Five Star Recruits Entering the NFL in 2020
As a general draft strategy, I have always liked to target players who were five star recruits in college. These prospects have been recognized as top players for a long time, and if they were high draft picks in the NFL, it typically shows that they were able to live up to high expectations in college - suggesting that they can also live up to expectations in the pros. For those that couldn’t hack it in college, well, those are the ideal late-round dart throws. Here is the list of (fantasy relevant) former five star recruits, per 24/7 Sports, who are entering the NFL in 2020:
Cam Akers, RB, Rams. Akers played three years at Florida State, where he was THE offense. Despite playing behind a terrible offensive line. Akers had two seasons rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the Seminoles, joining Warrick Dunn and Dalvin Cook as the only players to accomplish that feat. In his final season, he had 1100 yards rushing, 14 rushing touchdowns, 30 receptions, and 4 receiving scores. He is an all-around back whose game should translate well to the NFL.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Lions. Swift was brought along slowly as a freshman, as he had to share a backfield with NFL stars Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Still, even as a freshman he made his presence felt, totaling 4 scores and over 750 yards from scrimmage. In both his sophomore and junior campaigns, he rushed for over 1,000 yards. His final year of college he played through various injuries, but still managed 1200 yards and 8 total touchdowns. He has a well rounded skill set, including abilities as a pass catcher, and he had an elite YPC (over 6.6) for his college career.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos. Jeudy played three years for the Crimson Tide and improved every season. He played sparingly as a freshman, but exploded onto the scene as a sophomore with 68 catches, 1,315 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He followed that up with a junior campaign where he reeled in 77 passes for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns. His production is even more impressive when you consider that he was sharing targets with fellow first round pick Henry Ruggs.
Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals. Higgins played 3 seasons for the Clemson Tigers, and posted consistent stat lines in his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2018, he had 59 catches for 936 yards and 12 touchdowns; and in 2019, he had 59 catches for 1167 yards and 13 touchdowns. He improved his yards per catch by more than four yards between his sophomore and junior year, which bodes well for his continued development.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins. Tagovailoa played for three seasons for the Crimson Tide but struggled with various injuries. His best season was his sophomore campaign in 2018 when he completed 69% of his passes for 3,966 yards and 43 touchdowns. He followed that up with a 9-game junior campaign where he completed 71.4% of his passes and tossed 33 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending hip injury. The Dolphins selected him fifth overall in the hopes that he can be the franchise passer they’ve lacked since Dan Marino retired.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Browns. For all his talent, he had an underwhelming college career. He never had more than 615 receiving yards in a season, and never caught 50 balls. He also didn’t have a single 100-yard receiving game in college. The talent is there, but it seems like the desire isn’t. But as a late round flier as the WR3 for the Browns, hey, maybe he’s worth a dart throw in a deep league.