20 of the NFL's best 40 players weren't top recruits out of high school

Half of nfl.com's list of the top 40 pro football players were 3-star recruits or lower out of high school

Taylor Swift, center, possibly reacts to learning Travis Kelce, left, was only a two-star recruit out of high school, while Patrick Mahomes, right, was only a three-star. / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy has become the poster child as the NFL's ultimate unsung star since rising from Mr. Irrelevant to Pro Bowl quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers.

But among nfl.com's top-40-ranked NFL players in 2024, Purdy isn't the biggest rags-to-riches story when it comes to his ranking as a high school recruit vs. where he is now.

Purdy left Perry High School (Arizona) as a three-star prospect, but two of those top 40 players entered the college game from high school football unranked in the recruiting world.

Those two are Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (Modesto Central Catholic High School in California) and New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (Wenonah High School in Alabama).

A fractured foot will force Bland to miss at least the Cowboys' first four games in 2024 as he looks to improve upon his Pro Bowl season in 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio) is the top-ranked former two-star recruit in the NFL.

Here are the 20 NFL players ranked in the top 40 who left high school as three-star recruits or lower, according to Rivals.com:

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 4 overall)

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was a three-star recruit out of Whitehouse High School in Texas. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Whitehouse High School (Texas) in Class of 2014

2. Trent Williams, OL, San Francisco 49ers (No. 7 overall)

San Francisco 49ers OL Trent Williams was a three-star recruit out of Longview High School in Texas. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Longview High School (Texas) in Class of 2006

3. TJ Watt, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 8 overall)

Pittsburgh Steelers LB TJ Watt was a three-star recruit out of Pewaukee High School in Wisconsin. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Pewaukee High School (Wisconsin) in Class of 2013

4. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 9 overall)

One of these two superstars was a two-star football recruit out of Cleveland Heights High School in Ohio. / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Cleveland Heights High School (Ohio) in Class of 2008

5. Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders (No. 10 overall)

Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby was a two-star recruit out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Colleyville Heritage High School (Texas) in Class of 2015

6. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (No. 12 overall)

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen was a two-star recruit ouf of Firebaugh High School in California. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Firebaugh High School (California) in Class of 2014

7. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers (No. 14 overall)

San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle was a three-star recruit out of Norman High School in Oklahoma. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Norman High School (Oklahoma) in Class of 2012

8. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (No. 16 overall)

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was a three-star recruit out of Haughton High School in Louisiana. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Haughton High School (Louisiana) in Class of 2011

9. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (No. 18 overall)

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson was a two-star recruit out of Destrehan High School in Louisiana. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Destrehan High School (Louisiana) in Class of 2017

10. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 26 overall)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans was a three-star recruit out of Ball High School in Texas. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Ball High School (Texas) in Class of 2011

11. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers (No. 28 overall)

San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy was a three-star recruit out of Perry High School in Arizona. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Perry High School (Arizona) in Class of 2018

12. Khalil Mack, LB, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 29 overall)

Los Angeles Chargers LB Khalil Mack was a two-star recruit out of Fort Pierce Westwood High School in Florida. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Fort Pierce Westwood High School (Florida) in Class of 2009

13. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers (No. 30 overall)

San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr. was a three-star recruit out of Chapman High School in South Carolina. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Three-star recruit out of Chapman High School (South Carolina) in Class of 2014

14. DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys (No. 31 overall)

Dallas Cowboys CB DaRon Bland was an unranked recruit out of Modesto Central Catholic High School in California. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Unranked recruit out of Modesto Central Catholic High School (California) in Class of 2017

15. Quincy Williams, LB, New York Jets (No. 32 overall)

New York Jets LB Quincy Williams was an unranked recruit out of Wenonah High School in Alabama. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Unranked recruit out of Wenonah High School (Alabama) in Class of 2014

16. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers (No. 34 overall)

Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love was a two-star recruit out of Bakersfield Liberty High School in California. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Bakersfield Liberty High School (California) in Class of 2016

17. Josh Hines-Allen, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 35 overall)

Jacksonville Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen was a three-star recruit out of Montclair High School in New Jersey. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three-star recruit out of Montclair High School (New Jersey) in Class of 2015

18. Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets (No. 38 overall)

New York Jets CB Sauce Gardner was a three-star recruit out of Detroit King High School in Michigan. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three-star recruit out of Detroit King High School (Michigan) in Class of 2019

19. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (No. 39 overall)

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow was a three-star recruit out of Athens High School in Ohio. / Cara Owsley / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three-star recruit out of Athens High School (Ohio) in Class of 2015

20. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (No. 40 overall)

Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams was a two-star recruit out of Palo Alto High School in California. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Two-star recruit out of Palo Alto High School (California) in Class of 2011

—

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.

For more information, visit si.com/high-school.