NFL players aren't developed. They are born and recruited. There's not a damn thing that any school does to a kid to make him an NFL talent. And, we all know we recruit like crap most of the time. Also, great article about how recruiting stars are ultimately all that matters.
Stars Matter
One of the great debates every recruiting season is over the importance of recruiting rankings. One one side are the recruitniks talking up the top names, and on the other side the "stars don't matter" crowd. And there's evidence both ways: schools with better recruiting classes do outperform their more recruit-challenged brethren, but certain schools consistently punch above their recruiting weight on the football field. So let's start by getting one thing straight, stars do matter, even if they aren't everything.
Recruiting Stars
Percent drafted
Average draft position
?? 4.9% 143 (5th rd)
??? 8.1% 124 (late 4th)
???? 16.7% 107 (early 4th)
????? 38.0% 81 (3rd rd)
The likelihood of being drafted increase substantially with a player's star-ranking. And when drafted, higher rated recruits are drafter earlier. For instance, a 4-star recruit is over three-times more likely than a two-star to get drafted, and will be picked over a round earlier than those two-stars that do get drafted.
