Every year 247Sports ranks the top juco prospects in the country, a difficult task given the smaller window of opportunity junior college prospects are given to make an impact at their four-year college of choice. What’s more, there is often not a complete body of work to evaluate during the recruiting cycle like there is with most high school recruits, whose projection is a culmination of film, in-person and camp evaluation.
But more and more, schools are taking chances on junior college prospects, quite often because the high school prospects they signed did not pan out. Programs in need of a quick fix at a position lacking depth sometimes get burned by going the juco route, but there can be no denying the impact getting the right junior college player can have on any program. Just look at the success Auburn has had recently with guys like Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and Nick Marshall.
The 2013 NFL Draft had a staggering seven former jucos taken in the first round:
No. 4 OT Lane Johnson - Kilgore (Oklahoma)
No. 12 CB D.J. Hayden - Navarro (Houston)
No. 13 DT Sheldon Richardson - College of the Sequoias (Missouri)
No. 14 DT Star Lotulelei - Snow (Utah)
No. 20 OL Kyle Long - Saddleback (Oregon)
No. 28 DT Sylvester Williams - Coffeyville (North Carolina)
No. 29 WR Cordarrelle Patterson - Hutchinson (Tennessee)
There has been at least one former juco taken in the last five NFL Drafts:
2010 - No. 15 DE Jason Pierre-Paul - USF via Fort Scott C.C.
2011 - No. 1 QB Cam Newton - Auburn via Blinn College
2012 - No. 15 LB Bruce Irvin - West Virginia via Mt. San Antonio College
2013 - No. 4 OT Lane Johnson - Oklahoma via Kilgore College
2014 - No. 23 CB Jason Verrett - TCU via Santa Rosa Junior College
That streak will continue in 2014 - Look for Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong and Nebraska’s Randy Gregory to make it six years in a row for former juco players being drafted in the first round. I had both going in my early 2015 mock draft last week.
Auburn and South Carolina will clean up in the juco ranks in the 2015 cycle - The Tigers already have the No. 1 juco in the country in five-star running back Jovon Robinson, the No. 1 cornerback in Tony Bridges and four-star athlete Jason Smith. Having signed six jucos each of the last two years, Malzahn is likely to add another couple in this class. The Gamecocks have juco offensive tackle Paris Palmer committed, and are Crystal Ball favorites to land defensive linemen Marquavius Lewis and DJ Jones, 2014 defensive end signee Dante Sawyer and inside linebacker Davon Durant as well.
Seminoles find DB gem - Florida State jumped in with the first offer to jumbo defensive back Rasul Douglas, and after watching the film, it is easy to see why the Seminoles like the 6-foot-3, 200-pound juco standout. Since then, Douglas says Tennessee, West Virginia, Kansas, Illinois and Utah State have offered.
Third time’s a charm for juco LB - Keep an eye on juco linebacker Antonio Kinard. He signed with Michigan out of high school and Miami out of Hargrave Military Academy, Kinnard is now at Arizona Western and will try again as a juco December grad in the 2015 class. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect was a first-team NJCAA All-American selection last season after posting 106 tackles, 1.5 sacks. 16.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Louisville and Cal have offered so far.
In the photo feature below are five colleges that, in my opinion, have gotten heavy value from the juco ranks the past three years.
But more and more, schools are taking chances on junior college prospects, quite often because the high school prospects they signed did not pan out. Programs in need of a quick fix at a position lacking depth sometimes get burned by going the juco route, but there can be no denying the impact getting the right junior college player can have on any program. Just look at the success Auburn has had recently with guys like Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and Nick Marshall.
The 2013 NFL Draft had a staggering seven former jucos taken in the first round:
No. 4 OT Lane Johnson - Kilgore (Oklahoma)
No. 12 CB D.J. Hayden - Navarro (Houston)
No. 13 DT Sheldon Richardson - College of the Sequoias (Missouri)
No. 14 DT Star Lotulelei - Snow (Utah)
No. 20 OL Kyle Long - Saddleback (Oregon)
No. 28 DT Sylvester Williams - Coffeyville (North Carolina)
No. 29 WR Cordarrelle Patterson - Hutchinson (Tennessee)
There has been at least one former juco taken in the last five NFL Drafts:
2010 - No. 15 DE Jason Pierre-Paul - USF via Fort Scott C.C.
2011 - No. 1 QB Cam Newton - Auburn via Blinn College
2012 - No. 15 LB Bruce Irvin - West Virginia via Mt. San Antonio College
2013 - No. 4 OT Lane Johnson - Oklahoma via Kilgore College
2014 - No. 23 CB Jason Verrett - TCU via Santa Rosa Junior College
That streak will continue in 2014 - Look for Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong and Nebraska’s Randy Gregory to make it six years in a row for former juco players being drafted in the first round. I had both going in my early 2015 mock draft last week.
Auburn and South Carolina will clean up in the juco ranks in the 2015 cycle - The Tigers already have the No. 1 juco in the country in five-star running back Jovon Robinson, the No. 1 cornerback in Tony Bridges and four-star athlete Jason Smith. Having signed six jucos each of the last two years, Malzahn is likely to add another couple in this class. The Gamecocks have juco offensive tackle Paris Palmer committed, and are Crystal Ball favorites to land defensive linemen Marquavius Lewis and DJ Jones, 2014 defensive end signee Dante Sawyer and inside linebacker Davon Durant as well.
Seminoles find DB gem - Florida State jumped in with the first offer to jumbo defensive back Rasul Douglas, and after watching the film, it is easy to see why the Seminoles like the 6-foot-3, 200-pound juco standout. Since then, Douglas says Tennessee, West Virginia, Kansas, Illinois and Utah State have offered.
Third time’s a charm for juco LB - Keep an eye on juco linebacker Antonio Kinard. He signed with Michigan out of high school and Miami out of Hargrave Military Academy, Kinnard is now at Arizona Western and will try again as a juco December grad in the 2015 class. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound prospect was a first-team NJCAA All-American selection last season after posting 106 tackles, 1.5 sacks. 16.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Louisville and Cal have offered so far.
In the photo feature below are five colleges that, in my opinion, have gotten heavy value from the juco ranks the past three years.
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