Now that the 2019 NFL Draft is in the books, we're one step closer to making our final evaluations of Jimbo Fisher's recruiting prowess and player development as Florida State's head coach.
When it came to recruiting, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fisher's tenure was his ability to attract and sign five-star prospects. From 2010 through 2017, Fisher landed 22 five-star recruits -- a total that ranked second nationally behind only Alabama. It was a distant second, of course, as Nick Saban signed 33 five-stars during those eight years ... but it was still more than any other program in the country.
With most of those Fisher signees now having finished their Florida State careers, it's time to take a closer look at how each of them fared in college -- and where they went in the NFL Draft -- to examine how the former coach's blue-chip recruits panned out.
For the purposes of this exercise, we'll focus on the 17 five-stars who signed from 2010 through 2015. The other five who signed in 2016 and '17 haven't yet had an opportunity to finish their college careers and test the NFL waters.
One thing that immediately stands out about the 2010-15 group is that it has been pretty much feast or famine when it comes to generating NFL interest. Of the Seminoles' 17 five-stars, seven were drafted in the first or second rounds, while another seven were not drafted at all. Only two of the 17 went in the middle or later rounds of the draft, and one player's future is still to be determined (wide receiver George Campbell has transferred to Penn State and has one more year of eligibility remaining).
While seven of 17 players (41.2 percent) going from five-star prospects to undrafted free agents might seem like a high bust ratio, it should be noted that none of them were actually busts on the college level. All seven -- CB Tarvarus McFadden, RB Jacques Patrick, WR/DB Ermon Lane, WR Travis Rudolph, LB Matthew Thomas, RB James Wilder Jr., and LB Christian Jones -- were key contributors, if not multiple-year starters.
And with the exception of Alabama, which has recruited and developed players at a much higher level than any other program in the country over the last decade, Florida State's success with developing five-star recruits measures up well with other elite schools.
