With National Signing Day on Wednesday, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back to see how the Redskins players were rated coming out of high school (with a hat tip to my Lions colleague Michael Rothstein for the idea). It’s been widely stated, but there were no five-star recruit starters on either Super Bowl team this year.
Here’s how the Redskins’ defensive players were rated. (Thanks to the ESPN RecruitingNation and Rivals.com databases for the information. They only go back to 2002, and ESPN began its rankings in 2006.) Take it for what it's worth; it's a snapshot of how they were rated coming out of high school. And take note of how few five-star recruits are here; in fact, there's only one -- that's a comment on the ratings, not the need to somehow add more.
Defensive line
Barry Cofield: 3 stars.
Jarvis Jenkins: 4 stars.
Jason Hatcher: Not available.
Chris Baker: 2 stars.
Stephen Bowen: Not available.
Chris Neild: 3 stars – as a tight end.
Kedric Golston: 4 stars.
Robert Thomas (practice squad): 3 stars.
Linebackers
Brian Orakpo: 4 stars.
Ryan Kerrigan: 3 stars.
Jackson Jeffcoat: 5 stars (defensive end).
Perry Riley: 3 stars.
Keenan Robinson: 4 stars.
Will Compton: 4 stars (listed as an athlete).
Gabe Miller: 4 stars.
Trevardo Williams: 3 stars (defensive end).
Adam Hayward: 2 stars (as a running back).
Trent Murphy: 3 stars (as a defensive end).
Secondary
DeAngelo Hall: Not available.
Phillip Thomas: 3 stars.
E.J. Biggers: 3 stars (listed as athlete).
David Amerson: 4 stars.
Bashaud Breeland: 3 stars.
Tracy Porter: No stars/not rated.
Trey Wolfe (practice squad): No stars/not rated.
Akeem Davis: 2 stars.
Trenton Robinson: 2 stars.
Justin Rogers: No stars/not rated.
Duke Ihenacho: 2 stars.
