The AFC Championship between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots features plenty of high-caliber recruits and under-the-radar gems. Let's take a look back.
AFC Championship: When they were recruits
There are plenty of prominent names in the AFC Championship. Some of those players were highly-touted recruits, like Jerod Mayo and Haloti Ngata, and underrated players, like Joe Flacco and Rob Ninkovich.
Patrick Smith
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was a three-star, 6’5, 200-pound pro-style quarterback in 2003 who committed to Pitt. He was the 39th best pro-style quarterback prospect, and transferred to Delaware after 2004.
Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith was actually a 6’1, 184-pound dual-threat quarterback back in 2007 when he was recruited by Maryland. The offer from the Terps was the only one reported by Rivals. He was the 28th-best dual-threat quarterback in that class and managed three stars overall.
Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was a 6'5, 310-pound defensive tackle from Salt Lake City and was considered the second-best recruit in 2002 behind Vince Young. Ngata committed to Oregon and was a five-star recruit, also enjoying offers from BYU, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Washington.
Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo was a 6’2, 214-pound outside linebacker out of Virginia and received offers from schools like N.C. State, Purdue, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Patriots running back Stevan Ridley was a four-star, 6’0, 211-pound athlete from Mississippi. He was the 21st-best athlete in his class, according to Rivals, and ended up committing to LSU.
Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich was a three-star, 6’3, 240-pound strongside defensive end out of Joliet junior college. He had offers from Indiana, Iowa, N.C. State and Toledo before committing to Purdue.
