Former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema always made light of recruiting rankings, so how did his first two classes turn out in terms of producing NFL players?

As will be shown below, it isn't that Bielema's players didn't get the recognition they deserved. In fact, they're probably as accurate as anybody’s. The problem is that the schools that regularly bring in top 10 recruiting classes have an overinflated number of four-star and higher signees.

If the record for the number of players drafted in a year is 10 (Alabama and Miami), why do teams in the top 10 regularly bring in 15-to-25 recruits who are rated as four-star or higher (more on that below)?

Mayock gives Ragnow first-round ranking

NFL Draft Discussion on the Hawg Hustle Podcast

In Bielema’s first signing class, the players who were drafted included running back Alex Collins, linebacker Martrell Spaight and tight end Hunter Henry. And A.J. Derby joined the team as a walk-on out of junior college and was later drafted.