A piece from Joel Erikson on what the crop of potential NFL draft prospects were rated coming out of H.S. Now right off the bat, I'm going to assume he just threw in Jake's name because he's a senior. Did Mr. SheSoundsHideous declare for the draft?
By the time the week is over, Auburn is expected to produce its biggest NFL draft class in years, a class that could be the biggest since five Tigers were selected in 2008.
A few of the Tigers' draft-eligible participants were highly-rated recruits coming out of high school, but the bulk of Auburn's players far out-performed expectations, transforming from lightly-regarded developmental prospects into All-SEC types by the time the 2013 season rolled around.
With that in mind, here's a look back at where Auburn's draft class began, at least in the eyes of the recruiting services that rate players.
The high school rankings here are from Rivals. All projected draft position rankings are from ESPN.
Steven Clark, P, Kansas City, Mo.
High school: 2-star, No. 20 placekicker
Draft projection: Fifth round-FA; No. 2 punter
Chris Davis, CB, Birmingham, Ala.
High school: 3-star, not ranked either as a cornerback or athlete
Draft projection: Third round-sixth round; No. 36 cornerback
Nosa Eguae, DL, Mansfield, Texas
High school: 3-star, No. 17 strong-side defensive end, No. 60 in Texas
Draft projection: Seventh round-FA; No. 54 defensive end
Dee Ford, DE, Odenville, Ala.
High school: 3-star, No. 62 outside linebacker, No. 27 in Alabama
Draft projection: Late first-early second round; No. 4 defensive end
Jake (From State Farm) Holland, LB, Pelham, Ala.
High school: 4-star, No. 8 middle linebacker, No. 10 in Alabama
Draft projection: Seventh round-FA; No. 42 inside linebacker
Tre Mason, RB, Lake Worth, Fla.
High school: 4-star, No. 14 running back, No. 32 in Florida, No. 199 overall
Draft projection: Second-third round; No. 4 running back
Cody Parkey, K, Jupiter, Fla.
High school: 3-star, No. 6 kicker
Draft projection: Sixth round-FA; No. 5 kicker
Jay Prosch, FB, Mobile, Ala.
High school: 2-star, unranked at position
Draft projection: Sixth round-FA; No. 3 fullback
Greg Robinson, LT, Thibodaux, La
High school: 4-star, No. 2 guard, No. 4 in Louisiana, No. 90 overall
Draft projection: Top-5 pick; No. 1 tackle
Craig "Shower Pics" Sanders, DE, Ariton, Ala.
High school: 4-star, No. 12 weak-side defensive end, No. 6 in Alabama, No. 197 overall
Draft projection: Seventh round-FA; No. 46 defensive end
Ryan Smith, S, Cordova, Ala.
High school: 3-star, unranked as an athlete
Draft projection: Seventh round-FA; No. 107 safety
Ryan White, CB, Tallahassee, Fla.
High school: 3-star, unranked as athlete
Draft projection: Seventh round-FA; No. 67 cornerback