Rivals Top 100 of 2004: #3 – Early Doucet

College football recruiting is one thing – a college career and eventual NFL is something completely different. Every year, Rivals.com comes up with their list of the top 100 high school recruits, but how well do these players actually do in college and beyond? Let’s take a walk down memory lane and look at the top prospects of 2004.

Early Doucet is the first of the 2004 top 100 that stayed in college for another year, with the #1 and #2 prospects of that year entering the draft a year early. Has it paid off? Maybe. As one of LSU’s star wide receivers, football fans and draft experts are predicting that he’ll go late in the first round or in the second round.

The bottom line here is that Doucet was solid during college but not amazing. Above average…but everyone in the NFL is above average. Does he really have what it takes to stand out in pro football? Many people are asking the same thing.

One think I will say, though, is that he’s a hard worker, and every NFL team out there appreciated that in a player. Doucet dealt with some tough competition and injuries while at LSU, but still finished with moderately good stats and 20 touchdowns. That’s not too shabby.

So, although he may not have been the player LSU hoped for when they recruited him, Doucet, I suspect, will continue to grow. With the right coaching in the NFL, he may just be one of the top players in a few years. Only time will tell if the best is yet to come.

See more top recruits at Where are They Now? The Rivals Top 100 of 2004.