National Signing Day is today's main event in the world of sports, and we couldn't resist joining in the fun.
Through some extensive Googling, we unearthed just about every Browns player's profile on Rivals.com to see where they ranked as high school recruits. The theme that surfaced at Sunday's Super Bowl, which featured not a single five-star high school recruit among starters on either roster, certainly carried over to what we discovered.
Here's the breakdown, which includes some anecdotes about some of the players' recruitments. Some players' recruitments, such as Karlos Dansby's, pre-dated the Internet's tracking of this sort of thing, so they are simply filed with the rest of the unranked players. Most of the players who attended small schools do not have recruiting profiles.
It serves as a strong reminder that if you're a good football player, the NFL will eventually find you -- no matter where you are or what you were ranked in high school.
5-stars
RB Isaiah Crowell
-- Was considered the No. 4 RB in the class of 2011; Ultimately picked Georgia over Alabama by pulling a bulldog puppy from underneath a table during a ceremony at his high school.
DT Jacobbi McDaniel
-- Considered the No. 2 DT in the nation in the class. Turned down offer from Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him in 33rd round of 2009 MLB Draft.
4-stars
DL Calvin Barnett
WR Travis Benjamin
-- He picked Miami over South Florida and caught the Hurricane coaching staff by surprise when he committed three months before National Signing Day.
RB Shaun Draughn
DB Justin Gilbert
DB Joe Haden (ATH)
-- An early commitment at Florida, Haden took a visit to Ohio State but only made one official visit during his recruitment.
LB Barkevious Mingo
OL Vinston Painter
WR Rodney Smith
DT Phil Taylor
OL Joe Thomas
DL Christian Tupou
-- He'd hoped to announce his decision National Signing Day, but when word of his commitment to USC leaked, Tupou ended the uncertainty two days early.
DB Donte Whitner
3-stars
WR Phil Bates (dual-threat QB)
OL Michael Bowie
TE Jim Dray
-- Picked Stanford after holding offers from Boston College, Florida State, Iowa, Notre Dame and Tennessee
DL Sione Fua
DB Tashaun Gipson
K Garrett Hartley
-- Ranked the No. 2 kicker in the class of 2004.
QB Brian Hoyer
-- Signed with Michigan State after holding offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Maryland, South Carolina and Wake Forest
DL John Hughes (TE)
-- Was considered the No. 48 tight end in the class of 2007.
LB Chris Kirksey (ATH)
QB Johnny Manziel
DL Ahtyba Rubin (OG)
OL Mitchell Schwartz
QB Connor Shaw
-- Shaw was wowed by one of his first visits to South Carolina and called coach Steve Spurrier his "idol."
LB Jabaal Sheard
DB K'Waun Williams
DL Billy Winn
-- He was the No. 1 ranked player in Nevada for the class of 2007.
RB Glenn Winston
2-stars
DB Johnson Bademosi
-- One of his last visits was to nearby Maryland, where he played "Guitar Hero" with some of the Terps players. He ultimately picked Stanford.
TE Gary Barnidge
OL Joel Bitonio
LB Tank Carder
DB Pierre Desir
OL John Greco
DL Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
LB Paul Kruger (ATH)
OL Alex Mack
-- Even as a high school senior, Mack was prepared to redshirt with the Golden Bears. He did and ultimately became one of the best centers in college football.
OL Andrew McDonald
WR Marlon Moore
DB Robert Nelson
DB Jordan Poyer
-- Upon signing, Poyer told Rivals his favorite TV show was "MTV Cribs."
LB Craig Robertson
OL Ryan Seymour
LB Scott Solomon
LS Christian Yount
1-stars
WR Andrew Hawkins (DB)
-- Signing Day was on Hawkins' mind today, as he unearthed his old Rivals.com profile on Instagram. At one point during his recruitment, he considered Cincinnati his leader.
Not ranked
WR Miles Austin
OL Karim Barton
DL Armonty Bryant
DL Desmond Bryant
TE Jordan Cameron (Began college playing basketball at BYU)
WR Kevin Cone
LB Karlos Dansby (no rankings available; was considered one of top LBs in nation)
LB Darius Eubanks
WR Taylor Gabriel
LS Charley Hughlett
DB Kendall James
P Spencer Lanning
DB Jim Leonhard
OL Nick McDonald
OL Paul McQuistan
DL Jamie Meder
LB Keith Pough
DB Buster Skrine
QB Tyler Thigpen
RB Terrance West
