Video: The Next Step - Shaq Thompson at Grant High School
See the Carolina Panthers player in action as a prep.Super Bowl 50, featuring the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos on Feb. 7, is the battle of the best two teams in the NFL. In total, eight players were 5-star recruits coming out of high school and 18 were 4-star recruits.
That puts the top two teams in the NFL just slightly ahead of
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), which was judged by the 247Sports High School Football Team Talent Composite as the most talented high school team in the nation. The 2015 Ascenders had five 5-star picks,
according to 247Sports, to go with 14 4-star athletes.
Denver has just two 5-star players and seven 4-star athletes. Carolina has six 5-star players and 11 4-star players. The 5-star players for Denver include Andre Caldwell and Peyton Manning. Carolina's 5-star players are Ted Ginn Jr., Charles Johnson, Michale Oher, Shaq Thompson (see video), Greg Olsen and Jonathan Stewart.
Not all players on the Denver and Carolina rosters have a "star ranking." According to the rosters on 247Sports, some players do not have a star ranking, mainly due to their careers beginning before the star system was in place or because they were not highly recruited out of high school and thus did not have a star rank.
The majority of the players on both the Broncos and Panthers are 3-star recruits. In fact, Denver has 23 3-star players and Carolina has 15. Among the notable 3-star players are linebacker Von Miller of Denver and Luke Kuechly and Ryan Kalil of Carolina. Miller, Kuechly and Kalil all made the Associated Press All-Pro Team this year.
The following are the high schools for each player on the rosters along with their star ranking from high school, according to 247Sports.
Denver Broncos
Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman in 2008 at La Habra (Calif.).
File photo by Louis Lopez
Peyton Manning, QB,
Newman (New Orleans), 5-star
Andre Caldwell, WR,
Jefferson (Tampa, Fla.), 5-star
Vernon Davis, TE,
Dunbar (Washington, D.C.), 4-star
Ryan Harris, T,
Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.), 4-star
Sylvester Williams, NT,
Jefferson City (Mo.), 4-star
Evan Mathis, G,
Homewood (Ala.), 4-star
Lerentee McCray, OLB,
Dunnellon (Fla.), 4-star
Corey Nelson, ILB,
Skyline (Dallas), 4-star
Michael Schofield, T,
Sandburg (Orland Park, Ill.), 4-star
Trevor Siemian, QB,
Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 3-star
Antonio Smith, DE,
Marshall (Oklahoma City), 3-star
Von Miller, OLB,
DeSoto (Texas), 3-star
Taurean Nixon, CB,
Southern Lab (Baton Rouge, La.), 3-star
Kayvon Webster, CB,
Monsignor Pace (Miami), 3-star
Darius Kilgo, NT,
Weddington (Matthews, N.C.), 3-star
Cody Latimer, WR,
Jefferson Township (Dayton, Ohio), 3-star
Ronnie Hillman, RB,
La Habra (Calif.), 3-star
Malik Jackson, DE,
Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.), 3-star
Lorenzo Doss, CB,
St. Augustine (New Orleans), 3-star
James Ferentz, C,
Iowa City (Iowa), 3-star
Bennie Fowler, WR,
Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.), 3-star
Max Garcia, G,
Norcross (Ga.), 3-star
C.J. Anderson, RB,
Bethel (Vallejo, Calif.), 3-star
Shaquil Barrett, OLB,
Boys Town (Neb.), 3-star
Sam Brenner, C,
Oceanside (Calif.), 3-star
Brock Osweiler, QB,
Flathead (Kalispell, Mont.), 3-star
Tyler Polumbus, T,
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), 3-star
Shane Ray, OLB,
Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), 3-star
Bradley Roby, CB,
Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Ga.), 3-star
Demaryius Thomas, WR,
West Laurens (Dexter, Ga.), 3-star
Juwan Thompson, RB,
Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.), 3-star
Louis Vasquez, G,
Corsicana (Texas), 3-star
Aaron Brewer, LS,
Troy (Fullerton, Calif.), 2-star
Britton Colquitt, P,
Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), 2-star
Virgil Green, TE,
Tulare Union (Calif.), 2-star
Emmanuel Sanders, WR,
Bellville (Texas), 2-star
Chris Harris Jr., CB,
Bixby (Okla.), 2-star
Shiloh Keo, S,
Archbishop Murphy (Everett, Wash.), 2-star
Brandon Marshall, ILB,
Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas), 2-star
Brandon McManus, K,
North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), 2-star
Aqib Talib, CB,
Berkner (Richardson, Texas), 2-star
Danny Trevathan, ILB,
Leesburg (Fla.), 2-star
Vance Walker, DE,
Fort Mill (S.C.), 2-star
Owen Daniels, TE,
Naperville Central (Ill.), NA
Todd Davis, ILB,
Paraclete (Lancaster, Calif.), NA
Robert Myers, G,
LaVergne (Tenn.), NA
Jordan Norwood, WR,
State College (Pa.), NA
Matt Paradis, C,
Council (Idaho), NA
Darian Stewart, S,
Lee (Huntsville, Ala.), NA
T.J. Ward, S,
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), NA
Demarcus Ware, OLB,
Auburn (Ala.), NA
Derek Wolfe, DE,
Beaver (Lisbon, Ohio), NA
Carolina Panthers
Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in 2008 at St. Xavier (Cincinnati).
File photo by Christopher Zaphiris
Jonathan Stewart, RB,
Timberline (Lacey, Wash.), 5-star
Shaq Thompson, LB,
Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), 5-star
Michael Oher, T,
Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), 5-star
Greg Olsen, TE,
Wayne Hills (Wayne, N.J.), 5-star
Ted Ginn Jr., WR,
Glenville (Cleveland), 5-star
Charles Johnson, DE,
Hawkinsville (Ga.), 5-star
Derek Anderson, QB,
Scappoose (Ore.), 4-star
Devin Funchess, WR,
Harrison (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 4-star
Philly Brown, WR,
Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.), 4-star
Kurt Coleman, S,
Northmont (Clayton, Ohio), 4-star
Cam Newton, QB,
Westlake (Atlanta), 4-star
Lou Young, CB,
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 4-star
Daryl Williams, T,
Lake Dallas (Corinth, Texas), 4-star
Kony Ealy, DE,
New Madrid County Central (New Madrid, Mo.), 4-star
Andrew Norwell, G,
Anderson (Cincinnati), 4-star
Chris Scott, G,
Lovejoy (Ga.), 4-star
Brandon Wegher, RB,
Bishop Heelan Catholic (Sioux City, Iowa), 4-star
Fozzy Whittaker, RB,
Pearland (Texas), 3-star
Kawann Short, DT,
East Chicago Central (Ind.), 3-star
Tre Boston, S,
North Fort Myers (Fla.), 3-star
Ed Dickson, TE,
Bellflower (Calif.), 3-star
Cameron Artis-Payne, RB,
Harrisburg (Pa.), 3-star
Graham Gano, K,
Tate (Cantonment, Fla.), 3-star
Colin Jones, S,
Bridgeport (Texas), 3-star
Ryan Kalil, C,
Servite (Anaheim, Calif.), 3-star
Trai Turner, G,
St. Augustine (New Orleans), 3-star
Fernando Velasco, G,
Jefferson County (Louisville, Ga.), 3-star
A.J. Klein, LB,
Kimberly (Wis.), 3-star
Luke Kuechly, LB,
St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 3-star
Brad Nortman, P,
Brookfield Central (Wis.), 3-star
Kevin Norwood, WR,
D'Iberville (Miss.), 3-star
Star Lotulelei, DT,
Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 3-star
Kyle Love, DT,
North Clayton (College Park, Ga.), 2-star
David Mayo, LB, Scappoose (Ore.), 2-star
Robert McClain, CB,
Patuxent (Lusby, Md.), 2-star
Mario Addison, DE,
Tarrant (Birmingham, Ala.), 2-star
Ben Jacobs, LB,
Silverado (Las Vegas), 2-star
Joe Webb, QB,
Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.), 2-star
Jared Allen, DE,
Los Gatos (Calif.), NA
Brenton Bersin, WR,
Charlotte Latin (N.C.), NA
Jerricho Cotchery, WR,
Phillips (Bear Creek, Ala.), NA
Thomas Davis, LB,
Randolph-Clay (Cuthbert, Ga.), NA
Ryan Delaire, DE,
Windsor (Conn.), NA
Dwan Edwards, DT,
Columbus (Mont.), NA
Cortland Finnegan, CB,
Milton (Fla.), NA
Roman Harper, S,
Prattville (Ala.), NA
J.J. Jansen, LS,
Brophy College Prep (Phoenix), NA
Dean Marlowe, S,
Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.), NA
Josh Norman, CB,
Greenwood (S.C.), NA
Mike Remmers, T,
Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), NA
Scott Simonson, TE,
Middletown South (N.J.), NA
Mike Tolbert, FB,
Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.), NA
Teddy Williams, CB,
Tyler (Texas), NA