Vote: Which high school football star could have skipped college for the NFL Draft?

We give you 10 players we believe maybe could've played right away out of high school and into the NFL

Jeremiah Smith running for a touchdown in the 2023 Class 1M state championship game / Matt Christopher

The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us and there's hundreds of names that will be announced over the coming days to be selected into the league.

Obviously over the years, there's been phenoms on the high school level that have stood out among the rest, many probably believe they could've played right away from prep to pros.

Question is who are some of the names that folks believe could've made the jump from high school, skipped college and went into the professional ranks? This list is not intended to be comprehensive as we have gathered 10 names of standout high school football stars we think maybe could have pulled it off.

Let us know what you think and vote on which player you believe would have most likely been a NFL draft pick right out of high school.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

Voting ends Thursday, May 1 at 11:59 PM ET

Which high school football stars could have skipped college for the NFL Draft?

Travis Hunter, Collins Hill (Georgia)

Many have argued heading into tonight's NFL Draft that Hunter could be the No. 1 pick for a variety of reasons. When Hunter played his high school ball at Collins Hill, the two-way star made a strong case that he could've made the jump after tallying around 4,500 yards, 56 touchdowns on offense intercepting 10 passes for the Eagles. Hunter went on to star at Jackson State and Colorado, winning the Heisman Trophy Award at the latter.

Jeremiah Smith, Chaminade-Madonna (Florida)

Our own High School On SI writer Joe Frisaro once said you could have put an NFL practice jersey on Smith and thrown him into a practice and nobody would've blinked an eye. That's because when Smith was at Chaminade-Madonna, he was a man among boys in most scenarios playing high school football. Betwene his junior and senior seasons, Smith compiled over 3,000 receiving yards, 179 catches and 45 touchdowns. This past season at Ohio State, Smith was highly regarded as college football's best receiver, regardless that he was just a freshman for the Buckeyes.

Bryce Young, Mater Dei (California)

The current Carolina Panthers starting quarterback was sensational throughout his time playing for the Monarchs out in California. Though his size might've been the one big question mark if he could have went straight to the pros from high school, Young was pretty darn good for a prep signal caller. Young ended his time in high school throwing for 13,520 yards and 152 touchdowns for Mater Dei.

Leonard Fournette, St. Augustine (Louisiana)

When looking at running backs in high school, there's several that really come to mind that stood out. Looking more at physically could the player have jumped right into the NFL from high school, Fournette was a specimen at St. Augustine. During his time in high school, Fournette compiled over 7,600 yards and nearly 90 touchdowns on the ground before heading to LSU.

Vince Young, Madison (Texas)

Young pulled off one of the most memorable plays in college football national championship history when he scored the go-ahead in the 2005 title game against the University of Southern California. Before that ever happened, however, Young was a stud at Madison and with his size, arm strength, definitely looked the part of a potential pro out of the high school ranks. For the Marlins, Young threw for around 6,700 yards and totaled 59 touchdowns before suiting up for the Texas Longhorns.

Tim Tebow, Nease (Florida)

Ah, another quarterback? Well, of course we have to go with another legendary high school football star in Tebow, who really made his name playing for the Nease Panthers. In leading the program to a state championship in 2006, Tebow was a dual-threat that not many high schoolers wanted to tackle once he decided to tuck and run. The southpaw compiled over 13,000 yards of total offense and 158 touchdowns.

Lorenzo Booker, St. Bonaventure (California)

You might have to really think back when it comes to Booker as he went on to star at Florida State before playing in the NFL. The former St. Bonaventure star was superb on the high school gridiron and his numbers proved it. Booker scored a California state record 137 touchdowns and also rushed for nearly 8,500 yards.

Anquan Boldin, Pahokee (Florida)

Another South Florida wide receiver makes our non-comprehensive list of players and Boldin down in the muck of Pahokee was truly different compared to others. Playing primarily quarterback for the Blue Devils, Boldin totaled 11,143 yards of offense and scored 115 touchdowns. There's little doubt with the kind of rare versatility of Boldin that the former Florida high school star could've landed somewhere.

Peyton Manning, Newman (Louisiana)

We bring in 'The Sheriff' on our list as Manning was the 1998 No. 1 pick by the Indianapolis Colts. When Manning played at Newman School, where Arch Manning also played his high school ball at, the former was as intelligent as they came for a high school quarterback. During his time with the Greenies, Manning threw for over 7,000 yards and 90-plus scores.

Kyler Murray, Allen (Texas)

Last but certainly not least on our list is another current starting NFL quarterback, Murray of the Arizona Cardinals. Back in Murray's days slinging the rock around for the Eagles, the quarterback threw for 10,386 yards, 117 touchdowns and only 22 interceptions. Playing for one of the Lone Star State's best football programs, belief was there not only for his play on the baseball diamond to jump and go pro, but also when it came to pro football as well.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi