Recruiting Hindsight: Re-Ranking the Top 10 Recruits from 2005
They say hindsight is 20/20. That's a fact, and in talent evaluation, we really would love to be able to go back in time and re-stock our boards, evaluations and selections.
But we can't. Or can we?
With this series of "Recruiting Hindsight", we'll go back a few years to re-examine a recruiting class and re-rank the top 10 elite recruits based on how they developed, played and how successful they were in college.
It should be an interesting series, and today, we begin with the 2005 class. The top player at the time was Derrick Williams, who went on to Penn State, along with the likes of Fred Rouse of Florida State, Mark Sanchez and Johnathan Stewart among various notches of the top 10 overall national recruits for the 2005 cycle.
Looking back, do these players still deserve such a high ranking? Who moved up? Who moved down? Let's take a look.
10. Brian Cushing, LB: USC
1 of 10
Cushing made the choice to go across the country from New Jersey to Los Angeles to play at USC. He was part of a stellar incoming linebacker recruiting class Pete Carroll hauled in during this year, along with Rey Maualuga and Luthur Brown.
He would go on to team with those two and Clay Matthews to form a dominating second level unit for the Trojans.
6'4", 220 pounds coming out of high school, Cushing was rated the 53rd overall player by Rivals, which marks him as a high riser for our hindsight series. He started for the Trojans at the SAM linebacker spot as a true freshman, eventually becoming an All-Pac 10 and All-American player.
He developed into a first round pick by the Texas and won 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the year. Today, Cushing is regarded as one of the top young linebackers in the NFL.
9. Kenny Phillips, DS: Miami
2 of 10
"K.P.", as he is known by friends and teammates, was the 12th best player in the country by Rivals, but USA Today named him as the National Defensive Player of the Year. A 6'2", 205 pound safety, Phillips had tremendous athleticism and instincts already in high school, which made him so highly rated.
He was billed as a bigger version of Ed Reed but could also factor down in the box as extra run defender to help his defense out. Phillips went to Miami and became a solid player for the Canes, but might have been a victim of being under-developed by the Miami coaching staff.
The Giants took Phillips in the first round in 2008, where he started and flashed Pro Bowl potential. Phillips suffered a season ending knee injury in his second year, but rehabbed well to get back on the field for the G-Men this past season.
8. Michael Oher, OT: Ole Miss
3 of 10
Oher was the subject of a critically acclaimed book that turned into an award winning movie starring Sandra Bullock based on his life story. Yet, Oher got the attention by his on field talent, as his amazing athleticism allowed him to dominate opponents at left tackle in the SEC.
6'5", 330 pounds, Oher was 48th best player in 2005, yet we move him up due to just how good he was at Ole Miss. He shadowed rushers all game long and showed off quick and nimble feet to slide, mirror, adjust and recover vs. anyone. He could get to the second level and hit moving targets, drove blocks well and was the best offensive player for the Rebels during his tenure in Oxford.
Oher was selected in the first round by Ravens and started at right tackle as a rookie, playing the left side in stretches. He's one of the top young tackles in football.
7. Johnathan Stewart, RB: Oregon
4 of 10
Stewart finds himself as our first player to be a top 10 recruit that ended being one of the 10 best players in the class. 5'10", 230 pounds, I was always impressed by Stewart's balance and run strength. He wasn't a blazer, but had enough speed and wiggle to be a solid homerun threat.
His wide base allowed him to break tackles, stay on his run line, absorb hits and keep matriculating upfield. Stewart also had great vision and an understanding of his offensive line's assignments as a unit. He lived up to his billing for Oregon.
Carolina liked him well enough to to take him as a first rounder and pair with DeAngelo Williams as a stellar backfield tandem.
6. Rey Maualuga, LB: USC
5 of 10
There's certainly an argument to be made here calling for Cushing to be in this slot and Mauluga to be 10th, and it does have traction. Yet we leave Rey-Rey at No.6, as the 6'2", 250 pounder was the more hyped of the two and didn't disappoint.
Oscar Lua, the incumbent starting linebacker when Maualuga arrived at USC, once said "Rey's better than me. I know that. He just doesn't know our system yet fully yet."
When Maualuga did learn the Trojan defense, he took off. Dominating at the MIKE spot, Maualuga become known as a vicious hitter that combined instincts with explosive speed, strength and play making ability.
He was regarded as a first round caliber prospect for his entire college career, but fell to the second round where he was scooped by the Bengals. Current Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has expected big things from Maualuga and has put the pressure on him to deliver big in 2011.
5. Rashard Mendenhall, RB: Illinois
6 of 10
Mendenhall is undoubtedly the biggest riser in the 2005 Hindsight look, as he was the 90th best overall player in 2005, but is now one of the 10 best players to shake out of the class as we look back. 6'0", and just 190 pounds at the time, Mendenhall blossomed to 225 pounds at Illinois.
During the 2007 Rose Bowl, he was garnered as the only Illinois starter that could have started for opponent USC. He held his own against the star studded Trojan defense, which proved he was ready to make the jump to the big leagues.
Mendenhall went through a tough rookie season as a first round pick in Pittsburgh, as he struggled to pick up the playbook, hold on to the football and practice hard, irking head coach Mike Tomlin. Since his second year, Mendenhall has shown why he was highly regarded and is the Steelers' feature back.
4. DeSean Jackson, WR: California
7 of 10
Jackson was thought to be a lock to go to USC, as he came from Long Beach Poly, which is a traditional Trojan pipeline. Yet he stunned many observers by selecting Cal over the Trojans. 5'10", 170 pounds, Jackson was also a terrific baseball player.
He arrived at Cal and immediately became one of the Bears' top offensive weapons from the get go, eventually developing into one of the very best receivers in the country. Jackson also was a dominating return man, and he often forced teams to not punt to him.
His speed, quickness, elusiveness and swagger helped make the former 18th best recruit into a top 10 player out of the 2005 class. He was selected in the second round by the Eagles and today is one of the best receivers in the NFL.
3. Mark Sanchez, QB: USC
8 of 10
Sanchez only got, or really chose, to start for USC for only one year before making the jump to the NFL. He entered the Trojan program already as a future NFL prospect, the No.1 QB in the country and seventh overall recruit. He was a super hyped signal caller that had been well coached and kind of groomed to play QB.
6'2", 215 pounds, Sanchez nearly beat out JD Booty for the job to replace Matt Leinart. Some fans and observers around the program still feel to this day that Sanchez was the better QB and should have won the job. Yet he waited his turn, and in his redshirt junior season, Sanchez exploded onto the college football scene and capped it off with a memorable Rose Bowl performance over Penn State.
He said all year long he would return for his senior year at USC, but shockingly, and much to Pete Carroll's dismay, opted to turn pro. Sanchez was taken fifth overall by the Jets and has led them to two straight AFC championship games.
2. Darren McFadden, RB: Arkansas
9 of 10
Run DMC became a national sensation at Arkansas, but before that he was a tall, lanky high school running back and No. 23 overall player in 2005. He worked himself into a 6'0", 225 pound specimen that was a Heisman front runner for a time in his career as a Razorback, finishing second as a sophomore and junior, but becoming just the second two-time Doak Walker award winner and 2007 Walter Camp award winner as the top player in the country.
By the time the 2008 draft came, McFadden was regarded as the top player in the draft after finishing a stellar career for the Hogs with over 4500 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. McFadden even played some quarterback in college.
The Raiders took him with the fourth overall pick, and he finished this past season with nearly 1200 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.
His arrow is pointing up as he is looked at as a future Pro Bowler and cornerstone player in Oakland.
1. Ndamukong Suh, DT: Nebraska
10 of 10
Ranked as the 51st best overall recruit in his class, Suh is a microcosm of both how rankings really don't matter and how imperative player development is to a recruit's growth and improvement as a player. He was 6'4", 280 pounds coming out of high school but blew up to the 310 range at Nebraska.
He was considered the best NFL prospect in his junior season, but opted to stay with Big Red for his senior campaign, which is when Suh became the first legitimate defensive Heisman Trophy Candidate since Charles Woodson. He ended finishing fourth for the award to Mark Ingram in 2009, and talk is he was robbed, as many considered Suh to be best player in College Football, which supposed to be whom the award is given to.
Yet Suh was a unanimous All-American and Big 12 Defensive MVP and became the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to the Lions, where he made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team as a rookie and won Defensive Rookie of the Year.
.jpg?w=600 "NFL strength of schedule breakdown")