No. 2's History: Classes of 2002-04

With Wake Forest, N.C. defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence finishing at No. 2 in the class of 2016 in our final release of the Rivals100 Presented by Under Armour, he finishes as “first runner-up” to No. 1 Rashan Gary. However, we have learned one thing over the years -- No. 2 usually isn’t so bad.

Here’s a look at all the No. 2 prospects in Rivals.com history as Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell puts on his Judge Farrell robes and evaluates if No. 2 was actually better than No. 1 each year.

First up, a look at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 classes.

DT Haloti Ngata -- Salt Lake City (Utah) Highlands

Vince Young was the only player ranked ahead of Ngata in the class of 2002, while Ngata was ahead of Marcus Vick and Leon Washington in an overall average top 10, at least as far as career results.

The recruiting process was somewhat chaotic for Ngata. He originally committed to Nebraska over Washington in early December 2001, but that commitment did not stay firm for very long. After taking an official visit to Oregon only a couple of weeks later, Ngata announced that the Ducks and BYU were his top two and that he would be selecting between them after his official visit to Provo in January. After his visit, Ngata flipped his commitment to BYU, but once again that only last a couple of weeks because on National Signing Day he flipped to Oregon.

With the Ducks, after tearing his ACL during the 2003 season, Ngata impressed in 2004 and then dominated in 2005 when he was a consensus first-team All-American and was named the Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Leaving Oregon a year early, Ngata was selected by Baltimore with the 12th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. He quickly became one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL, making five Pro Bowls and earning five All-Pro nods. After spending nine seasons with the Ravens, Ngata played his first season with the Detroit Lions this fall.

Farrell’s take: Ngata had a better NFL career than No. 1 Vince Young and he’s been a beast at every level. The best prospect ever out of Utah? Yep, at least in our history he is. This is a case where No. 1 might have won a national title and was a runner-up in the Heisman race, but No. 2 is the better prospect overall. That may be hard for Longhorns fans to hear, and it’s an interesting argument for sure.

Judge Farrell: BETTER

RB Reggie Bush -- San Diego (Cali.) Helix

Ernie Sims was the only player ranked ahead of Bush in the class of 2003, while Bush was ahead of Andre Caldwell, Kyle Wright and Greg Olsen in the top 10.

USC, Notre Dame, Texas and Stanford were some of the major players for Bush, but the Trojans were always seen as the team to beat. So when he made his commitment to USC at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, it was not surprising. Bush stayed true to his word and canceled scheduled official visits to South Bend, Palo Alto and Austin, before signing with the Trojans on National Signing Day.

Bush’s time at USC was extremely successful. During his 2005 Heisman Trophy winning season, he finished with 1,740 yards rushing, 481 yards receiving and 18 touchdowns. In his three seasons at USC he totaled 6,541 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns.

As expected, Bush left USC a year early and was the second overall selection of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. During his five seasons with the Saints, where Bush was productive amidst a number of injuries, he was never truly used as an every down back like he wanted. As a free agent in 2011, Bush made the move to Miami, where he was given the opportunity to be an every-down back. He responded with 1,086 yards and six touchdowns on the ground in his first season with the Dolphins and had another productive season with the Dolphins in 2012, but made the move to Detroit via free agency, where spent the last two seasons. Again dealing with injuries, especially in 2014, Bush was released by the Lions in February and has now found a new home in San Francisco. Bush missed most of his first season with the San Francisco 49ers with an injury this fall.

Farrell’s take: Bush giveth and he taketh away and so does the NCAA. His amazing college career led to a Heisman Trophy but also major NCAA sanctions against the Trojans. Bush should have been No. 1 in 2003. That was my take back then and still is, and he’s probably the best No. 2 prospect we’ve ever had. His high school film is still amongst the best I’ve seen in my career.

Judge Farrell: BETTER

DB Theodore Ginn Jr. – Cleveland (Oh.) Glenville Academic Campus

Adrian Peterson was the only player ranked ahead of Ginn in the class of 2004, while Ginn was ahead of Early Doucet, Keith Rivers, Willie Williams and Derrick Harvey in the top ten.

As with many top recruits, Ginn always felt the pressure to play in-state. While the Buckeyes seemed to be at the forefront from the start, he did play the recruiting game and took official visits to Ohio State, Michigan, Pittsburgh and USC. He also canceled his fifth visit to Miami prior to his announcement date. Dropping the Panthers from his final list, he committed to Buckeyes over the Wolverines and Trojans at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Ginn was originally recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State, but quickly found his way to the offensive side of the ball and also special teams. After opening many eyes during his freshman season, Ginn earned a starting wide receiver spot for his sophomore season and responded with 51 receptions for 803 yards and four touchdowns. During his junior season at Ohio State, which would be his last in Columbus, Ginn earned second-team All-American honors after grabbing 59 receptions for 781 yards and nine touchdowns, while also adding 706 return yards on special teams.

In the 2007 NFL Draft, Ginn was selected ninth overall by the Miami Dolphins. Since 2007, Ginn has played with Miami, San Francisco, Carolina and Arizona and has established himself as more of a special teams threat than an offensive weapon. His best season at receiver came back in 2008 in Miami when he finished with 56 receptions for 790 yards and two touchdowns. After being waived by Arizona earlier in 2015, he was signed by the Panthers a few weeks later and he’s had a big season as one of the reasons the Panthers have been the best team in the NFL. He is tied with Cam Newton with a team-high 10 touchdowns and has 739 receiving yards.

Farrell’s take: Ginn was an elite athlete out of high school as a cornerback, wide receiver and return man and was one of the most dynamic players in the Rivals.com era from Ohio. However, he can’t hold a candle to Peterson, who was arguably our best No. 1 ever and certainly Ginn's NFL career hasn’t panned out the way you’d want in such a high draft pick and No. 2 prospect.

Judge Farrell: WORSE