They're No. 1: How Rivals.com's top players fared in NFL

With the surprising trade this week of former Rivals.com No. 1 overall prospect Dorial Green-Beckham from the Tennessee Titans to the Philadelphia Eagles, it got me thinking – and that’s always a good thing. How often have the former No. 1 prospects at Rivals.com bounced around the NFL?

Here’s your answer, with some color commentary from yours truly. There are 12 players on this list, and half were first-round draft picks, including four in the top 10. Every player was drafted, but there is a wide variance in their NFL success.

MARK PSZONAK contributed to this report.

RELATED: 2017 Rivals250 | 2018 Rivals 250

The skinny: After dominating the college game at Texas, Vince Young was never able to play up to expectations in the NFL. Drafted with the No. 3 overall pick by Tennessee in the 2006 NFL Draft, Young won the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. However, after the 2006 season, the combination of injuries and poor play when he was able to get on the field derailed his career. Making the move to Philadelphia in 2010 for one season, he then made comeback attempts with Buffalo, Green Bay and Cleveland before finally retiring in 2014.

Farrell’s take: I wasn’t shocked that Young didn’t make it in the NFL and felt his draft status was a bit of a reach. He was a dominant college player and a freak out of high school, but his poor throwing mechanics heading into the NFL in 2006 wasn’t a fit.

The skinny: Foregoing his senior season at Florida State, Ernie Sims entered the 2006 NFL Draft and was selected with the ninth overall pick by the Detroit Lions. After spending four seasons with the Lions, Sims also saw time with Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Dallas and Arizona, and his playing career came to an end in 2013. He finished his eight seasons with 622 tackles, 5.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Farrell’s take: I’ll admit I felt Reggie Bush should have been No. 1 in 2003 but Sims was an exceptional talent who played running back and linebacker and, despite being a bit sawed off, covered a ton of ground. It’s not a surprise he had a very solid NFL career.

The skinny: Despite injuries at Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson was still selected seventh overall by Minnesota in 2007. And he has dominated the running back position since. Having spent his entire NFL career with the Vikings, Peterson has made seven Pro Bowls, led the league in rushing three times and was the league’s MVP in 2012. Having already rushed for nearly 12,000 yards and 100 touchdowns, Peterson will go down as one of the top running backs in NFL history.

Farrell’s take: When I saw Peterson on film, I immediately thought of Eric Dickerson with his upright running style but uncanny ability to outrun opponents or power through them. There was zero doubt barring injury that he was going to be an NFL star.

The skinny: After a somewhat disappointing playing career at Penn State, Derrick Williams was selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Detroit. After two quiet seasons with the Lions, Williams was waived prior to the start of the 2011 season. Failed attempts with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012 and then the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2013 followed, before Williams’ professional career came to an end. He finished his NFL career with nine receptions for 82 yards.

Farrell’s take: Williams was an average-sized receiver right around the time the NFL went to the jumbo guys, so he’d fit in much better these days than back in 2009. He was never utilized properly after his freshman season at Penn State and never got on track after that. I’ll always remember the 40-yard dash race between Williams and Michael Ray Garvin (FSU fans will remember) at the Elite College Combine where the winner is still being debated. This kid could run.

The skinny: Despite a memorable playing career at Florida, Percy Harvin slipped to the 22nd overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft after testing positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. Injuries severely hampered Harvin’s career with Minnesota, Seattle and Buffalo, where he was placed on injured reserve in November because of knee and hip injuries, and his career has since ended. He averaged just over 10 games per season but managed 32 touchdowns in 73 career games.

Farrell’s take: The fastest player around the corner I have ever seen, Harvin wasn’t an easy kid to get to know. He was guarded, aloof and sometimes just downright rude, but he was a superior talent. It’s not a surprise he had some issues with teammates in the NFL, but I expected a more dynamic career. He should have been an NFL superstar but I don’t know if he had the drive. Harvin announced his college choice with me on ESPN and he seemed to enjoy it as much as a root canal.

The skinny: Jimmy Clausen decided to forego his senior season at Notre Dame and entered the 2010 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the second round by the Carolina Panthers. Clausen surprisingly started 10 games as a rookie for the Panthers, but after Cam Newton was drafted the following year, he did not see the field for the next three seasons. Making his way to Chicago as a free agent in 2014, Clausen did receive some playing time with the Bears before being waived during the 2015 season. He was quickly signed by Baltimore, where he started two games before he was benched for Ryan Mallett. Clausen has had a couple of tryouts this off-season, but has yet to sign a contract.

Farrell’s take: Clausen got a bad rap for the way he announced his commitment as that was all driven by Charlie Weis and to a lesser extend Rob Ianello. When Clausen burst onto the scene, I fully expected to deal with an arrogant, cocky and difficult prospect but he was just the opposite. He and his family handled the process very well aside from being led astray on his announcement. Based on his size and average arm strength, it’s not a surprise he didn’t have major NFL success. Looking back, we probably should have been a bit more cautious with his ranking. His superior character is what enabled him to hang around the NFL.

The skinny: With his eligibility in doubt, Terrelle Pryor withdrew from Ohio State during the summer of 2011. Since the NFL Draft had already occurred, Pryor was selected by the Oakland Raiders in a Supplemental Draft in August. After seeing minimal playing time during his first two seasons, he was given the opportunity to start nine games in 2013. While he passed for 1,798 yards and seven touchdowns, he also only completed 57 percent of his passes and threw 11 interceptions. Since the conclusion of the 2013 season, Pryor has had tryouts with six teams at quarterback, but did not make any active rosters. Last season, he made the move to wide receiver and was signed by Cleveland, where he played one game and made one reception. He is currently battling for a roster spot with the Browns.

Farrell’s take: An amazing athlete, a really good kid out of high school and an example of a prospect who gets too full of himself once he becomes a star in college, Pryor is still hanging around the NFL. Heck, he could have been an NBA player if he stuck to basketball. I expected him to have more success in the NFL and I still think he would have led Ohio State to a national title had he not blown up his career with Tattoo-Gate.

The skinny: A tumultuous college career led to Bryce Brown being selected in the seventh round in 2012 by Philadelphia. Because of an injury to LeSean McCoy, Brown unexpectedly received playing time and became a pleasant surprise for the Eagles. After rushing for nearly 900 yards in two seasons in Philly, he was traded to Buffalo in 2014, where he had one uneventful season before being waived in 2015. After a short stint in Seattle, he currently is an unsigned free agent.

Farrell’s take: Has a No. 1 overall prospect ever done less in college? Between injuries, his transfer and an apparently less-than-stellar work ethic I was actually stunned when he popped up as a success in Philly. That speaks to his impressive skills that he can do nothing in college and still become a starting running back in the NFL. We should have known from the circus of his recruitment that nothing would be easy for Brown.

The skinny: After an up-and-down collegiate career in Florida, Ronald Powell was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by New Orleans. Powell played in 14 games as a rookie with the Saints, finishing with two tackles, but then was waived by New Orleans in the days leading up to the 2015 season. After being resigned and waived again by the Saints, he signed with Tampa Bay, before again being waived. He is currently an unsigned free agent.

Farrell’s take: Injuries derailed his career, plain and simple. I do remember, however, when Dominique Easley compared himself, Powell and Sharrif Floyd to the big three of the Miami Heat. Powell was apparently Chris Bosh, Floyd was Dwyane Wade and of course Easley was LeBron James. And then Powell and Easley threatened to transfer after the coaches were too hard on them and Mike Pouncey, a senior at the time, said the freshmen need to “just shut their mouth and come play.”.

So maybe it was a bit of Powell’s arrogance that also led to his disappointing career as he took that fifth star of his and eventual No. 1 ranking a bit too seriously.

The skinny: Jadeveon Clowney’s athleticism and play-making ability at South Carolina led to him being selected first overall in the 2014 draft by Houston. However, injuries have plagued him during his first two seasons in the NFL as he has only totaled 4.5 sacks and 47 tackles. Now fully healthy, everyone is waiting to see if he can finally have a breakout season in 2016.

Farrell’s take: Clowney is the best high school prospect I’ve ever seen so his NFL struggles are a stunner. When I saw him, I knew he was No. 1, I expected him to be the No. 1 overall pick and I expected him to have a Julius Peppers career. Two out of three isn’t bad, right?

The skinny: Dorial Green-Beckham made more news off the field than he did on the field during his collegiate career, which is why he slipped into the second round of the 2015 draft. Selected by Tennessee, Green-Beckham showed flashes of the ability which made him the No. 1 recruit in the country, finishing his rookie season with 32 receptions for 549 yards and four touchdowns. However, his time in Tennessee was short lived as he was traded to Philadelphia on Aug. 16.

Farrell’s take: DGB is long on talent and short on maturity and decision-making ability. When he was No. 1 the only question was how reliable his hands were. He was the next Megatron, but he hasn’t emerged yet in the NFL and this is a bit of a setback. I still think he can be one of the more dominant receivers in the league with his size and speed if he improves his work ethic.

The skinny: Nkemdiche may not have lived up to his lofty ranking, but he was still selected with the No. 29 pick of the 2016 draft by Arizona. Nkemdiche impressed the Cardinals early on, but an ankle injury has slowed his progress in recent weeks as the 2016 season quickly approaches.

Farrell’s take: Will Nkemdiche be a star who has a 10-year All-Pro career with the Cardinals and become an all-time great? Or, will he bounce around and flame out after a few years? I tend to think the latter, but time will tell.