National Signing Day is Wednesday, and coaches and fans will crow about the classes their schools reeled in. They'll be particularly happy with five-star recruits who signed.
But being a five-star recruit is no sure thing on the road to the NFL. We went back and looked at Rivals.com's five-star recruits from 2002 (when their rankings started) through the 2010 class (figuring that most five-star recruits wouldn't have lasted more than four years in college).
(By the way, there were 26 five-star recruits in the 2011 signing class, and 11 of them are available in this draft: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Jadeveon Clowney, Isaiah Crowell, Anthony Johnson, Cyrus Kouandjio, Jarvis Landry, Colt Lyerla, DeAnthony Thomas, Stephon Tuitt, Sammy Watkins and James Wilder Jr.)
Here's what we found:
» There were 262 recruits given five-star status. There were as many as 38 five stars in one class, in 2002, and as few as 25, in both 2003 and 2004. The average number of five-star recruits in a class was 29.
» Of those 262, 116 were drafted (44.3 percent) and 42 went in the first round (16 percent); 38 percent of the five stars who were drafted were first-rounders.
» Two former five-star recruits in that span, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton, have been the overall No. 1 draft pick.
» There are 18 former five-star recruits from the 2002 to 2010 class who will be in the 2014 draft, and there are another seven who will be seniors in college in the fall. (Counting the 11 five-star recruits in the 2011 class, there will be 29 former five-star recruits in the 2014 draft.)
» Some more numbers to think about: FBS schools sign about 2,500 players every year, and maybe 30 are five-star recruits. That means a bit more than 1 percent of the players who sign every February are five-star guys.
» Not all the five-star recruits had a shot at being drafted. Two were in prison, and another faces a March trial for assault. A handful had to give up football because of injuries. A few never played a down of major-college football because of academic issues. One decided on a pro baseball career, and another chose pro track. And there are two former five-star guys whose whereabouts are unknown. We have identified those players.
Here's a year-by-year look at the five-star recruits and where (and when) they were drafted.
2010 RECRUITING CLASS
1. Florida DE Ronald Powell: In 2014 draft.
2. Miami OT Seantrel Henderson: In 2014 draft.
3. USC WR Kyle Prater: Will be a senior at Northwestern in the fall.
4. Florida DT Sharrif Floyd: First-round pick by Minnesota in 2013 draft.
5. California DB Keenan Allen: Third-round pick by San Diego in 2013 draft.
6. USC ATH Robert Woods: Second-round pick by Buffalo in 2013 draft.
7. Florida DT Dominique Easley: In 2014 draft.
8. UCLA DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa: Will be a senior at UCLA in the fall.
9. Tennessee WR Da'Rick Rogers: Undrafted. (Transferred to Tennessee Tech.)
10. South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore: Fourth-round pick by San Francisco in 2013 draft.
11. Auburn RB Michael Dyer: Will be a senior at Louisville in the fall.
12. Texas DE Jackson Jeffcoat: In 2014 draft.
13. North Carolina State OT Robert Crisp: In 2014 draft.
14. Florida State CB Lamarcus Joyner: In 2014 draft.
15. Miami ATH Latwan Anderson: Never played a down of college football. Whereabouts unknown.
16. Texas LB Jordan Hicks: Will be a senior at Texas in the fall.
17. USC RB Dillon Baxter: In 2014 draft. (Transferred to Baker University in Kansas.)
18. California DE Chris Martin: Hasn't played a down of major college football and faces a March trial for aggravated robbery in Lawrence, Kan.
19. LSU ATH Spencer Ware: Sixth-round pick by Seattle in 2013 draft.
20. Florida State LB Christian Jones: In 2014 draft.
21. Michigan State DE William Gholston: Fourth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2013 draft.
22. Auburn OT Shon Coleman: Will be a junior at Auburn in the fall after missing two years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
23. Alabama CB Dee Milliner: First-round pick by the New York Jets in 2013 draft.
24. USC WR Markeith Ambles: Will be a senior at Houston in the fall.
25. Florida S Matt Elam: First-round pick by Baltimore in 2013 draft.
26. Oregon RB Lache Seastrunk: In 2014 draft. (Transferred to Baylor).
2009 RECRUITING CLASS
1. Tennessee RB Bryce Brown: Undrafted. (Transferred to Kansas State.)
2. LSU WR Rueben Randle: Second-round pick by New York Giants in 2012 draft.
3. Alabama OT D.J. Fluker: First-round pick by San Diego in 2013 draft.
4. Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson: First-round pick by New York Jets in 2013 draft.
5. USC QB Matt Barkley: Third-round pick by Philadelphia in 2013 draft.
6. Alabama RB Trent Richardson: First-round pick by Cleveland in 2012 draft.
7. LSU QB Russell Shepard: Undrafted.
8. USC DE Devon Kennard: In 2014 draft.
9. Arizona State LB Vontaze Burfict: Undrafted.
10. Florida LB Jelani Jenkins: Fourth-round pick by Miami in 2013 draft.
11. Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick: First-round pick by New York Jets in 2013 draft.
12. Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o: Second-round pick by San Diego in 2013 draft.
13. Miami S Ray-Ray Armstrong: Undrafted.
14. Texas DE Alex Okafor: Fourth-round pick by Arizona in 2013 draft.
15. Florida State DT Jacobbi McDaniel: In 2014 draft.
16. North Carolina DT Donte Paige-Moss: Undrafted.
17. Tennessee CB Janzen Jackson: Undrafted.
18. Texas QB Garrett Gilbert: In 2014 draft. (Transferred to SMU.)
19. USC S Patrick Hall: Left USC, whereabouts unknown.
20. LSU S Craig Loston: In 2014 draft.
21. Florida WR Andre Debose: Will be a sixth-year senior at Florida in the fall.
22. Texas A&M RB Christine Michael: Second-round pick by Seattle in 2013 draft.
23. Florida DT Gary Brown: Undrafted. (Never played a down of major-college football.)
24. Arkansas CB Darius Winston: Undrafted.
25. LSU DT Chris Davenport: In 2014 draft. (Transferred to Tulane.)
26. Michigan DT William Campbell: Sixth-round pick by New York Jets in 2013 draft.
27. Florida State CB Greg Reid: Undrafted. (Transferred to Valdosta State.)
28. Georgia CB Branden Smith: Undrafted.
29. Texas OL Mason Walters: In 2014 draft.
30. USC DB T.J. McDonald: Third-round pick by St. Louis in 2013 draft.
31. Ohio State CB Corey Brown: In 2014 draft.
32. Alabama LB Nico Johnson: Fourth-round pick by Kansas City in 2013 draft.
33. Ohio State LB Dorian Bell: In 2014 draft. (Transferred to Duquesne.)
2008 RECRUITING CLASS
1. QB Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: Third-round pick by Oakland in 2011 supplemental draft.
2. DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson: Second-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2011 draft.
3. OT Mike Adams, Ohio State: Second-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2012 draft.
4. WR Julio Jones, Alabama: First-round pick by Atlanta in 2011 draft.
5. CB Patrick Peterson, LSU: First-round pick by Arizona in 2011 draft. (Known as Patrick Johnson in high school.)
6. RB Darrell Scott, Colorado: Undrafted. (Transferred to USF.)
7. DT Marcus Forston, Miami: Undrafted.
8. OL Baker Steinkuhler, Nebraska: Undrafted.
9. WR A.J. Green, Georgia: First-round pick by Cincinnati in 2011 draft.
10. ATH Will Hill, Florida: Undrafted.
11. OL Matt Kalil, USC: First-round pick by Minnesota in 2012 draft.
12. C Michael Brewster, Ohio State: Undrafted.
13. DE R.J. Washington, Oklahoma: Undrafted.
14. QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri: First-round pick by Jacksonville in 2011 draft.
15. OL Tyron Smith, USC: First-round pick by Dallas in 2011 draft.
16. LB Nigel Bradham, Florida State: Fourth-round pick by Buffalo in 2012 draft.
17. DT Omar Hunter, Florida: Undrafted.
18. OL Matt Patchan, Florida: In 2014 draft. (Received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA for injury reasons.)
19. RB Jermie Calhoun, Oklahoma: Undrafted.
20. TE Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame: Second-round pick by Minnesota in 2011 draft.
21. WR DeVier Posey, Ohio State: Third-round pick by Houston in 2012 draft.
22. WR DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss: Undrafted.
23. LB Arthur Brown, Miami: Second-round pick of Baltimore in 2013 draft. (Transferred to Kansas State.)
24. ATH Richard Samuel, Georgia: Undrafted.
25. QB Dayne Crist, Notre Dame: Undrafted. (transferred to Kansas.)
26. WR Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh First-round pick by Kansas City in 2011 draft.
27. WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame: First-round pick by Arizona in 2012 draft.
28. ATH Burton Scott, Alabama: Undrafted. (Transferred to South Alabama.)
29. G Stephen Good, Oklahoma: Undrafted.
30. OT Tyler Love, Alabama: Undrafted.
2007 RECRUITING CLASS
1. QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame: Second-round pick by Carolina in 2010 draft.
2. RB Joe McKnight, USC: Fourth-round pick by the New York Jets in 2010 draft.
3. SS Eric Berry, Tennessee: First-round pick by Kansas City in 2010 draft.
4. QB Ryan Mallett, Michigan: Third-round pick by New England in 2011 draft. (Transferred to Arkansas.)
5. DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida: Second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2010 draft.
6. DE Everson Griffen, USC: Fourth-round pick by Minnesota in 2010 draft.
7. DT Marvin Austin, North Carolina: Second-round pick by the New York Giants in 2011 draft.
8. WR Ronald Johnson, USC: Sixth-round pick by San Francisco in 2011 draft.
9. DT Torrey Davis, Florida: Undrafted. (Transferred to Jacksonville State.)
10. OT Josh Oglesby, Wisconsin: Undrafted.
11. LB Chris Galippo, USC: Undrafted.
12. G James Wilson, Florida: Undrafted.
13. WR Terrance Toliver, LSU: Undrafted.
14. FS Chad Jones, LSU: Third-round pick by the New York Giants in 2010 draft.
15. RB Noel Devine, West Virginia: Undrafted.
16. OL Tray Allen, Texas: Undrafted.
17. RB Marc Tyler, USC: Undrafted.
18. LB Chris Donald, Tennessee: Gave up football before 2011 season because of wrist injuries. Had transferred to Chattanooga by then.
19. FS Chris Culliver, South Carolina: Third-round pick by San Francisco in 2011 draft.
20. DE Ben Martin, Tennessee: Undrafted.
21. CB Curtis Brown, Texas: Third-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2011 draft.
22. WR Dwight Jones, North Carolina: Undrafted.
23. OL Ryan Miller, Colorado: Fifth-round pick by Cleveland in 2012 draft.
24. WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois: Second-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2010 draft.
25. CB Donovan Warren, Michigan: Undrafted.
26. DE Martez Wilson, Illinois: Third-round pick by New Orleans in 2011 draft.
27. QB Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech: Sixth-round pick by Baltimore in 2011 draft.
28. QB Cam Newton, Florida: First-round pick by Carolina in 2011 draft. (Transferred to a junior college, then Auburn.)
29. C Kristofer O'Dowd, USC: Undrafted.
2006 RECRUITING CLASS
1. WR Percy Harvin, Florida: First-round pick by Minnesota in 2009 draft.
2. OT Andre Smith, Alabama: First-round pick by Cincinnati in 2009 draft.
3. RB Chris "Beanie" Wells, Ohio State: First-round pick by Arizona in 2009.
4. DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma: First-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2010.
5. LB Sergio Kindle, Texas: Second-round pick by Baltimore in 2010.
6. QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia: First-round pick by Detroit in 2009 draft (No. 1 overall pick).
7. WR Vidal Hazelton, USC: Undrafted. (Transferred to Cincinnati.)
8. RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson: First-round pick by Buffalo in 2010 draft.
9. LB Allen Bradford, USC: Sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2011 draft.
10. QB Mitch Mustain, Arkansas: Undrafted. (Transferred to USC.)
11. OT Sam Young, Notre Dame: Sixth-round pick by Dallas in 2010 draft.
12. SS Myron Rolle, Florida State: Sixth-round pick by Tennessee in 2010. (Didn't play in 2009 season, instead studying at Oxford after being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.)
13. LB Brandon Spikes, Florida: Second-round pick by New England in 2010 draft.
14. FS Reshad Jones, Georgia: Fifth-round pick by Miami in 2010 draft.
15. LB Brandon Graham, Michigan: First-round pick by Philadelphia in 2010 draft.
16. FS Taylor Mays, USC: Second-round pick by San Francisco in 2010 draft.
17. DE Robert Rose, Ohio State: Undrafted.
18. RB Stafon Johnson, USC: Undrafted.
19. CB A.J. Wallace, Penn State: Undrafted.
20. DT Al Woods, LSU: Fourth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2010 draft.
21. DE Ricky Sapp, Clemson: Fifth-round pick by Philadelphia in 2010 draft.
22. QB Tim Tebow, Florida: First-round pick by Denver in 2010 draft.
23. RB C.J. Gable, USC: Undrafted.
24. TE Brandon Warren, Florida State: Undrafted. (Transferred to Tennessee, then North Alabama.)
25. DE Eddie Jones, Texas: Undrafted.
26. OL Stephen Schilling, Michigan: Sixth-round pick by San Diego in 2011 draft.
27. RB James Aldridge, Notre Dame: Undrafted.
28. T Carl Johnson, Florida: Undrafted.
2005 RECRUITING CLASS
1. ATH Derrick Williams, Penn State: Third-round pick by Detroit in 2009 draft.
2. WR Patrick Turner, USC: Third-round pick by Miami in 2009 draft.
3. OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia: First-round pick by Jacksonville in 2009 draft.
4. DE Melvin Alaeze, Maryland: Undrafted. (Never enrolled at Maryland and played just one game of college football, at Illinois. In 2007, Alaeze was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree assault.)
5. LB Rey Maualuga, USC: Second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2009 draft.
6. WR Fred Rouse, Florida State: Undrafted. (Began his career at FSU, then went to UTEP, Texas Southern and NAIA program Concordia, in Alabama. During that span, he also spent time in prison after violating probation following his arrest for breaking into a teammate's apartment.)
7. QB Mark Sanchez, USC: First-round pick by the New York Jets in 2009 draft.
8. TE Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M: Second-round pick by Dallas in 2008 draft.
9. OL Reginald Youngblood, Miami: Undrafted.
10. RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon: First-round pick by Carolina in 2008 draft.
11. DT DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma: Undrafted.
12. S Kenneth Phillips, Miami: First-round pick by New York Giants in 2008.
13. RB Marlon Lucky, Nebraska: Undrafted.
14. DT Callahan Bright, Florida State: Undrafted. (Never enrolled at FSU because of academics, and eventually landed at Division II Shaw, in North Carolina.)
15. RB Jason Gwaltney, West Virginia: Undrafted. (Transferred to Division III Kean, in New Jersey.)
16. QB Ryan Perrilloux, LSU: Undrafted. (Transferred to Jacksonville State.)
17. LB Tray Blackmon, Auburn: Undrafted.
18. WR DeSean Jackson, California: Second-round pick by Philadelphia in 2008 draft.
19. CB Justin King, Penn State: Fourth-round pick by St. Louis in 2008 draft.
20. OT Alex Boone, Ohio State: Undrafted.
21. CB Demetrice Morley, Tennessee: Undrafted.
22. RB Kevin Grady, Michigan: Undrafted.
23. ATH Darren McFadden, Arkansas: First-round pick by Oakland in 2008 draft.
24. DT Jerrell Powe, Ole Miss: Sixth-round pick by Kansas City in 2011 draft.
25. RB Antone Smith, Florida State: Undrafted.
26. LB Ryan Reynolds, Oklahoma: Undrafted.
27. OL Dan Doering, Iowa: Undrafted.
28. ATH Victor Harris, Virginia Tech: Fifth-round pick by Philadelphia in 2009 draft.
2004 RECRUITING CLASS
1. RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma: First-round pick by Minnesota in 2007 draft.
2. CB Ted Ginn Jr., Ohio State: First-round pick by Miami in 2007 draft.
3. WR Early Doucet, LSU: Third-round pick by Arizona in 2008 draft.
4. QB Rhett Bomar, Oklahoma: Fifth-round pick by the New York Giants in 2009 draft. (Transferred to Sam Houston State.)
5. LB Keith Rivers, USC: First-round pick by Cincinnati in 2008 draft.
6. LB Willie Williams, Miami: Undrafted. (Transferred to Louisville, then NAIA member Union College in Kentucky.)
7. DE Brandon Miller, Georgia: Undrafted.
8. DE Derrick Harvey, Florida: First-round pick by Jacksonville in 2008 draft.
9. DE Jeff Schweiger Jr., USC: Undrafted. (Transferred to San Jose State.)
10. QB Xavier Lee, Florida State: Undrafted.
11. DT DeMario Pressley, North Carolina State: Fifth-round pick by New Orleans in 2008 draft.
12. QB Anthony Morelli, Penn State: Undrafted.
13. QB Chad Henne, Michigan: Second-round pick by Miami in 2008 draft.
14. LB Kyle Williams, Iowa: Academically ineligible at Iowa but landed at Purdue, where he played one season. Williams was sentenced in 2007 to 37 years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape, battery and confinement of two women in West Lafayette, Ind. The sentence later was reduced to 25 years.
15. LB Chris Patterson, Oklahoma: Undrafted. (Never played a down at Oklahoma. Instead, he went to a junior college and later transferred to Kansas State.)
16. QB Matthew Tuiasosopo, Washington: Decided on a pro baseball career rather than playing college football.
17. WR Cameron Colvin, Oregon: Undrafted.
18. DT Frank Okam, Texas: Fifth-round pick by Houston in 2008 draft.
19. WR Fred Davis, USC: Second-round pick by Washington in 2008 draft.
20. C Jeff Byers, USC: Undrafted.
21. WR Lance Leggett, Miami: Undrafted.
22. WR Xavier Carter, LSU: Left LSU after two seasons to pursue pro track career.
23. OL Thomas Herring, USC: Undrafted.
24. LB Dan Connor, Penn State: Third-round pick by Carolina in 2008 draft.
25. LB Brian Toal, Boston College: Undrafted.
2003 RECRUITING CLASS
1. LB Ernie Sims, Florida State: First-round pick by Detroit in 2006 draft.
2. RB Reggie Bush, USC: First-round pick by New Orleans in 2006 draft.
3. ATH Whitney Lewis, USC: Undrafted. (Transferred to Northern Iowa.)
4. WR Andre Caldwell, Florida: Third-round pick by Cincinnati in 2008 draft.
5. QB Kyle Wright, Miami: Undrafted.
6. DB Prescott Burgess, Michigan: Sixth-round pick by Baltimore in 2007 draft.
7. TE Tony Hills Jr., Texas: Fourth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2008 draft.
8. OL Jorrie Adams, Texas A&M: Undrafted.
9. CB Paul Oliver, Georgia: Fourth-round pick by San Diego in 2007 supplemental draft.
10. TE Greg Olsen, Miami: First-round pick by Chicago in 2007 draft.
11. G Martin O'Donnell, Illinois: Undrafted. (First-team All-American as a senior in 2007 but chose to enter the workplace rather than continue football career.)
12. CB Dee Webb, Florida: Seventh-round pick by Jacksonville in 2006 draft.
13. LB Wesley Jefferson, Maryland: Undrafted. (Gave up football before senior season to enroll at the Maryland State Police Training Academy.)
14. LB LaMarr Woodley, Michigan: Second-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2007 draft.
15. DT Nathaniel Robinson, Rutgers: Undrafted.
16. DE Joe Cohen, Florida: Fourth-round pick by Denver in 2006 draft.
17. WR Chad Jackson, Florida: Second-round pick by New England in 2006 draft.
18. OL Ofa Mohetau, BYU: Undrafted.
19. RB Kregg Lumpkin, Georgia: Undrafted.
20. WR Robert Meachem, Tennessee: First-round pick by New Orleans in 2007 draft.
21. RB Demetris Summers, South Carolina: Undrafted.
22. DE Justin Ostrowski, Wisconsin: Knee injury forced him to give up football in 2007.
23. DE Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame: Second-round pick by Philadelphia in 2007 draft.
24. DB Quinton Culberson, Mississippi State: Undrafted.
25. DE Jarvis Moss, Florida: First-round pick by Denver in 2007 draft.
2002 RECRUITING CLASS
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
