23 players drafted in 1st three rounds weren't ranked in high school
Being named a five-star recruit is one of the highest honors a football player can receive when coming out of high school and moving on to college.
However, through the first three rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft, a selected player was more likely to have never received a star rating than to be a five-star recruit.
| 5-star | 4-star | 3-star | 2-star | NR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Round 2 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Round 3 | 1 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 11 |
A total of 23 players were drafted in the first three rounds who weren't ranked coming out of high school, compared to nine five-stars.
Western Michigan's Corey Davis was the highest player drafted who did not receive a star rating coming out of high school. He went fifth overall to the Tennessee Titans.
It's not surprising that the majority of players chosen were four-stars - 44 total - since there are roughly 300 of those players in each recruiting class. The second-most-common rating through three rounds in the 2016 draft was three stars, with 28 selections having received that designation.
Though star rankings have proven to be a factor in prospects' success, they're still not the be-all and end-all, and a player should never be discouraged by their rating.