2023 NFL Draft: Will Levis, Zay Flowers among Round 1 prospects overlooked by high school recruiters

Here are some top prospects who were not ranked high coming out of high school

The star rating system for college football prospects is not a perfect science, and every year there will be some surprises that no longer align with their old rating. A player's rating coming out of high school can be a sign for how they will do in the future, but sometimes the rest of their career is different than their original ranking would suggest.

The system is becoming more accurate, and historically, the former five-star and four-star prospects are the ones taken early in the draft. There have been outliers in the past, though, and this year is no different. 

According to CBS Sports' prospect rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft, these are the nine players ranked inside the top 32 who were ranked lower than four stars coming out of high school by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

For more draft content, check out our latest prospect rankings and mock drafts, as well as our new weekly podcast, "With the First Pick," featuring former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. (Check out the latest episode below.)

QB Will Levis, Kentucky

CBS Sports rank: No. 5 (QB3) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 28 pro-style QB) in Class of 2018

Levis came out of Xavier High School (Middletown, Connecticut) in 2018 as a three-star recruit (ranked No. 652 in the nation). The 6-foot-4 quarterback started at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky in 2021. He played here-and-there at Penn State and became a player to watch while at Kentucky. Levis has impressive size, arm strength and mobility. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech

CBS Sports rank: No. 6 (EDGE2) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 23 weak-side DE) in Class of 2018

Wilson was ranked No. 471 nationally and No. 68 in Texas when he graduated high school in 2018. At that time, he was a three-star recruit headed to Texas A&M, but then he transferred to Texas Tech in 2020. His high school scouting report notes that Wilson was named the Texas District 9-3A-II Overall MVP as a senior and was a first-team all-district selection at OLB as a junior. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

CBS Sports rank: No. 8 (CB2) | 247Sports Composite: 0 stars in Class of 2019

In a matter of four years, Witherspoon went from a zero-star recruit out of high school to one of the top projected picks. He has the biggest jump from high school of CBS Sports' top-eight prospects. He had no Florida or national rating when he graduated in 2019; now he's a projected top-12 selection in the NFL Draft. In 2022, he was named first-team All-American (AP) and had the fewest yards/attempt allowed (3.0) in the FBS (minimum 50 attempts). Witherspoon has a high football IQ, is extremely competitive and makes plays on the football. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa

CBS Sports rank: No. 15 (EDGE3) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 52 strong-side DE) in Class of 2020

Van Ness graduated from Barrington High School in Illinois in 2020 sitting at No. 1063 in the national rating for his class. However, he became an NFL prospect at Iowa. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound player was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2022 and was tied with the second-most sacks in the Big Ten over the past two seasons, coming in at 14.0. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

WR Zay Flowers, Boston College

CBS Sports rank: No. 20 (WR2) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 135 WR) in Class of 2019

The 2019 graduate is No. 20 in the prospect rankings by CBS Sports, but when he left high school he was only a three-star recruit ranked No. 1,188 nationally. In 2022, he recorded 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns. He left Boston College as its all-time leader in receptions with 200, receiving yards at 3,056 and receiving touchdowns with 29. He is certainly not the tallest on the field, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for with solid route-running, explosiveness and power. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah

CBS Sports rank: No. 26 (TE1) | 247Sports Composite: 0 stars in Class of 2018

Kincaid was unranked coming out of high school in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-4 tight end started his college career at San Diego State in 2018, then transferred to Utah in 2020. In 2022, he had 70 receptions, the most by a FBS tight end, 890 yards (with an average of 12.7 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. He is the highest-ranked at his position in CBS Sports' prospect rankings in large part due to his pass-catching ability. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

IOL O'Cyrus Torrence, Florida

CBS Sports rank: No. 27 (IOL1) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 140 OT) in Class of 2019

Torrence was No. 1,617 nationally when he graduated in 2019. In 2017, he earned first-team all-state honors at defensive tackle in Louisiana Class 2A. He went on to Louisiana and transferred to Florida in 2022. He allowed zero sacks in 1,427 pass block snaps and in 2022 was an AP first-team All-American. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

DL Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh 

CBS Sports rank: No. 31 (DL3) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 64 DT) in Class of 2019

This three-star recruit graduated high school in 2019 and went to play for Pittsburgh. Coming out of high school, he was ranked No. 837 nationally and No. 110 in Florida. He went on to become the first unanimous All-American from Pitt since Aaron Donald, who is not a bad player to be in the same category as. Kancey's pressure rate of 18% last season was the second-highest in the ACC. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)

CB Deonte Banks, Maryland

CBS Sports rank: No. 32 (CB5) | 247Sports Composite: 3 stars (No. 76 CB) in Class of 2019

Banks is a 6-foot-1, 197-pound cornerback who ranked 854th nationally coming out of high school in 2019. At Maryland, he had the third-lowest completion percentage allowed in the Big Ten at 39%. He only had one missed tackle in 2022 and excels at man coverage thanks to his length. (Full NFL Draft scouting report)