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Jeudy joins top Alabama WR commits in Rivals.com era

Jerry Jeudy (Rivals.com)

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With the commitment of Jerry Jeudy, currently ranked as the No. 44 player nationally, it comes as no surprise that he joins a fairly elite group of wide receivers to commit to Alabama since the inception of Rivals.com. Here’s a look at a few ahead of him and behind him in our rankings history.

RELATED: Analysis of Jeudy's commitment to Alabama

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The skinny: The Crimson Tide were seen as the favorite throughout Jones’ process, but he also took official visits to Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, which created some doubt. Making his decision on National Signing Day in front of an abundance of television cameras, Jones finally committed to Alabama. In Tuscaloosa, Jones started all 40 games in his collegiate career and totaled 179 receptions, 2,653 yards and 15 touchdowns. After being selected sixth overall by Atlanta in the 2011 draft, Jones has continued his on-field dominance in the NFL. His last two seasons have been his best two, including 2015 when he led the league in both receptions and receiving yards.

Farrell’s take: The big debate in 2008 was whether it should be Jones or A.J. Green as the top receiver in the nation and it turns out either answer would have been a good one (Green was ranked No. 9 nationally) as both had stellar careers and ended up as first-rounders and NFL stars. Jones won out because he was simply more physically well-rounded, an elite pass catcher with speed who could also outmuscle opponents at will. He obviously panned out and lived up to his lofty ranking.

The skinny: Ridley was an early commitment to the Crimson Tide despite having offers from coast-to-coast. Rumors persisted through his senior season and leading up to National Signing Day that he was taking a look at other programs, but he stuck with his word and signed with Alabama. With the departure of Amari Cooper to the NFL, Ridley slid right into his position and didn’t miss a beat. Finishing his true freshman season with 89 receptions, 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns, expectations are off the charts for Ridley during his remaining time in Tuscaloosa.

Farrell’s take: Ridley was a no-brainer, like Jones, as a top 10 national recruit with his size, agility and great hands. He simply made things look easy at the high school level and, despite his age advantage, would have dominated in any setting. It’s no surprise he made an immediate impact in college, although I didn’t expect such lofty numbers so early. The sky in the limit for Ridley and he should be the next great ‘Bama receiver in the NFL after a couple more seasons.

The skinny: As Jeudy piled up offers, he also impressed at numerous camp stops during the spring and summer. Finally deciding to end his process, he trimmed his list down to Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee before committing to the Crimson Tide on July 28. Jeudy, who will be an early enrollee at Alabama, is sure to still receive plenty of recruiting attention through his senior season, but being a Crimson Tide lean for several months, pulling him away from Tuscaloosa will be extremely difficult.

Farrell’s take: Jeudy still has three ranking cycles left in the 2017 class, so he could move. He doesn’t look as tall as he is and plays more of a slot receiver’s game, but he will bulk up and could easily be an outside guy in college as well. He’s great at taking short passes and making people miss for extra yardage and isn’t afraid of going across the middle. He has a very tough job ahead of him trying to match Jones, Ridley and Cooper, but he has the talent.

The skinny: Cooper committed to Alabama over Miami, Ohio State, Florida State and West Virginia early on during his senior season. He took an unexpected official visit to Miami, but stuck with the Crimson Tide on National Signing Day. After an impressive career at Alabama, where he proved himself to be one of the top wide receivers in college football, Cooper was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by Oakland. With the Raiders, Cooper continued to impress during his rookie season when he reeled in 72 receptions for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns.

Farrell’s take: Why wasn’t Cooper a five-star? That’s one I regret of course as he emerged late in the process but made such amazing strides between his junior and senior season that perhaps I should have seen his trajectory would continue upwards. No. 45 in the country isn’t so shabby, but after his NFL career is over, this could look like a major miss despite being only 13 spots from that fifth star.

The skinny: Alabama jumped into the early lead for Stover, but after a coaching change brought Mike Shula to Tuscaloosa, he decided to slow down his process a bit. While he still considered Arkansas, LSU, Clemson and South Carolina, after he became familiar with Shula, Stover committed to the Crimson Tide a month before the start of his senior season. With lingering academic issues hovering over him, it did not come as a huge surprise when Stover did not qualify and ended up at Itawama C.C. in Mississippi. Remaining firm with Alabama, he finally enrolled in Tuscaloosa in 2006. Playing three seasons, he only totaled 28 receptions, 424 yards and five touchdowns and never was able to make it in the NFL.

Farrell’s take: Stover was a freaky receiver out of high school, a touchdown machine with good size who was also utilized as a runner at times and was a return specialist here and there. He was big, thick and physical but he lacked focus overall and that’s why he never reached his full potential.

Nos. 6-10

Farrell’s take: This group didn't exactly pan out. Foster is starting to come around and if he can stay healthy he’ll be a great compliment to Ridley but Black, White and Shinn all busted out and Charlot is trying to make an impact in a crowded field. Black is headed to Missouri, White was injury prone throughout his career at Alabama, Shinn transferred to South Alabama and Charlot could get caught in a numbers game.

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