Top 30 Most Overlooked High School Recruits to Go Pro Since 2000

At Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California, Scooby Wright was a four-year varsity player who played both ways at linebacker and running back. Wright earned All-State honors both of his final two seasons with the Cardinals, but none of the recruiting services rated him as more than a two-star prospect at linebacker. He was still given a look by UCLA, San Diego State, and Boise State. None, though, offered Wright a scholarship. Only Rich Rodriguez offered Wright an opportunity to come play FBS ball at Arizona.

Wright made an impact immediately with the Wildcats, starting all but one game during a true freshman season in which he racked up 83 total tackles and an interception. As a sophomore, Wright burst onto the national scene in 2014. With 14 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, and 163 total tackles, Wright swept the Nagurski, Bednarik, Lombardi, and Lambert Awards for defensive players and earned unanimous All-American honors. As a junior he dealt with knee injuries and played just three games, but even in that time he notched two sacks and 23 tackles. Cleveland took a chance on Wright in the last round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he has since landed full circle to play with the Arizona Cardinals.