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

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

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

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

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

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.