Patrick Mahomes was a 3 Star QB, Jimmy Garoppolo was a 2 Star QB
Patrick Mahomes was a 3 Star QB.
He was ranked the 29th "PRO" QB. He was ranked 655th overall football player by 247.
He had only 3 scholarship offers:
These are the 28 QBs ranked ahead of him. Wilton Speight is in the list. How many names do you recognize?
These are the Top 10 overall players from his class year. Jabrill Peppers is in the list. How many names do you recognize?
Jimmy Garoppolo was a 2 Star QB.
He was ranked the 67th "PRO" QB. He was ranked the 2034th overall player. 247 didn't have a ranking for him, only a composite. And, no picture of him.
He had only 3 scholarship offers:
These are the 66 QBs ranked higher than him. How many names do you recognize?
These are the Top 10 overall players from his class. How many names do you recognize?
I can only say,
"I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise, nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding, nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance happen to them all."
It's profound how many of these players are not even in football anymore.
Hat/Tip to BuddhaBlue for the comment that sparked my interest: https://mgoblog.com/comment/243747892#comment-243747892
February 2nd, 2020 at 3:46 PM ^
I remember Sean White. He was a helluva skier.
February 2nd, 2020 at 3:53 PM ^
QB is the best position the take shots at recruiting rankings since it’s such a difficult position to evaluate. I bet if you did the same thing with defensive backs you’d have a very different result. Malcolm Butlers are pretty rare.
However, don’t take my comment above to mean that I’m a complete star gazer. I just mean that some positions are easier to evaluate and the stars are more dependable. Shea was a 5* QB but clearly there were 3* QBs better than him. I don’t think you’ll often see the same thing with a CB because great technique can’t make up for being slow at that position. If the coaches really believe in a 3* OL I trust them. With 3* DBs I worry.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:20 PM ^
Kind of irrelevant to Michigan considering neither was a world beater in college. Mahomes was no slouch (All-Big XII Second Team) but he’s on a different level in the NFL. Not sure Garrapolo would have done much at a B1G school.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
I thought today was Super Bowl Sunday. I thought these players were relevant to that. What was I thinking.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:24 PM ^
Jimmy Graoppolo was 6/8 for 77 yards against Green Bay, and 11-19, 131 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT against the Vikings. He is NOT the reason they are winning and I would totally buy him as a 2 star.
If Mahomes goes off in the 2nd quarter and beyond like he has been I can't see how Jimmy can keep up with him.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:29 PM ^
Someone check on Maizen, this post probably gave him a Rage Stroke.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:43 PM ^
Maybe he has more than one account, because a few people are going off on this.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
NFL is a total crapshoot. There’s a reason that some first rounders flame out every year and other Day 3 picks or UDFAs blossom into superstars. Just one part of what makes the game great.
February 2nd, 2020 at 4:50 PM ^
Lot of highschool kids don't get their "man size" until between their Junior and Senior year, and then it takes a couple of years beyond that to get to football size. I've seen a number of guy in grades behind me go from big goofy kids as sophomores to D1 prospects as seniors. [80%] of kids are maturing on roughly that schedule, but the 10%+ who are behind schedule are going to have some special athletes. Imagine competing your whole life against bigger tougher kids and then suddenly being bigger and tougher than they are. Beilein, as we all know, tried to find this type of kid. I think it is harder to do in football as you don't who is going to grow 3-4" inches. In basketball they're already 6'6"+ or 7' and just need to put on some weight.
February 2nd, 2020 at 5:05 PM ^
Never having played organized football before, I think the problem with evaluating QB is that so much of the position is mental. Athletes can easily "out-athletic" people in high school, less so in college and less so in the NFL. As has been stated many times, Tom Brady is not as physically gifted as many of his compatriots but he simply possesses unmeasurable skills including work ethic and commitment.
February 2nd, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
Many thanks for this breath of fresh air. And this is why I don't wrap up my life in the recruitment of youngsters.
February 2nd, 2020 at 5:22 PM ^
In Mahomes class...I think Allen, Grier, Kizer, Rudolph and Blough made it to the League.
February 2nd, 2020 at 5:22 PM ^
There are a whole slew of 2 and 3-star guys on these teams starting. But, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Chris Jones, Kendall Fuller, Tryann Mathieu, Nick Bosa, Mike McGlinchey, Sheldon Day, DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Kwon Alexander, Fred Warner were also all 4 and 5-stars.
February 2nd, 2020 at 6:32 PM ^
The key to beating ohio State is to offer a bunch of 2 and 3 star guys and hope you get Patrick Mahomes. Got it. How is that working for us?
February 2nd, 2020 at 6:43 PM ^
So your telling us that some players are under-rated and some players improve after high school. Good to know.
February 2nd, 2020 at 7:34 PM ^
February 2nd, 2020 at 9:00 PM ^
more interesting to me is how guys like Kittle, Mostert, Coleman look like beasts in the NFL compare to how they looked in college.
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:55 PM ^
Tevin Coleman was a beast at Indiana though. He had 2000+ yards rushing his final season
Purdue botched Mosterts talent. His senior year he had only 93 carries for 529 yards and a 5.7ypc average. He clearly should've gotten more touches
February 3rd, 2020 at 1:01 AM ^
interesting... i remember his name as being a focal point, but in his three years, he only played michigan twice, rushing for 78 and 108 yards in the two games he did play...
so maybe he just didn't have great games versus michigan
February 2nd, 2020 at 10:52 PM ^
I don't understand the point
Its proven the better your recruiting classes aka high 4star/5 star players your odds are much better of being an elite team
February 3rd, 2020 at 9:00 AM ^
I’ll make this bet with whomever wants to take me up on it. I’ll take the 20 highest ranked players from 2020. You pay me $100 for each player eventually drafted. You pick any 40 two or three stars. I’ll pay you $100 for each player eventually drafted.
February 4th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
Ok but telling me there are outliers doesn’t change the law of averages...