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          NFL Nation

          Detroit Lions' high school ratings on defense

          • Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 3, 2015, 03:30 PM ET
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              Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein.
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          NFL players can come from anywhere. Some are big stars from the time they are high school players all the way through their NFL careers. Some don't play football until they reach college.

          With Wednesday being national signing day, we decided to look back for the second year in a row at how the Detroit Lions were rated as high school players.

          The rankings from 2006 forward are ESPN's, when available. Others are from Rivals.com. In Dominic Raiola's case, there were none available. The Lions roster used for this project was the final one for the season, including 53-man and injured reserve.

          Defensive linemen:

          • Ndamukong Suh (2005): The No. 6 defensive tackle by Rivals.com and the No. 51 player overall. Signed with Nebraska. You can read about his recruitment here.

          • Nick Fairley (2007): The No. 31 offensive tackle in his class. He signed with Auburn but went to Copiah-Lincoln Community College for two seasons before transferring to Auburn.

          • Ezekiel Ansah (2008): Not rated by ESPN but had not played football before reaching BYU. He was on the Cougars' track team and also tried out for basketball before starting to play football in 2010.

          • Devin Taylor (2008): The No. 69 defensive end in his class and the No. 21 player in South Carolina. Signed with South Carolina.

          • Jason Jones (2004): Was a two-star prospect by Rivals.com and signed with Eastern Michigan.

          • C.J. Mosley (2001): The Missouri website had him as one of the top 55 defensive line prospects in the country but there was no corroboration for that rating. Signed with Missouri.

          • Andre Fluellen (2003): The No. 28 defensive tackle in his class and the No. 22 player in Georgia. Signed with Florida State.

          • Darryl Tapp (2002): He was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and his Virginia Tech bio had him as the No. 38 weak-side end in the country. Signed with Virginia Tech.

          • George Johnson (2006): Not ranked by ESPN, he was the No. 30 inside linebacker in his class and the No. 17 player in New Jersey by Rivals.com. He signed with Rutgers after initially committing to Virginia.

          • Larry Webster (2008): Did not play football for the majority of college, instead playing basketball at Bloomsburg.

          • Caraun Reid (2009): He was the No. 160 defensive end in his class, the No. 301 player in the east region and the No. 18 player in New York his year. He went to Princeton.

          Linebacker

          • DeAndre Levy (2005): The No. 49 outside linebacker and No. 4 player in Wisconsin by Rivals.com. Signed with Wisconsin.

          • Stephen Tulloch (2003): The No. 28 inside linebacker and No. 51 player in Florida by Rivals.com. Signed with North Carolina State.

          • Tahir Whitehead (2008): Not ranked as a safety out of high school. Signed with Temple.

          • Ashlee Palmer (2006): He was a three-star prospect by Rivals.com in 2006 and 2007 but was not rated by ESPN's services in 2007, when he came out of junior college to go to Mississippi. He was a safety out of Compton Community College. You can read more about his recruitment here.

          • Kyle Van Noy (2009): He was the No. 63 athlete in his class. He signed with BYU.

          • Julian Stanford (2008): Not rated by ESPN or Rivals in 2008. Signed with Wagner.

          • Josh Bynes (2007): He was rated as the No. 27 inside linebacker in his class. Signed with Auburn.

          • Travis Lewis (2007): He was the No. 79 running back by ESPN and the No. 20 outside linebacker by Rivals. Signed with Oklahoma.

          Defensive backs

          • Glover Quin (2006): Not rated out of Southwest Mississippi Community College. Signed with New Mexico.

          • Rashean Mathis (1998): Mathis was being recruited by Florida State before breaking his leg his senior year. He ended up at Bethune-Cookman. Little information exists on his recruitment.

          • Darius Slay (2009): The No. 109 safety and No. 76 player in Georgia. Signed with Mississippi State in 2009, went to Itawamba Community College and re-signed with Mississippi State in 2011.

          • James Ihedigbo (2002): Not rated by Rivals.com. Signed with Massachusetts.

          • Don Carey (2005): Not rated as a safety by Rivals.com. Signed with Norfolk State.

          • Bill Bentley (2008): Not rated by ESPN out of Dodge City Community College or Pahokee, Florida. He was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com when he signed with Louisiana.

          • Cassius Vaughn (2006): A three-star recruit by Rivals and the No. 16 player in Tennessee, he signed with Mississippi.

          • Nevin Lawson (2010): Not rated by ESPN and a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He signed with Utah State.

          • Josh Thomas (2007): Not rated by ESPN. Signed with Buffalo.

          • Mohammed Seisay (2009): Not rated by ESPN out of Fork Union Military. Signed with Memphis (transferred to Nebraska after junior college).

          • Isa Abdul-Quddus: Not listed in the ESPN or Rivals database. His Fordham bio no longer exists, either. Signed with Fordham.

          Specialists:

          • Sam Martin (2008): Planned on playing college soccer. Signed with Appalachian State for football. His backstory from 2013.

          • Don Muhlbach (1999): Signed with Texas A&M. Not rated.

          • Matt Prater (2002): A two-star recruit by Rivals.com, he signed with UCF.