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High School Rankings of All 25 of OSU’s NFL Draft Picks Under Mike Gundy

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James Washington, Mason Rudolph, Tre Flowers and Marcell Ateman became the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th Cowboys selected in the NFL Draft since Mike Gundy took over at Oklahoma State in 2005.

You’ll be shocked to hear that none of those were viewed as five-star prospects coming out of high school.

So with the draft in the rearview, I decided to take a look at the high school rankings of not just the 2018 OSU draft class, but all 25 of the former Cowboys who have been drafted under Gundy’s watch. (This list includes Billy Bajema and Darrent Williams, both of which were technically drafted under Gundy. But Gundy was hired in January 2005, following the conclusion of the 2004 season.)

James Washington | Second Round, No. 60 Overall | 2018 draft

Rating: Three star

WR Rank: 95

Washington was the first Cowboy off the board in 2018. Pretty impressive, considering he was a three-star prospect out of Samford, Texas. 247Sports rated him as the No. 95 wide receiver in the 2014 class and the No. 689 overall player.

Mason Rudolph | Third Round, No. 76 overall | 2018 draft

Rating: Four star

QB rank: 16

Rudolph was far from a hidden gem out of high school, but even talent evaluators are likely surprised with the success he had in college. He was considered a four-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 16 pro-style QB in the 2014 class.

rudolph

Tre Flowers | Fifth Round, No. 146 overall | 2018 draft

Rating: Three star

FS rank: 75

Flowers wasn’t even a top 1,000 prospect coming out of high school in Converse, Texas, but he heard his name called in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft this past weekend.

Marcell Ateman | Seventh Round, No. 228 overall | 2018 draft

Rating: Four star

WR rank: 38

Ateman was seen as a very well-rounded prospect coming out of high school. 247Sports’ composite rankings had him as a four-star, top-300 recruit in the 2013 class.

marcell ateman

Vincent Taylor | Sixth Round, No. 194 overall | 2017 draft

Rating: Four star

DT rank: 29

Taylor was just barely a four-star prospect who ranked as the No. 29 prospect at the defensive tackle position coming out of high school in 2013.

Chris Carson | Seventh Round, No. 249 overall | 2017 draft

Rating: Three star

RB rank: 83

Carson committed to OSU out of junior college where he was heavily recruited. But he was still merely the 1,330th overall player in the 2013 class, according to 247sports.

Emmanuel Ogbah | Second Round, No. 32 overall | 2016 draft

Rating: Three star

DE rank: 39

Ogbah was the 39th best defensive end in the 2012 class and a three star prospect. But he parlayed his successes at OSU into an early second round pick in 2016.

Josh Furman | Seventh Round, No. 252 overall | 2015 draft

Rating: Four star

Safety rank: 19

Furman was a four-star prospect who originally signed with Michigan before making good on a grad transfer year at Oklahoma State and being drafted. He was the No. 19 overall athlete in the 2010 class.

Justin Gilbert | First Round, No. 8 overall | 2014 draft

Rating: Four star

Ath. rank: 17

Gilbert was a four-star, top-300 recruit out of high school who was viewed as an athlete. OSU put him to use as a corner, where he thrived and earned a top-10 selection in 2014.

Gilbert-e1314389856978

Joseph Randle | Fifth Round, No. 151 overall | 2013 draft

Rating: Four star

Ath. rank: 25

Randle, like Gilbert, was an athlete out of high school. But he was always a running back, where he found a niche at OSU. He was the No. 25 athlete in the 2010 class.

Justin Blackmon | First Round, No. 5 overall | 2012 draft

Rating: Two star

WR rank: 81

Blackmon wasn’t even a top-10 prospect in the state of Oklahoma coming out of high school. But he wound up as the only two-time Biletnikoff winner and was drafted fifth overall in 2012.

blackmon-s-1024

[OKState.com]

Brandon Weeden | First Round, No. 22 overall | 2012 draft

Rating: N/A

QB rank: N/A

Weeden played professional baseball before he led OSU to a Big 12 title in 2011. So yeah, wasn’t exactly a can’t-miss QB prospect.

Markelle Martin | Sixth Round, No. 190 overall | 2012 draft

Rating: Four star

FS rank: 20

Martin was a four-star recruit in the 2008 class viewed as a top-20 player at his position.

Kendall Hunter | Fourth Round, No. 115 overall | 2011 draft

Rating: Three star

RB rank: 42

Hunter was a three-star running back out of high school who was viewed as a top-65 player in Texas in the 2007 class. He was still barely a top-50 player at his position.

Russell Okung | First Round, No. 6 overall | 2010 draft

Rating: Three star

OL rank: 37

Okung was hardly a blue-chipper, but he was special from the moment he arrived on campus and went No. 6 overall in 2010.

okung

[USATSI]

Dez Bryant | First Round, No. 24 overall | 2010 draft

Rating: Four star

WR rank: 7

Bryant was a top-50 recruit in the 2007 recruiting class.

Perrish Cox | Fifth Round, No. 137 overall | 2010 draft

Rating: Four stars

CB rank: 20

Cox was viewed as a consensus top-300, four-star recruit out of high school and most recently spent time with the Titans. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2010 and was a top-20 player at his position coming out of high school.

NFL: Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions

[USATSI]

Zac Robinson | Seventh Round, No. 250 overall | 2010 draft

Rating: Three stars

QB rank: 14

Robinson was the No. 14 dual-threat QB in the 2005 class and little more than a three-star prospect. 247 viewed him as the 414th overall prospect in the national class overall.

Brandon Pettigrew | First Round, No. 20 overall | 2009 draft

Rating: Two-stars

TE rank: 12

Pettigrew flourished as a Cowboy. But he was no more than a two-star prospect who was viewed as a player barely inside the top-300 recruits. Not bad for being a mid first-rounder in 2009.

NFL: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Brandon Pettigrew. [USATSI]

Ryan McBean | Fourth Round, No. 132 overall | 2007 draft

Rating: Four-stars

SDE rank: 1

McBean was recruited by OSU out of junior college as the No. 1 prospect at the strong-side defensive end position. A four-star recruit, he was pretty highly touted and was one heckuva talent at OSU.

Corey Hilliard | Sixth Round, No. 209 overall | 2007 draft

Rating: Two-stars

OL rank: 149

Hilliard had two offers out of high school as an under-the-radar product from New Orleans. But the Patriots made him a sixth round pick in 2007, despite being tabbed as the No. 149 tackle prospect in the 2003 high school class.

Charlie Johnson | Sixth Round, No. 199 overall |2006 draft

Rating: Two-stars

TE rank: 56

Charlie Johnson was evaluated as a tight end out of high school if you’re curious about his profile. But he was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in 2006 by the Colts, and he had a respectable professional career for both the Colts and Vikings … as an offensive lineman.

NFL: New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings

[USATSI]

Vernand Morency | Third Round, No. 73 overall | 2005 draft

Rating: N/A

RB rank: N/A

Morency may have been a big timer — he was a third round pick in 2005, after all — but he certainly wasn’t a can’t-miss high school prospect. In fact, 247Sports doesn’t even house a recruiting profile on him.

Darrent Williams | Second Round, No. 56 overall | 2005 draft

Rating: N/A

CB rank: N/A

According to 247Sports, Williams’ only offer out of high school was Oklahoma State. But his undeniable talent earned him a second round selection in the 2005 draft by the Denver Broncos.

Billy Bajema | Seventh Round, No. 249 overall | 2005 draft

Rating: N/A

TE rank: N/A

Like Williams, Bajema was a one-offer athlete out of high school in 2001. But the Westmoore standout athlete proved to be a freak talent at tight end at Oklahoma State, and was selected in 2005 with the No. 249 overall pick.

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