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

Born in Louisiana, Ike Taylor moved to North Carolina in his youth before relocating to play his high school football at Abramson High School in New Orleans. He did a bit of everything in high school, lining up at several places on defense along with running the ball on offense and taking placekicking duties. Without a single scholarship offer on the table, Taylor assessed his grim options. He stayed in state and went to Louisiana-Lafayette for a chance to walk on for Jerry Baldwin and the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In Taylor’s case, he was academically ineligible to play for his first two seasons of college. He walked on and quickly earned a scholarship opportunity in 2001. Taylor played at tailback that first season with ULL, rushing 70 times for 323 yards and three touchdowns and adding 18 kick returns for another 280 yards. As a senior, he asked to move to cornerback and the rest was history. He forced two fumbled, knocked down eight passes, and piled up 46 tackles that final year. Despite his limited experience in college, Pittsburgh took a chance on Taylor in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played 12 years with the Steelers and won two Super Bowls before retiring after 2014.