High school rankings aren’t everything, but sometimes top players continue to excel into adulthood. Super Bowl LIII will feature five players who made an ALL-USA team while in high school. Let’s take a look at the players who blossomed into NFL-caliber talent and their high school accomplishments leading up to it.
The list doesn’t include Los Angeles Rams RB Malcolm Brown (Injured Reserve), DB Steven Parker (practice squad) or New England Patriots RB Jeremy Hill (Injured Reserve), none of whom will play in the game.
The 2019 Super Bowl between the Rams and Patriots will take place Feb. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It can be viewed on CBS.
MORE: Andrew Whitworth | Sam Shields | Lamarcus Joyner
2009 ALL-USA WR Robert Woods
High school: Junipero Serra HS (Gardena, Calif.)
Five-star athlete. No. 3 player in the country. Top 50 all-time recruit.
Woods has broken out in Sean McVay’s offense for the Los Angeles Rams, but it’s nothing new for the wide receiver.
As a high school athlete, Woods looked like one of the best recruits — ever.
In his junior and senior seasons, he combined for 2,490 receiving yards and 24 receiving touchdowns. After becoming an every-down player in his sophomore season, he had at least 80 tackles and seven interceptions every year as a defensive back.
Behind Woods, Serra went undefeated and won a state championship in 2009. The school named him the first-ever “Serra Legend” in May 2017.
Woods played for USC, earning All-American honors and being a finalist for the Bilentnikoff and Maxwell awards.
He was drafted in the second round by the Buffalo Bills, where he played for four seasons.
Tomorrow: 2013 ALL-USA RB Sony Michel (American Heritage School (Plantation, Fl.)