Recruiting Hindsight: Re-Ranking the Top College Football Recruits from 2002
Continuing on with our "Recruiting Hindsight" series, we're going to take look back to the 2002 recruiting class in this edition. It was filled with many players that were the cream of the crop. Big names that year include Lorenzo Booker, Ryan Moore, Ben Olson and Marcus Vick, among a host of others.
Now, almost 10 years later, we'll go back and pick out the 10 best players to come out of the class. Some were ranked high and maintained an expected performance level, while others came out of nowhere to rise up the board. That also means that there were some busts in the group, as there is with every recruiting class.
Yet, we have the top 10 players from the 2002 recruiting class...in 2011.
10. Davin Joseph, OL: Oklahoma
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Joseph was bottom, borderline top 100 level player in 2002. A 4-star recruit out of Florida, the 6'3", 290 pound guard spurned the Florida schools for Oklahoma.
He quickly developed into a standout interior lineman for the Sooners and anchored their offensive front during their frequent BCS bowl appearances during his tenure. A Big-12 All-Freshman team member his first year, Joseph started 29 games for the Sooners, 11 at left tackle.
He was selected by the Buccaneers in the the first round of the 2006 draft and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2008.
9. Leon Washington, RB: Florida State
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Washington was already highly touted out of high school, but he was actually listed as a defensive back. A 5-star player, many felt Washington's best spot was to be corner in Tallahassee.
Clearly he and the FSU coaches had other ideas, as he was just too good with the ball in his hands. The 'Noles left him at running back and he dazzled with quickness, speed and elusiveness. Washington also factored heavily as returner as well.
The Jets took him in the fourth round in 2006 and he became a big part of the offense. He was traded to the Seahawks last spring and is a two time All-Pro return man.
8. Ahmad Brooks, LB: Virginia
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I have Brooks on this list more for his college play than his NFL play. He's one of the most hyped LB recruits of the decade and came to Virginia with mega buzz.
6'3", 230 pounds, he was a 5-star recruit and one of the best Virginia high school players ever. He had a solid career for the Cavs, but personally I don't think he ever pulled the pin and had the impact he was expected to have.
He ran into off the field problems and was eventually dismissed by Al Groh. The Bengals took him in the supplemental draft and today he is a DPR type of player for the 49ers.
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7. Kamerion Wimbley, DE/OLB: Florida State
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From Wichita, Kansas, Wimbley decided he wanted to be a Seminole in 2002, signing with FSU as a 4-star DE prospect. At 6'3", 225 pounds, he was one of the better pass rushers in the class. Wimbley made the Parade All-American team and played in the Army game that year.
He went on to have a great career at Florida State, earning All-ACC and All-American accolades. He left Tallahassee being mentioned in the same breath as Peter Boulware, which is a huge feat in itself.
Wimbley was selected 13th overall by the Browns in 2006 and had 11 sacks as a rookie. He was traded last year to Oakland where he is a starting outside linebacker for the Raiders.
6. Devin Hester, ATH: Miami
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5'11", 180 pounds, Hester had dreams of being a Deion Sanders-like shut down corner. He was such a raw prospect athletically that when you saw him high school, you had no clue where to begin to think of lining him up at. This kind of hurt his development in a sense because his return skills showed he could be a great receiver, but he was a raw route runner.
That led Miami to try to make him a corner and many observers kept wondering if that was his best position. The Bears drafted Hester as a corner, but after dazzling so much as a returner he was made into a wide receiver.
Today he is considered of the very elite return men in the game and one Jay Cutler's go-to targets in Chicago.
5. Marcedes Lewis, TE: UCLA
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Lewis was in a tough spot in 2002, as he was a part of the Long Beach Poly Fab 5, as the powerhouse school had five of the best 100 players in the country on the same team in the same year.
The other four went to USC, and tried to pry Lewis with them, but he was always solid to UCLA. 6'6", 250 pounds, he was a natural receiving tight end that could even play receiver on the perimeter. He became one of the best tight ends in Pac-10 history and a first round pick by the Jaguars.
Lewis caught 10 touchdowns last year and was named to the Pro Bowl.
4. Eric Winston, OT: Miami
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Winston's career path originally was slated to be as a star tight end, as he was a 4-star player out of Texas in 2002 at the position. 6'7", 255 pounds in high school, he was one of the top tight ends in the country and chose to head to Miami with the next Jeremy Shockey attached to his name.
However, during his sophomore year, he realized his future was best as a super athletic left tackle and became on of the best linemen in the country. He was a highly rated NFL prospect, yet suffered an ACL injury to force his stock to drop.
The Texans took him in the third round of the 2006 draft and he has been one of the best right tackles in the NFL since his rookie year.
3. Tamba Hali, DE: Penn State
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The 59th best player in the class by Rivals, Hali was a 6'3", 245 pound defensive prospect from New Jersey rated at 4-stars. Like Wimbley, he was an elite and highly coveted pass rusher and went on to Penn State.
In 2005, Hali was named to the All-American and easily was considered the top defensive lineman in the Big Ten. He finished with 36 tackles for loss and almost won the Nagurski Award as a senior.
The Chiefs drafted Hali in the first round in 2006 and in 2010, Hali had a break-out season. Playing the 3-4 outside linebacker role, he led the AFC in sacks with 14.5 and made the Pro Bowl.
2. Vince Young, QB: Texas
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Young is here, like Brooks, as his college play was better than his NFL play. Sure, there are those who think that with Reggie Bush being forced to surrender his Heisman, the award should go to Vince Young, but I disagree with that. Bush was clearly the best player in the country that year.
Yet, Young was a dominant college player in Austin and is considered one of the first "big" duel threat QB's. 6'5", 235 pounds, he was super hyped coming out of high school and many had him as a the best player.
He won numerous awards while with Texas and made just about everyone's All-American lists and teams. The Titans took him with the third overall pick and he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006. Although he is a two-time Pro Bowler, the jury is still out Young's NFL career as a starter, and it won't finish in Tennessee.
1. Haloti Ngata, DT: Oregon
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Ngata was ranked the second-best player overall in 2002 behind Young, but he easily takes this top notch nowadays. 6'4", 310 pounds and out of Utah, he was a big time yet mysterious player en-route to Eugene.
People in Oregon were excited to have him, but wondered if Ngata put it all together and reach his full potential as a player.
He did.
Rumor has it that Ngata was such a disruptive force in practice, he was not allowed to play team drills when the offense was the focal point of the practice period, as he denied them so many full reps.
The Ravens took Ngata with the 12th pick in 2006 and he has been a stalwart since he came to Baltimore. He can play any position on the defensive line in a 3-4 or 4-3, and I've personally watched film and seen Ngata line up and play linebacker for the Ravens. He's super athletic, big, strong and quick, and does what he wants on the field.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
