It goes without saying that there will be a ton of star power on the field during Super Bowl 56, but some players participating in the big game experienced vastly different paths to the NFL.
Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp has developed into arguably the league’s best player at the position despite not even being ranked coming out of high school. The Rams have nine other players like Kupp who received zero stars coming out of high school. The Cincinnati Bengals have four.
On the other end of the spectrum, both teams feature six former five-star recruits, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Here is a look at the dozen former blue-chip prospects who will be taking part in Super Bowl 56.
Cincinnati Bengals: S Vonn Bell
Photo: Jamie Sabau, Getty
High School: Ridgeland (Ga.)
Class: 2013
Recruit Ranking: No. 29 overall, No. 2 safety, No. 4 Georgia
Cincinnati Bengals: OT Jackson Carman
Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
High School: Fairfield (Ohio)
Class: 2017
Recruit Ranking: No. 17 overall, No. 2 offensive tackle, No. 1 Ohio
Cincinnati Bengals: CB Vernon Hargreaves III
Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
High School: Wharton (Fla.)
Class: 2013
Recruit Ranking: No. 3 overall, No. 1 cornerback, No. 1 Florida
Cincinnati Bengals: WR Tee Higgins
Syndication: The Enquirer
High School: Oak Ridge (Tenn.)
Class: 2017
Recruit Ranking: No. 19 overall, No. 2 wide receiver, No. 3 Tennessee
Cincinnati Bengals: RB Joe Mixon
Syndication: The Enquirer
High School: Freedom (Calif.)
Class: 2014
Recruit Ranking: No. 19 overall, No. 1 running back, No. 2 California
Cincinnati Bengals: OL Jonah Williams
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
High School: Folsom (Calif.)
Class: 2016
Recruit Ranking: No. 17 overall, No. 2 offensive tackle, No. 3 California
Los Angeles Rams: RB Cam Akers
Photo: USA TODAY Sports
High School: Clinton (Miss.)
Class: 2017
Recruit Ranking: No. 3 overall, No. 2 running back, No. 1 Mississippi
Los Angeles Rams: RB Sony Michel
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
High School: American Heritage (Fla.)
Class: 2014
Recruit Ranking: No. 20 overall, No. 3 running back, No. 3 Florida
Los Angeles Rams: CB Jalen Ramsey
Photo: USA TODAY Sports
High School: Brentwood Academy (Tenn.)
Class: 2013
Recruit Ranking: No. 16 overall, No. 2 cornerback, No. 1 Tennessee
Los Angeles Rams: DL A'Shawn Robinson
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
High School: Arlington Heights (Texas)
Class: 2013
Recruit Ranking: No. 31 overall, No. 2 offensive tackle, No. 4 Texas
Los Angeles Rams: QB Matthew Stafford
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
High School: Highland Park (Texas)
Class: 2006
Recruit Ranking: No. 6 overall, No. 1 quarterback, No. 2 Texas
Los Angeles Rams: OL Andrew Whitworth
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
High School: West Monroe (La.)
Class: 2001
Recruit Ranking: No. 38 overall, No. 1 guard, No. 4 Louisiana
