The 2024 NFL Draft's feeder class of elite high school talent was the Class of 2021, which was wrecked by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: High school seasons were canceled or shortened, in-person visits were wiped out, evaluation opportunities were few and far between.
Even so, the recruiting industry churned out another terrific reminder Thursday night that stars really do matter. Seven five-stars were selected, including No. 1 overall player Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy. Each of the five-star prospects who were selected in the first round were members of the 2021 class. Further, an outstanding 15 four-star prospects went in the first round, capped by pick No. 32 Xavier Legette.
The record for most five-star prospects selected in the first round was set in 2023, when 13 such players came off the board night one.
Here's a look at the star rankings for every player selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
2024 NFL Draft by recruiting ranking 5 stars: 7 4 stars: 15 3 stars: 9 Unranked: 1*Denotes an instance where the 247Sports Composite rankings were used
