Recruiting Rewind: The Most Hyped DE Recruits of the Decade

We come to the defensive ends in our hype series today, as we take a look back at the most hyped players and recruits at various positions across the board over the past 10 years.

The defensive end spot has become one of the most coveted positions on the trail, as that is where much of a team's pass rush is generated from.

Securing the pledge of a gifted and dynamic edge rusher is crucial for the future of a program's defense and we've seen some mega-hyped ones come through the recruiting scene. This list will take you way back to the start of the decade but will also shock you at how recent it is.

So let's get after the list of the most hyped players who could get after the quarterback.

6. Ronald Powell: 2010

Powell was last year's Jadeveon Clowney. Obviously with Clowney being a 2011 recruit, he just missed this list by a year. But Powell is here at this notch as his hype was pretty big too.

At 6'4", 230 pounds, he was bantered as not only the top DE in the country, but also the top overall player in 2010.

From Moreno Valley, CA, many USC fans felt that he was theirs for the taking, but Powell never warmed up to the idea of staying close to home. Instead, he opted to be one of the main headliners in a Florida recruiting class that was tops in 2010.

Now entering his sophomore season in Gainesville, Bryant Young and Dan Quinn will look to continue to develop Powell into the future first-round pick he has been projected to be since he was a five-star high school recruit.

5. Everson Griffen: 2007

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Everson Griffen #93 of the USC Trojans celebrates a fumble recovery against the Oregon State Beavers on October 24, 2009 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won 42-36. (Photo by Jeff Golden/Getty Im

I remember reading about how good Griffen was and not believing someone was that dominant—then I saw his film and said "yeah, he is."

At 6'3" and nearly 260 pounds, he was freakishly athletic and very, very quick in a straight line. Griffen had the strength and power to walk blockers back and the speed to run around them.

When he pledged to USC, fans thought he could not only become the best defensive end in the Pete Carroll era, but some said the best overall player—over Matt Leinart, over Reggie Bush, over Mike Williams and many other former Trojans.

Griffen had a solid true freshman year, but regressed as a sophomore. He came on strong as a junior and wound up a middle-round pick to the Vikings. He's run into off-field issues in recent months.

4. Carlos Dunlap: 2007

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GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 7: Defensive end Carlos Dunlap #8 of the Florida Gators sets on defense against the Vanderbilt Commodores on November 7, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

A 6'7", 260-pound monster in high school, many had Dunlap as the top defensive end prospect from the Carolina region since Julius Peppers. Dunlap did anything he wanted on the field and was a constant problem for opposing offenses. He could stall the run, but also haunt a passer as a rusher.

Pretty much every school in the country wanted Dunlap, as he got a lot of ink in 2007. A fierce recruiting battle took place around the SEC, but Florida won out and prevailed.

Some Gator fans will tell you he underachieved in Gainesville, but that may be because the hype and pressure he was under was so great. Dunlap has played very well in his short tenure with the Bengals.

3. Shaun Cody: 2001

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LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 16: Defensive lineman Shaun Cody #84 of the USC Trojans flashes the victory sign toward the Arizona State Sun Devils sideline during a timeout in the second quarter on October 16, 2004 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, Cal

Cody was the top defensive end in 2001 out of Hacienda Heights, CA, and his hype was big time. At 6'4", 255 pounds, he had a skill set that projected him as a dominant college player—which is why every dormant college program came knocking on Cody's door.

He had a quick first step, length, athletic ability, strength and was really advanced as far as how to use his hands to shed blocks and make moves as a rusher. Cody chose to go to USC over UCLA and a slew of other national powers and really was the recruit that opened the flood gates for USC to land top targets in the 2000s.

He became a second-round pick for the Lions and is now a starting defensive tackle for the Texans.

2. Da'Quan Bowers: 2008

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 18: Da'Quan Bowers #93 of the Clemson Tigers against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Bowers was billed as the most complete defensive end prospect to come out in years. As a high school player, he was already looked at as a three-and-out college player. At 6'4", 260 pounds, Bowers is equally effective at playing the run as he is at rushing the passer.

He was an end that could play the weak and/or strong side in a 40-front and was a phenomenal talent. He settled on Clemson after receiving offers from a "who's who" list of college super powers. Everyone wanted Bowers in 2008.

Today, he is viewed as a top pick heading into next month's NFL Draft.

1. Travis Johnson: 2000

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TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: Defender Travis Johnson #99 of Florida State watches as time winds down during the game against Notre Dame on October 26, 2002 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. Notre Dame defeated Florida State 34-24. (Pho

Told you this list had a mix of recent and throwback names.

Johnson takes the top spot as the most hyped DE recruit of the decade. At 6'5", 270 pounds, he was a player that was as big as a defensive tackle but as athletic as a weak side end. I played against Johnson when I was a freshman and he was a senior—and he was dominant.

His buzz was big time on the recruiting front as Miami, USC, Florida State, UCLA, Texas, Tennessee and many, many others fought for his signed LOI. Johnson felt FSU was his best choice and was bound for Tallahassee where he had an up-and-down career.

He became a first-round pick for the Texans and is now with the Chargers.