Which of the Four Major Recruiting Services is the Most Accurate?

When Ohio State landed a commitment from Tennessee running back Master Teague III in mid-June, you couldn't help but notice the wide disparity in his ranking across the four major recruiting networks — ESPN, Rivals, Scout and 247Sports.

ESPN and 247Sports both list Teague as a four-star prospect, with the latter considering him the eighth-best running back in the country. Rivals and Scout, meanwhile, have him as a three-star prospect and the 32nd-best running back.

How can so many well-respected recruiting services have such a different opinion on one prospect? Well, as you'll come to find out, it's not all that uncommon.

Some sites base their rankings on tape or talking with coaches and opponents, while others rank solely on a prospect's performance at their sponsored camps. Since their evaluations are different, they all end up with different rankings.

In Teague's case, those who put more weight into their own camps are less likely to give him a higher rating because he's never attended one.

Regardless of how the rankings are decided, prospects are grouped into five-, four-, three- and two-star ratings. The numbers vary a little bit in terms of the exact numbers of prospect per each ranking, but the number recruits listed in the five-star range is supposed to mirror the 32 picks in the first round of the NFL Draft.

According to 247Sports:

Five-star prospect. One of the best players in the nation. This player has excellent pro-potential and should emerge as one of the best in the country before the end of his career.

Four-star prospect. One of the top 300 players in the nation. This prospect will be an impact-player for his college team. He is an All-American candidate who is projected to play professionally.

Three-star prospect. One of the Top 10 percent of players in the nation. This player will develop into a reliable starter for his college team and is among the best players in his region of the country. Many three-stars have significant pro potential.

Two-star prospect. This player makes up the bulk of Division I rosters. He may have little pro potential, but is likely to become a role player for his respective school.

We've compiled a list of the last five NFL Drafts below, and included each prospect's ranking coming out of high school alongside. Which recruiting service has been the most accurate in predicting future first rounders? Scroll down to find out.

Some final notes: *247Sports didn't exist prior to the 2010 recruiting class; **JUCO prospect; ***Selection forfeited as a result of the Deflategate scandal

2013 NFL DRAFT
Draft spot/team	name	school	position	espn	rivals	scout	247sports
1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS	ERIC FISHER	CENTRAL MICHIGAN	OT	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
2. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	LUKE JOECKEL	TEXAS A&M	OT	83	39	131	38
3. MIAMI DOLPHINS	DION JORDAN	OREGON	DE	NR	NR	155	N/A*
4. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	LANE JOHNSON	OKLAHOMA	OT	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
5. DETROIT LIONS	EZEKIEL ANSAH	BYU	DE	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
6. CLEVELAND BROWNS	BARKEVIOUS MINGO	LSU	DE	NR	155	138	N/A*
7. ARIZONA CARDINALS	JONATHAN COOPER	NORTH CAROLINA	OG	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
8. ST. LOUIS RAMS	TAVON AUSTIN	WEST VIRGINIA	WR	NR	NR	47	N/A*
9. NEW YORK JETS	DEE MILLINER	ALABAMA	CB	16	23	16	19
10. TENNESSEE TITANS	CHANCE WARMACK	ALABAMA	OG	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
11. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS	D.J. FLUKER	ALABAMA	OT	12	3	103	N/A*
12. OAKLAND RAIDERS	D.J. HAYDEN	HOUSTON	CB	NR	41	NR	NR
13. NEW YORK JET	SHELDON RICHARDSON	MISSOURI	DT	107	4	15	N/A*
14. CAROLINA PANTHERS	STAR LOTULELEI	UTAH	DT	NR	45	NR	N/A*
15. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	KENNY VACCARO	TEXAS	S	NR	NR	174	N/A*
16. BUFFALO BILLS	E.J. MANUEL	FLORIDA STATE	QB	51	43	30	N/A*
17. PITTSBURGH STEELERS	JARVIS JONES	GEORGIA	LB	59	72	72	N/A*
18. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	ERIC REID	LSU	S	71	90	54	81
19. NEW YORK GIANTS	JUSTIN PUGH	SYRACUSE	OT	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
20. CHICAGO BEARS	KYLE LONG	OREGON	OG	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
21. CINCINNATI BENGALS	TYLER EIFERT	NOTRE DAME	TE	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
22. ATLANTA FALCONS	DESMOND TRUFANT	WASHINGTON	CB	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
23. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	SHARRIF FLOYD	FLORIDA	DT	25	4	6	3
24. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS	BJOERN WERNER	FLORIDA STATE	DE	NR	NR	NR	NR
25. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	XAVIER RHODES	FLORIDA STAET	CB	NR	NR	NR	N/A*
26. GREEN BAY PACKERS	DATONE JONES	UCLA	DE	NR	125	240	N/A*
27. HOUSTON TEXAS	DEANDRE HOPKINS	CLEMSON	WR	139	148	150	NR
28. DENVER BRONCOS	SYLVESTER WILLIAMS	NORTH CAROLINA	DT	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
29. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	CORDARRELLE PATTERSON	TENNESSEE	WR	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
30. ST. LOUIS RAMS	ALEC OGLETREE	GEORGIA	LB	29	40	NR	28
31. DALLAS COWBOYS	TRAVIS FREDERICK	WISCONSIN	C	NR	NR	NR	N/A
32. BALTIMORE RAVENS	MATT ELAM	FLORIDA	S	NR	25	32	15

SCORECARD: RIVALS - 5, SCOUT - 5, ESPN - 4, 247Sports - 4

2014 NFL DRAFT
Draft spot	name	school	position	espn	rivals	scout	247sports
1. HOUSTON TEXANS	JADEVEON CLOWNEY	SOUTH CAROLINA	DE	1	1	1	1
2. ST. LOUIS RAMS	GREG ROBINSON	AUBURN	OT	NR	90	133	109
3. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	BLAKE BORTLES	UCF	QB	NR	NR	NR	NR
4. BUFFALO BILLS	SAMMY WATKINS	CLEMSON	WR	39	15	41	9
5, OAKLAND RAIDERS	KHALIL MACK	BUFFALO	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
6. ATLANTA FALCONS	JAKE MATTHEWS	TEXAS A&M	OT	90	48	27	43
7. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS	MIKE EVANS	TEXAS A&M	WR	NR	NR	NR	NR
8. CLEVELAND BROWNS	JUSTIN GILBERT	OKLAHOMA STATE	CB	NR	NR	NR	144
9. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	ANTHONY BARR	UCLA	LB	102	50	100	67
10. DETROIT LIONS	ERIC EBRON	NORTH CAROLINA	TE	NR	NR	NR	NR
11. TENNESSEE TITANS	TAYLOR LEWAN	MICHIGAN	OT	148	194	274	N/A*
12. NEW YORK GIANTS	ODELL BECKHAM JR.	LSU	WR	NR	43	251	55
13. ST. LOUIS RAMS	AARON DONALD	PITTSBURGH	DT	NR	NR	228	NR
14. CHICAGO BEARS	KYLE FULLER	VIRGINIA TECH	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
15. PITTSBURGH STEELERS	RYAN SHAZIER	OHIO STATE	LB	81	NR	81	127
16. DALLAS COWBOYS	ZACK MARTIN	NOTRE DAME	OG	109	NR	NR	N/A*
17. BALTIMORE RAVENS	C.J. MOSLEY	ALABAMA	LB	99	56	183	37
18, NEW YORK JETS	CALVIN PRYOR	LOUISVILLE	S	NR	NR	NR	NR
19. MIAMI DOLPHINS	JA'WUAN JAMES	TENNESSEE	OT	24	55	67	12
20. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	BRANDIN COOKS	OREGON STATE	WR	NR	240	NR	NR
21. GREEN BAY PACKERS	HA HA CLINTON-DIX	ALABAMA	S	19	7	7	19
22. CLEVELAND BROWNS	JOHNNY MANZIEL	TEXAS A&M	QB	NR	NR	NR	257
23. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS	DEE FORD	AUBURN	DE	NR	NR	261	N/A*
24. CINCINNATI BENGALS	DARQUEZE DENNARD	MICHIGAN STATE	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
25. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS	JASON VERRETT	TCU	CB	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
26. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	MARCUS SMITH	LOUISVILLE	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
27. ARIZONA CARDINALS	DEONE BUCANNON	WASHINGTON STATE	S	NR	NR	NR	NR
28. CAROLINA PANTHERS	KELVIN BENJAMIN	FLORIDA STATE	WR	NR	60	94	90
29. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS	DOMINIQUE EASLEY	FLORIDA	DT	3	7	12	4
30. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	JIMMIE WARD	NORTHERN ILLINOIS	S	NR	NR	NR	NR
31. DENVER BRONCOS	BRADLEY ROBY	OHIO STATE	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
32. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	TEDDY BRIDGEWATER	LOUISVILLE	QB	143	113	67	188

SCORECARD: 247Sports - 5, ESPN - 4, RIVALS - 4, SCOUT - 4

2015 NFL DRAFT
Draft spot	name	school	position	espn	rivals	scout	247sports
1. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS	JAMEIS WINSTON	FLORIDA STATE	QB	14	10	41	26
2. TENNESSEE TITANS	MARCUS MARIOTA	OREGON	QB	NR	NR	NR	256
3. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	DANTE FOWLER JR.	FLORIDA	DE	71	28	59	15
4. OAKLAND RAIDERS	AMARI COOPER	ALABAMA	WR	49	45	86	55
5. WASHINGTON REDSKINS	BRANDON SCHERFF	IOWA	OT	NR	NR	NR	NR
6. NEW YORK JETS	LEONARD WILLIAMS	USC	DE	50	53	103	47
7. CHICAGO BEARS	KEVIN WHITE	WEST VIRGINIA	WR	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
8. ATLANTA FALCONS	VIC BEASLEY	CLEMSON	DE	NR	NR	NR	NR
9. NEW YORK GIANTS	ERECK FLOWERS	MIAMI	OT	NR	205	169	106
10. ST. LOUIS RAMS	TODD GURLEY	GEORGIA	RB	NR	42	107	56
11. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	TRAE WAYNES	MICHIGAN STATE	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
12. CLEVELAND BROWNS	DANNY SHELTON	WASHINGTON	DT	NR	120	NR	NR
13. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	ANDRUS PEAT	STANFORD	OT	9	32	51	64
14. MIAMI DOLPHINS	DEVANTE PARKER	LOUISVILLE	WR	NR	NR	NR	NR
15. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS	MELVIN GORDON	WISCONSIN	RB	NR	NR	NR	54
16. HOUSTON TEXANS	KEVIN JOHNSON	WAKE FOREST	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
17. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	ARIK ARMSTEAD	OREGON	DE	24	61	2	4
18. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS	MARCUS PETERS	WASHINGTON	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
19. CLEVELAND BROWNS	CAMERON ERVING	FLORIDA STATE	C	NR	NR	NR	NR
20. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	NELSON AGHOLOR	USC	WR	47	18	61	31
21. CINCINNATI BENGALS	CEDRIC OGBUEHI	TEXAS A&M	OT	NR	82	124	72
22. PITTSBURGH STEELERS	BUD DUPREE	KENTUCKY	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
23. DENVER BRONCOS	SHANE RAY	MISSOURI	DE	NR	NR	NR	NR
24. ARIZONA CARDINALS	D.J. HUMPHRIES	FLORIDA	OT	7	2	11	5
25. CAROLINA PANTHERS	SHAQ THOMPSON	WASHINGTON	LB	16	4	3	6
26. BALTIMORE RAVENS	BRESHAD PERRIMAN	UCF	WR	NR	NR	NR	NR
27. DALLAS COWBOYS	BYRON JONES	UCONN	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
28. DETROIT LIONS	LAKEN TOMLINSON	DUKE	OG	NR	NR	NR	NR
29. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS	PHILLIP DORSETT	MIAMI	WR	NR	NR	NR	284
30. GREEN BAY PACKERS	DEMARIOUS RANDALL	ARIZONA STATE	S	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
31. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	STEPHONE ANTHONY	CLEMSON	LB	32	24	38	10
32. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS	MALCOM BROWN	TEXAS	DT	12	26	17	7

SCORECARD: RIVALS - 8, 247Sports - 8, ESPN - 6, SCOUT - 4

2016 NFL DRAFT
Draft spot	name	school	position	espn	rivals	scout	247sports
1. LOS ANGELES RAMS	JARED GOFF	CALIFORNIA	QB	267	140	234	266
2. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	CARSON WENTZ	NORTH DAKOTA STATE	QB	NR	NR	NR	NR
3. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS	JOEY BOSA	OHIO STATE	DE	56	47	38	53
4. DALLAS COWBOYS	EZEKIEL ELLIOTT	OHIO STATE	RB	109	84	47	70
5. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	JALEN RAMSEY	FLORIDA STATE	CB	14	10	20	39
6. BALTIMORE RAVENS	RONNIE STANLEY	NOTRE DAME	OT	NR	176	66	145
7. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	DEFOREST BUCKNER	OREGON	DE	NR	NR	126	NR
8. TENNESSEE TITANS	JACK CONKLIN	MICHIGAN STATE	OT	NR	NR	NR	NR
9. CHICAGO BEARS	LEONARD FLOYD	GEORGIA	LB	NR	177	142	123
10. NEW YORK GIANTS	ELI APPLE	OHIO STATE	CB	11	89	111	45
11. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS	VERNON HARGREAES III	FLORIDA	CB	3	2	16	4
12. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	SHELDON RANKINS	LOUISVILLE	DT	NR	NR	NR	NR
13. MIAMI DOLPHINS	LAREMY TUNSIL	OLE MISS	OT	5	14	7	3
14. OAKLAND RAIDERS	KARL JOSEPH	WEST VIRGINIA	S	NR	NR	NR	NR
15. CLEVELAND BROWNS	COREY COLEMAN	BAYLOR	WR	NR	232	141	118
16. DETROIT LIONS	TAYLOR DECKER	OHIO STATE	OT	NR	221	77	263
17. ATLANTA FALCONS	KEANU NEAL	FLORIDA	S	65	64	205	193
18. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS	RYAN KELLY	ALABAMA	C	NR	NR	183	205
19. BUFFALO BILLS	SHAQ LAWSON	CLEMSON	DE	NR	NR	NR	NR
20. NEW YORK JETS	DARRON LEE	OHIO STATE	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
21. HOUSTON TEXAS	WILL FULLER V	NOTRE DAME	WR	NR	176	179	NR
22. WASHINGTON REDSKINS	JOSH DOCTSON	TCU	WR	NR	NR	NR	NR
23. MINNESOTA VIKINGS	LAQUON TREADWELL	OLE MISS	WR	19	5	30	28
24. CINCINNATI BENGALS	WILLIAM JACKSON III	HOUSTON	CB	NR	NR	NR	NR
25. PITTSBURGH STEELERS	ARTIE BURNS	MIAMI	CB	70	187	160	52
26. DENVER BRONCOS	PAXTON LYNCH	MEMPHIS	QB	NR	NR	NR	NR
27. GREEN BAY PACKERS	KENNY CLARK	UCLA	DT	NR	NR	187	281
28. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	JOSHUA GARNETT	STANFORD	OG	44	33	42	67
29. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS	SELECTION FORFEITED	N/A***	N/A***	N/A***	N/A***	N/A***	N/A***
30. ARIZONA CARDINALS	ROBERT NKEMDICHE	OLE MISS	DT	1	1	1	1
31. CAROLINA PANTHERS	VERNON BUTLER	LOUISIANA TECH	DT	NR	NR	NR	NR
32. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS	GERMAIN IFEDI	TEXAS A&M	OT	NR	NR	296	257

SCORECARD: ESPN - 6, RIVALS - 5, SCOUT - 5, 247Sports - 4

2017 NFL DRAFT
Draft spot	name	school	position	espn	rivals	scout	247sports
1. CLEVELAND BROWNS	MYLES GARRETT	TEXAS A&M	DE	4	2	5	1
2. CHICAGO BEARS	MITCHELL TRUBINSKY	NORTH CAROLINA	QB	219	207	NR	79
3. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	SOLOMON THOMAS	STANFORD	DE	25	37	20	41
4. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS	LEONARD FOURNETTE	LSU	RB	1	4	1	2
5. TENNESSEE TITANS	COREY DAVIS	WESTERN MICHIGAN	WR	NR	NR	NR	NR
6. NEW YORK JETS	JAMAL ADAMS	LSU	S	18	38	8	92
7. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS	MIKE WILLIAMS	CLEMSON	WR	201	222	288	239
8. CAROLINA PANTHERS	CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY	STANFORD	RB	218	77	81	91
9. CINCINNATI BENGALS	JOHN ROSS	WASHINGTON	WR	NR	NR	113	279
10. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS	PATRICK MAHOMES II	TEXAS TECH	QB	NR	NR	273	NR
11. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	MARSHON LATTIMORE	OHIO STATE	CB	45	134	51	44
12. HOUSTON TEXAS	DESHAUN WATSON	CLEMSON	QB	16	31	84	81
13. ARIZONA CARDINALS	HAASON REDDICK	TEMPLE	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
14. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES	DEREK BARNETT	TENNESSEE	DE	298	169	279	152
15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS	MALIK HOOKER	OHIO STATE	S	NR	NR	258	NR
16. BALTIMORE RAVENS	MARLON HUMPHREY	ALABAMA	CB	15	9	30	10
17. WASHINGTON REDSKINS	JONATHAN ALLEN	ALABAMA	DT	28	11	34	11
18. TENNESSEE TITANS	ADOREE' JACKSON	USC	CB	9	6	6	24
19. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS	O.J. HOWARD	ALABAMA	TE	45	16	14	20
20. DENVER BRONCOS	GARRETT BOLLES	UTAH	OT	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**	N/A**
21. DETROIT LIONS	JARRAD DAVIS	FLORIDA	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
22. MIAMI DOLPHINS	CHARLES HARRIS	MISSOURI	DE	NR	NR	NR	NR
23. NEW YORK GIANTS	EVAN ENGRAM	OLE MISS	TE	NR	NR	NR	NR
24. OAKLAND RAIDERS	GAREON CONLEY	OHIO STATE	CB	43	NR	129	147
25. CLEVELAND BROWNS	JABRILL PEPPERS	MICHIGAN	S	2	3	3	4
26. ATLANTA FALCONS	TAKKARIST MCKINLEY	UCLA	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
27. BUFFALO BILLS	TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE	LSU	CB	186	18	58	9
28. DALLAS COWBOYS	TACO CHARLTON	MICHIGAN	DE	116	237	174	108
29. CLEVELAND BROWNS	DAVID NJOKU	MIAMI	TE	NR	NR	NR	NR
30. PITTSBURGH STEELERS	T.J. WATT	WISCONSIN	LB	NR	NR	NR	NR
31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS	REUBEN FOSTER	ALABAMA	LB	16	13	2	15
32. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS	RYAN RAMCZYK	WISCONSIN	OT	NR	NR	NR	NR

SCORECARD: ESPN - 10, RIVALS - 10, SCOUT - 9, 247Sports - 9

In conclusion, Rivals has predicted the highest number of future first rounders over the last five years with 32. ESPN and 247Sports come in second with 30 total, while Scout brings up the rear with 27.