was a shoe in for the Biletnikoff award.
Yet aside from a 12 catch game vs. Washington, Turner never really did too much at USC. He was a middle round pick to the Dolphins in 2009, but has bounced around various practice squads in the NFL.
8. Reggie Williams
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Williams is a bit of a throwback, as he is a member of the 2000 class, but he had more than a fair share of hype. At 6'4", 220 pounds, with 4.4 speed, Williams was a national recruit out of the great Northwest and had all of the national powers coming to Washington to see him play.
For awhile, it seemed he was destined to leave the state, but the Dawgs stayed on him and landed him in the home stretch weeks before signing day. He was deemed as the next great player to come from the U-Dub program and already was talked about as the best receiver in school history before he even suited up in Seattle.
Williams actually had a very successful career as a Husky and became a top 10 pick to the Jaguars, yet he eventually flamed out of the NFL and ran into some off the field problems.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Terrance Toliver
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Toliver shredded the Texas high school football scene as a prep star, which earned him 5-star status in 2007. Yet, his fame and hype came from him being a 6'5" receiver with blazing speed that was a nightmare matchup problem for secondaries around Texas.
Every school was after him, as he was rumored to only weigh in the 190 pounds range, which would allow him to develop and get stronger in college and really develop into a special player. Toliver was one of the most sought after recruits in the country, and his hype was crazy in 2007. Some even said he was better than Roy Williams was at Odessa Permian (TX) when he was a prep.
Toliver finally settled on LSU, spurning in-state Texas, and played OK during his tenure with the Tigers. Talk is he was victim to poor QB play, but he is expected to spread his wings in the NFL.
6. Dwayne Jarrett
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Jarrett came down to the 2004 Army All-American game and lit up the practices all week, which only grew his hype to new heights. At 6'4", 210 pounds, he was talked at having the best pure ball skills for a receiver in recent memory at the time.
He had offers from everyone in the country and decided to head from New Jersey to Hollywood like Jack Nicholson and play at USC. His hype only grew more after his Trojan pledge became public, as he immediately drew comparisons to Mike Williams, who had dominated as a Trojan. USC faithful expected even more from Jarrett, and he was talked about as being a three and out player headed for the NFL.
Jarrett became Matt Leinart's favorite target as a sophomore and caught an infamous fourth down pass that saved the Trojans' title hopes vs. Notre Dame. He became a second round pick to the Panthers, but has since been released.
5. Julio Jones
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I remember interviewing Jones when he was in high school and coming away worried that he was too much of a quiet guy to ever be a No.1, demanding for the ball type of receiver. Luckily, I watched his tape after interviewing him, and his on field play shut me up.
At 6'3", 220 pounds, Jones was a physical marvel in high school, as he dominated helpless defensive backs in the Alabama high school ranks. When you saw him play, you just knew he was a future NFL player; even had three and out potential. Jones just had all of the physical tools, and the whole country knew it.
His hype was well deserved and justified. That's why he'll be a top 15 pick next month. But even in high school, as it was in college, Jones was always linked to another receiver in his class...which brings us to No.4 on the most hyped WR recruits list...
4. AJ Green
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I'll go on record and say that I actually had Jones over Green for top receiver honors in 2008, but both were deserving of the title. For me, it was just seeing Miami cornerback Brandon Harris limit and frustrate Green during a mega-hyped opening weekend game in 2007. But if you saw him in high school, Green was the same player he is now.
At 6'4", and 200 pounds at the time, he was just a silky smooth athlete with length, athleticism, leaping ability and deep speed. He and Jones were both always compared to one another, and Green's hype was equal or a bit more apparent then Jones'.
He was considered a huge get for Georgia, as they plucked him out the Palmetto State away from South Carolina and Clemson.
Today he is considered the best receiver available, over Jones, in next month's NFL Draft.
3. Percy Harvin
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Harvin went back and forth in 2006 from being listed as ATH and WR, but many knew his college position would likely be receiver. Out of Virginia, he was considered not just best player in the state but also the No.1 overall recruit in the country, as he could do it all for an offense during his senior campaign.
At 5'11", 190 pounds, Harvin was a super athlete with quickness, speed and RAC ability to boot. He was dangerous with the ball, and most considered him the top player in his talented Atlantic region since his sophomore year in high school. He had no shortage of offers, but committed to Florida, where he was quickly viewed as the prototypical receiver to fit into Urban Meyer's spread option attack.
Harvin went on to dominate high school all-star contests, only adding to his mythical status. He dazzled as receiver on the perimeter and in the slot; plus, he could play some running back in a pinch and also return punts and kicks.
2. Whitney Lewis
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Lewis was a freak. Period.
At 6'1", 225 pounds, he was timed at 4.34 in the 40 and was the first player in California history to rush and receive for 1,000 yards in the same season. He could play running back and had a bruising running style, but he was just dynamic as a receiver.
He was a player that you saw play in high school and shook your head and said "he's not just going to play in the NFL. He's going to be a first round pick."
Lewis was that good and that hyped. Most even had him as the top player in the country in 2003, as he was even listed as an ATH due to the chance of him playing running back.
He never wanted to attend USC, but was forced by his parents, as he wanted to go to Florida State. He came to camp as a true freshman overweight, out of shape and with a poor work ethic. He eventually transferred to Northern Iowa after his sophomore season, where he was not as big of an impact player as many thought.
1. Fred Rouse
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When you claim that you feel you can play in the NFL and skip college, and have many people firmly agree with you, then you take the cake as the most hyped receiver of the decade.
Rouse told those around him in his senior year of high school that he felt if he was allowed into the 2005 NFL Draft, he could be a fourth round pick. Hey, at least he was humble enough not say first round right?
At 6'4", 220 pounds, talk was that Rouse was going to be better than Randy Moss. He had all of the physical tools: long arms, speed, height, quickness, explosiveness and more.
But he lacked consistent concentration, which led to drops, but in high school, boy was Rouse covered in hype before he went to Florida State. The most hype in fact. Period. Today, he plays for tiny Concordia College after two transfers from Florida State and UTEP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
