There shouldn't have been much of a surprise that Kyler Murray ended up as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Sure, when the 2018 college football season started, it was widely assumed that Murray would spend one season as Oklahoma's starting quarterback, enjoy his final year of football and then move on to a future in baseball as a top-10 pick in the MLB Draft. But rewind all the way back to his high school career and you see that Murray has long carried expectations that include the potential of having his name called on the first night of the NFL Draft.
Murray was one of eight players picked in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft that received a five-star rating from the 247Sports Composite. Six of those eight former five-star prospects were picked in the top 13, including No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver at No. 9.
But not all of the top picks were blue-chip prospects in the recruiting process. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, the No. 6 pick, didn't have a 247Sports Composite ranking and joined David Cutcliffe's team as a walk-on after a strong showing during his senior season at Charlotte Latin. Jones and offensive tackle Tytus Howard, the No. 23 pick out of FCS Alabama State, didn't have a star rating at all. Meanwhile, linebacker Josh Allen ranked outside the top 2,000 as a two-star prospect in his class, but after a successful career at Kentucky, was selected No. 7 overall Thursday night.
Most of the first round was made up by former four-star (10) and three-star (11) prospects with a couple junior college products, and 13 of the first 20 picks being players that ranked in the top 200 overall in their respective class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
2019 NFL Draft first round by recruiting rating
- 5-stars: 8
- 4-stars: 9
- 3-stars: 11
- 2-stars: 1
- Unranked: 3
Here's a look at how each first round pick ranked as a high school prospect:
Rankings courtesy of the 247Sports Composite.
| NFL Team | Player | School | Stars | Rank (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyler Murray, QB | Oklahoma (via Texas A&M) | 5 | 34 (2014) | |
| Nick Bosa, DE | Ohio State | 5 | 8 (2015) | |
| Quinnen Williams, DT | Alabama | 4 | 155 (2015) | |
| Clelin Ferrell, DE | Clemson | 4 | 115 (2014) | |
| Devin White, LB | LSU | 4 | 135 (2016) | |
| Daniel Jones, QB | Duke | 0 | N/A (2015) | |
| Josh Allen, EDGE | Kentucky | 2 | 2,121 (2015) | |
| T.J. Hockenson, TE | Iowa | 3 | 1,468 (2015) | |
| Ed Oliver, DL | Houston | 5 | 6 (2015) | |
| Devin Bush, LB | Michigan | 4 | 312 (2015) | |
| Jonah Williams, OL | Alabama | 5 | 17 (2015) | |
| Rashan Gary, DL | Michigan | 5 | 1 (2016) | |
| Christian Wilkins, DL | Clemson | 5 | 24 (2015) | |
| Chris Lindstrom, OL | Boston College | 3 | 1,037 (2014) | |
| Dwayne Haskins, QB | Ohio State | 4 | 91 (2016) | |
| Brian Burns, EDGE | Florida State | 4 | 46 (2016) | |
| Dexter Lawrence, DL | Clemson | 5 | 2 (2015) | |
| Garrett Bradbury, C | NC State | 3 | 1,749 (2013) | |
| Jeffery Simmons, DL | Mississippi State | 5 | 18 (2016) | |
| Noah Fant, TE | Iowa | 3 | 536 (2015) | |
| Darnell Savage, S | Maryland | 3 | 1,055 (2014) | |
| Andre Dillard, OL | Washington State | 3 | 1,505 (2013) | |
| Tytus Howard, OL | Alabama State | 0 | N/A (2014) | |
| Josh Jacobs, RB | Alabama | 3 | 469 (2016) | |
| Marquise Brown, WR | Oklahoma (via College of the Canyons) | 0 | N/A (2016) | |
| Montez Sweat, EDGE | Mississippi State (via Michigan State, Copiah-Lincoln C.C.) | 3 | N/A (2014) | |
| Johnathan Abram, S | Mississippi State (via Georgia, Jones County C.C.) | 3 | 695 (2015) | |
| Jerry Tillery, DT | Notre Dame | 4 | 156 (2013) | |
| L.J. Collier, DE | TCU | 3 | 1,068 (2014) | |
| Deandre Baker, CB | Georgia | 3 | 657 (2014) | |
| Kaleb McGary, OL | Washington | 4 | 285 (2014) | |
| N'Keal Harry | Arizona State | 4 | 53 (2015) |
