The 2019 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25, with the first round taking place in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nebraska has eight players that we would consider key draft prospects heading into the weekend.
- WR Stanley Morgan Jr.
- RB Devine Ozigbo
- OL Tanner Farmer
- OL Jerald Foster
- LB Dedrick Young
- LB Luke Gifford
- S Aaron Williams
- S Antonio Reed
The group had some ups-and-downs during their time in Lincoln, but what were they like as recruits coming into the program? Let’s take a quick look back.
WR Stanley Morgan Jr.
Coming out of high school, Stanley Morgan Jr., was a three-star recruit and the 19th best rated player coming out of Louisiana. Coming into the Nebraska program, he was listed at 6-foot and 185 pounds, so it’s interesting to see that he grew into what most fans consider a “big-bodied” type of receiver. He significantly outperformed his recruiting ranking, setting school records in catches and receiving yards.
RB Devine Ozigbo
There probably isn’t a departing senior in this group that represents perseverance the way Devine Ozigbo does. He’s been through multiple coaching changes, got buried on the depth chart and finally got his shot under Coach Scott Frost to work himself into a draftable player. Coming out of high school, Ozigbo was a three-star recruit out of Texas with 25 offers to his name. Who knows what his story would be if he had stuck with his original Iowa State pledge.
OL Tanner Farmer
The Illinois native was a highly-rated player coming out of Highland High School as a four-star prospect. Tanner Farmer was invited to Nike’s The Opening and selected to play in that year’s Under Armour All-America Game. Farmer had a handful of scholarship offers (mostly from Midwest schools) but was very interested in Nebraska early in the process.
OL Jerald Foster
Jerald Foster was the No. 1 rated recruit in the state of Nebraska ahead of Harrison Phillips in the 2014 recruiting class. The Lincoln Southeast standout had some quality offers coming out of high school but stayed very close to home in the end. Foster was a four-star recruit.
LB Dedrick Young
The Arizona linebacker was a lightning rod for fans, despite starting 43 games out of 50 during his career. His 284 tackles during his time in Lincoln are good for fifth all-time. As a recruit he was a three-star who chose Nebraska over Washington and other Pac-12 schools.
LB Luke Gifford
Hailing from Lincoln Southeast, Luke Gifford was a three-star athlete coming out of high school. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds coming into college was probably generous but Gifford packed on a lot of muscle during his time in Lincoln. He left the program as a 240-pound outside linebacker. Given how lightly recruited he was, he outperformed his recruiting ranking quite a bit given how much he played at Nebraska.
S Aaron Williams
The Huskers snagged Aaron Williams out of Atlanta, Georgia, despite a late push from Notre Dame back in the 2015 recruiting class. The three-star recruit held double-digit scholarship offers and was recruited to Nebraska by Charlton Warren. Injuries limited him career at Nebraska but he showed flashes of being a good football player along the way.
S Antonio Reed
The Southaven High School product out of Mississippi was a three-star recruit coming into Nebraska. Antonio Reed only had two scholarship offers in high school though: Nebraska and Memphis. He took official visits to both places in January before ultimately deciding on the Huskers. His career in Lincoln was up-and-down but he had a terrific game against Michigan State last season.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
