When recruiting rankings get it right: The star-studded cornerback class of 2013

What a group of talent!

Sometimes in sports, talent clusters together. People still talk about the quarterback class of the 1983 NFL Draft to this day. Going by the 247Sports Composite, five of the top seven cornerbacks from the class of 2013 have declared for the NFL Draft, one arguably should have, and the whole group has done more than live up to the billing.

This is doubly impressive because cornerback is tough to scout. Many high school teams simply throw away from a top corner if he happens to be on the opposing team.

Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III was the No. 3 overall player in the entire 2013 class, and the No. 1 cornerback in the country coming out of high school. He came in and led the Gators in interceptions as a true freshman, and had at least three picks in every season he played in Gainesville. That doesn't sound like a ton, but opposing teams spent a lot of time throwing away from Hargreaves.

Florida State's Jalen Ramsey was another top-five overall prospect from this class. His freakish athleticism allowed the Seminoles to play him all over the field, using him both in coverage and as a blitzer.

Kendall Fuller, the fourth Fuller brother to play for Virginia Tech, decided to go pro this year despite only playing in three games due to a torn meniscus. Despite the injury concerns, Fuller's talent could still get him taken in the first round. He pulled in six interceptions as a true freshman before teams began avoiding throwing in his direction.

Mackensie Alexander only started for two seasons at Clemson, but the former five-star recruit developed an excellent reputation as a physical man-to-man defender. He did not record a single interception as a Tiger, but opponents threw away from him for much of his career. Alexander missed most of the College Football Playoff Championship against Alabama with a hamstring injury.

Hargreaves, Ramsey, Fuller and Alexander were all five-star recruits in the same cycle. While higher-rated players have a better chance of becoming high draft picks than lower-rated players, it's a little unusual that every single five-star in this class became a star.

The top four-stars from that group have made names for themselves, too.

LSU's Tre'Davious White has shown a lot of skill both as a cover corner and also as a punt returner. He returned two punts to the house during his time at LSU, and recorded four picks and 19 pass breakups. White surprisingly decided to return to school, but should be drafted highly in 2017.

Eli Apple was another four-star recruit that ended up being extremely productive in college. The Ohio State redshirt sophomore broke up eight passes this year. USC's Chris Hawkins, also among the top seven cornerback recruits in the class, moved to safety and was third on the team in tackles this past season.

*All photos via USA Today.