clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Looking back at high school recruiting rankings for current Miami Dolphins players

In honor of National Signing Day, we go way back and look at the rankings from Rivals.com for everyone that is currently on the Miami Dolphins roster.

By Matthew Cannata
Andrew Innerarity-USA TODAY Sports

Since today is National Signing Day, I thought it would be fun to look back on several current players on the Miami Dolphins to see what their ranking was coming out of high school. Today is a huge deal in the world of college sports and one that is certainly not taken lightly. While the NFL has the draft and free agency, the NCAA has National Signing Day. With that said though, how much do rankings matter as players head into college? Let’s take a look, using information from Rivals.com.

Unlisted/0 Stars

The following players did not have a Rivals profile. This can be because data wasn't available on them at the time or because they simply weren't rated going into college. Of note on this list is Jordan Cameron, John Denney, Greg Jennings and Cameron Wake. All have carved out solid careers, with Wake likely being a likely inductee into the Hall of Fame one day.
  • Jordan Cameron
  • John Denney
  • Terrence Fede
  • Andrew Franks
  • Greg Jennings
  • Ulrick John
  • Michael James-Johnson
  • Zach Vigil
  • Cameron Wake

Two Stars

There are currently no players on the Dolphins roster that had just one star coming out of college. For two stars, there are several. Of note on this list is Louis Delmas and Brent Grimes as both have had solid NFL careers. The jury is still out on the young guns such as Aikens and Hazel. Paysinger has carved out a nice role on special teams throughout his career while Derrick Shelby has been a very good rotational player.
  • Walt Aikens
  • Louis Delmas
  • Shamiel Gary
  • Brent Grimes
  • Matt Hazel
  • Brice McCain
  • Spencer Paysinger
  • Derrick Shelby
  • Billy Turner

Three Stars

The Dolphins have the most players who had three stars coming out of high school than any other ranking on the team. We can start seeing a pattern here, as many of these players have already carved themselves a solid career, while others are just beginning to make their mark in the NFL. Of note is Rishard Matthews, Koa Misi and Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill just signed a nice extension last offseason while Matthews is expected to receive a nice deal within the next few months. Misi is already on his second contract, although his time in Miami may be up due to injury and size concerns. Many of the players in this group have shown promise, including Ajayi, Darr, Parker and others.
  • Jay Ajayi
  • Matt Darr
  • Jamil Douglas
  • Neville Hewitt
  • Tony Lippett
  • Rishard Matthews
  • Bobby McCain
  • Koa Misi
  • Earl Mitchell
  • Damontre Moore
  • DeVante Parker
  • Tyler Patmon
  • Kelvin Sheppard
  • Ryan Tannehill
  • Jamar Taylor
  • Robert Thomas II
  • Dallas Thomas
  • Michael Thomas
  • Brandon Williams
  • Damien Williams

Four Stars

The group of four star players on the Dolphins come in a close second behind the number of three star players currently on the team. We have a mixed bag of results here, with some players outperforming their rank, some under-performing and others performing right where they should. Of note in this group is Branden Albert, Lamar Miller, Mike Pouncey, Olivier Vernon and Ndamukong Suh. Suh is one of the best defensive players in the NFL while Pouncey is an established center. Both Vernon and Miller will get paid this off-season and Albert, when healthy, is one of the top left tackles in the league. We have others such as Coples, Jordan, McClendon and Moore who haven't quite lived up to their expectations. Of course, there is still time to turn their careers around, with the exception of Moore, who is a career back-up.
  • Branden Albert
  • Deandre Coleman
  • Quinton Coples
  • Mike Hull
  • Ja'Wuan James
  • Dion Jordan
  • Chris McCain
  • Jacque McClendon
  • Lamar Miller
  • Matt Moore
  • Jordan Phillips
  • Mike Pouncey
  • Dion Sims
  • Kenny Stills
  • Jake Stoneburner
  • Ndamukong Suh
  • Logan Thomas (Thomas was a tight end coming out of high school)
  • Olivier Vernon

Five Stars

The Dolphins only have three players on their roster who had five stars coming out of high school. Jenkins burst onto the scene two years ago but battled injuries last season and as a result, his production dropped. He'll look to rebound this coming year. Meanwhile, Jones and Landry have established themselves as some of the best at their position and play the game with passion that is hard to match.
  • Jelani Jenkins
  • Reshad Jones
  • Jarvis Landry
So, in the end, we have a mixed bag of results for every category. As the saying goes, it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. Looking at a small sample size that is the Miami Dolphins, this certainly appears to be the case.

This column was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter!

Next Up In Miami Dolphins News