Top 30 Most Overlooked High School Recruits to Go Pro Since 2000
By Zach Bigalke
Jairus Byrd was one of those players in high school who did a little bit of everything on the football field, and it seemed to blind recruiters and scouting services to his talent at any given position. At Clayton High School in the suburbs of St. Louis, Byrd led the Greyhounds to the Missouri 4A state championship and earned state offensive player of the year honors. Schools mainly looked at him for his defensive skills, however, and thus his high school exploits had little bearing. He was ranked 157th among defensive backs in the 247Sports composite from 2005, and went to Oregon as an unheralded two-star athlete.
With the Ducks, he took the field for the first time in 2006 after a redshirt season and immediately earned second team freshman All-American honors. Switching between cornerback and safety in Nick Aliotti’s defense, Byrd started 37 of a possible 39 games and earned defensive MVP honors at the 2008 Hoilday Bowl with a 39-yard interception return in his final college game. Forgoing his senior season, Byrd declared for the 2009 NFL Draft. Buffalo selected Byrd in the second round of the draft, and he racked up 22 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles with the Bills before signing as a free agent in 2014 with New Orleans.