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There is no straight line, no correlation, no guarantee that a high school star will become an NFL draft pick.
Ole Miss had three five-star recruits in the 2013 class, and all three became first-round picks Friday. That’s the best-case scenario.
But it’s far from the only scenario.
We were reminded of this again Friday night, when three former two-star recruits became first-round draft picks, as did two others who didn’t even receive a recruiting ranking. Conversely, only one five-star prospect became a top-10 pick.
Here’s a look at how the 247Sports.com composite ranked every 2016 first-round draft pick as a high school recruit:
| Draft pick | Player | Stars | Rank | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QB Jared Goff | 4 | No. 218 | 2013 |
| 2 | QB Carson Wentz | N/A | N/A> | 2011 |
| 3 | DE Joey Bosa | 4 | No. 37 | 2013 |
| 4 | RB Ezekiel Elliott | 4 | No. 69 | 2013 |
| 5 | CB Jalen Ramsey | 5 | No. 15 | 2013 |
| 6 | OT Ronnie Stanley | 4 | No. 128 | 2012 |
| 7 | DE DeForest Buckner | 4 | No. 230 | 2012 |
| 8 | OT Jack Conklin | N/A | N/A | 2012 |
| 9 | LB Leonard Floyd | 4 | No. 145 | 2012 |
| 10 | CB Eli Apple | 4 | No. 48 | 2013 |
| 11 | CB Vernon Hargreaves III | 5 | No. 3 | 2013 |
| 12 | DT Sheldon Rankins | 3 | No. 750 | 2012 |
| 13 | OT Laremy Tunsil | 5 | No. 4 | 2013 |
| 14 | S Karl Joseph | 3 | No. 518 | 2012 |
| 15 | WR Corey Coleman | 4 | No. 154 | 2012 |
| 16 | OT Taylor Decker | 4 | No. 166 | 2012 |
| 17 | S Keanu Neal | 4 | No. 109 | 2013 |
| 18 | C Ryan Kelly | 4 | No. 236 | 2011 |
| 19 | DE Shaq Lawson | 4 | No. 346 | 2012 |
| 20 | LB Darron Lee | 3 | No. 633 | 2013 |
| 21 | WR Will Fuller | 4 | No. 277 | 2013 |
| 22 | WR Josh Doctson | 3 | No. 1,402 | 2011 |
| 23 | WR Laquon Treadwell | 5 | No. 14 | 2013 |
| 24 | CB William Jackson | 2 | No. 2,206 | 2012 |
| 25 | CB Artie Burns | 4 | No. 96 | 2013 |
| 26 | QB Paxton Lynch | 2 | No. 1,908 | 2012 |
| 27 | DT Kenny Clark | 4 | No. 266 | 2013 |
| 28 | OG Joshua Garnett | 4 | No. 38 | 2012 |
| 29 | DT Robert Nkemdiche | 5 | No. 1 | 2013 |
| 30 | DT Vernon Butler | 2 | No. 1,827 | 2012 |
| 31 | OG Germain Ifedi | 4 | No. 261 | 2012 |
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
