How were the top NFL Draft projects recruited as high school seniors?

The 2024 NFL Draft may be difficult to predict but most of the top prospects were among the most sought-after players in the nation as high school recruits.

Caleb Williams, the odds-on favorite to be the top pick, was the No. 2-ranked quarterback recruit in the country.

Jayden Daniels was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, while Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy both were five-star recruits.

Edge rusher Dallas Turner, offensive tackle JC Latham and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry were the top-rated players at their prospective positions in the 2021 class.

Of course, there are a handful of surprises.

Jared Verse was an unrated high school recruit and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell wasn’t even considered one of the top 250 recruits in Florida his senior year.

Here’s a look at how 25 top prospects were viewed as high school recruits.

Recent: How many players from Florida high schools will go in the first round?

Note: All rankings are the 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted.

QB Caleb Williams (USC)

Williams was the No. 2 quarterback in the nation — behind Quinn Ewers — and the No. 7 overall recruit in the nation as a senior at Gonzaga (Washington D.C.) in 2021. The five-star recruit signed with Oklahoma, then followed former Sooners coach Lincoln Riley to USC in 2022. Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022.

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)

Harrison, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, was a four-star recruit as a senior at St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) in 2021. Ranked the No. 14 receiver — behind fellow draft prospects Troy Franklin (No. 3), Xavier Worthy (No. 8) and Brian Thomas (No. 13) — and the No. 97 recruit in the nation, Harrison signed with Ohio State. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the country’s best receiver in 2023.

WR Rome Odunze (Washington)

The Bishop Gorman (Nevada) product was a four-star recruit, the No. 2 recruit in the state and the No. 41 wide receiver in the nation as a senior in 2020. Odunze signed with Washington over offers from Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and Miami.

WR Malik Nabers (LSU)

A three-sport athlete in high school, Nabers was a four-star recruit, the No. 8 player in Louisiana and the No. 39 wide receiver in the nation as a senior at Southside in 2021. He committed to Mississippi State the summer before his senior season but then picked up an LSU offer

QB Drake Maye (North Carolina)

Maye was ranked a five-star recruit, the No. 4 quarterback in the nation and the No. 1 player in North Carolina by 247Sports as a senior at Myers Park in 2021. Maye had offers from several national powers and committed to Alabama before his junior year but opted to sign with North Carolina — the same school where his dad, Mark, played football and his older brother, Luke, was a two-time All-ACC basketball player.

OT Joe Alt (Notre Dame)

Alt, the son of former first-round pick and two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle John Alt, was a four-star recruit, the No. 6-ranked player in Minnesota and No. 20 offensive tackle in the nation as a senior at Totino-Grace (Minneapolis) in 2021. Alt committed to Notre Dame before his senior year.

QB Jayden Daniels (LSU)

A four-year starter at Cajon (California), Daniels was the No. 3 ranked player in California and the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation — behind Bo Nix — in the 2019 class. Daniels visited Arizona State, Cal, UCLA and Utah and committed to Arizona State days before the early signing period. He transferred to LSU in 2002. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

TE Brock Bowers (Georgia)

The former Napa (California) standout was a four-star recruit, the No. 10 player in the state and No. 3 tight end in the nation in the 2021 class. Bowers picked Georgia over offers from LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC and others.

CB Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo)

Mitchell was not exactly projected to be a first-round pick as a senior at Williston in 2020. He was rated a three-star recruit, the No. 253 recruit in Florida and the No. 159 cornerback in the country. Mitchell picked Toledo over offers from FAU, Illinois, USF and others.

CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama)

The Tallahassee-St. John Paul II Catholic product was one of the premier recruits in the nation in the class of 2021. Arnold was the No. 12 player in the state, No. 3 safety in the country and the No. 51 overall player in the country, He picked Alabama over Florida and Florida State on national signing day.

OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu (Penn State)

Fashanu was a four-star recruit, the No. 32 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 401 overall recruit in the 2020 class as a senior at Gonzaga (Washington D.C.). He signed with Penn State over offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State.

EDGE Laiatu Latu (UCLA)

Latu, a Carmichael (California) graduate, was one of the top edge rushers in the 2019 class. He ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 20 player in the state and the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the nation. He took official visits to Washington, UCLA and USC and signed with Washington. Latu, who medically retired for two years, transferred to UCLA before the 2022 season.

EDGE Dallas Turner (Alabama)

The son of former Florida A&M star basketball player Deion Turner, Dallas Turner was one of the nation’s best players as a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2021 class. Turner was the No. 2-ranked recruit in the state — behind JC Latham — and the top-ranked edge rusher in the country. He committed to Alabama the summer before his junior year.

QB JJ McCarthy (Michigan)

The IMG Academy graduate was a five-star recruit, the No. 5 quarterback in the nation — three spots behind Caleb Williams — and the No. 25 overall player in the nation in the 2021 class. McCarthy, who also had offers from LSU, Miami, Ohio State, USC and others, committed to Michigan the summer before his junior year.

IOL Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State)

Fuaga was a three-star recruit, the No. 129 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 1,608 overall recruit in the nation as a senior at Mount Tahoma (Washington). He had a handful of offers, including Oregon and USC, and committed to Oregon State nine days before the early signing period.

WR Brian Thomas (LSU)

Thomas was one of Louisiana’s top athletes (he also had major basketball offers) as a senior at Walker in the 2021 class. He ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the state, No. 13 wide receiver — one spot ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr. — and the No. 89 overall player in the nation. Thomas picked LSU over Alabama, FSU, Georgia, Texas A&M and others.

DL Byron Murphy (Texas)

Murphy was a three-star recruit, the No. 54 player in Texas and the No. 49 defensive lineman in the nation as a senior at DeSoto in 2021. Murphy committed to Baylor before his senior season but decommitted after picking up a Texas offer one month before the early signing period.

OT Troy Fautanu (Washington)

Fautanu was the No. 2 recruit in Nevada as a senior at Liberty in 2019. He was ranked the No. 23 offensive lineman and the No. 367 overall player in the country. Notre Dame, Oregon and USC were among the schools to offer but Fautanu committed to Washington a few months before the early signing period.

OT JC Latham (Alabama)

Latham, an IMG product, was the top-ranked recruit in the state and the top-ranked offensive lineman in the nation in the class of 2021. He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State and others.

EDGE Chop Robinson (Penn State)

Robinson was one of the premier recruits in the nation in the 2021 class. The Quince Orchard (Maryland) product was a four-star recruit, No. 3 player in the state and No. 4 edge rusher in the nation — three spots behind Dallas Turner. Robinson originally signed with Maryland and transferred to Penn State before the 2022 season.

EDGE Jared Verse (Florida State)

Despite being a three-time all-conference selection in high school. Verse was a relative unknown as a senior at Central Columbia (Ohio) as a senior in 2019. He went to Albany, an FCS program. After two standout seasons at Albany, Verse was rated a four-star transfer. He transferred to Florida State for the 2022 season.

S Cooper DeJean (Iowa)

DeJean was one of the premier recruits in Iowa as a senior at Odebolt-Arthur-Battle Creek-Ida Grove in 2021. He ranked as the No. 6 overall player in the state and No. 26 safety in the nation. DeJean committed to Iowa during his junior year.

DL Jer’Zahn Newton (Illinois)

Newton was a three-star recruit, the No. 138 player in Florida and the No. 1,043 overall player in the country and a senior at Clearwater Central Catholic in 2020. Newton committed to Maryland as a senior but flipped to Illinois during the early signing period.

CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)

McKinstry was the top-ranked player in Alabama and the top cornerback in the nation as a senior at Pinson Valley in 2021. He chose Alabama from a lengthy offer list that included Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State.

OT Amarius Mims (Georgia)

The Bleckley County (Georgia) graduate was the top-ranked player in the state and No. 3 offensive tackle in the country — two spots behind JC Latham — in the 2021 class. Mims picked Georgia over Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Oregon. He entered the transfer portal for a week in 2022 and took a visit to Florida State but opted to stay with the Bulldogs.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: How were the top NFL Draft projects recruited as high school seniors?