Since 1999, 247sports has been rating recruits from around the nation. It isn’t an exact science, to be sure, but it is nevertheless a very good indicator of talent coming out of the high school ranks.

So today we look at the state of Mississippi and the 10 highest-rated recruits from there since that time, all 5-star quality.

1. RB Cam Akers (Clinton) 0.9965

The 5-foot-11, 213-pounder is the latest in a long line of outstanding talent to come out of the Magnolia State. Among the Florida State recruiting class of 2017, Akers is projected to see considerable playing time in the Seminoles backfield along with projected junior starter Jacques Patrick.

2. DE Deljuan Robinson (Hernando) 0.9934

The 6-4, 288-pounder from the Class of 2003 played college football at Mississippi State before signing with the Houston Texans as a free agent in 2007. He played all 16 games for the Texans in 2008 and spent three seasons with Houston in all.

3. WR DeAndre Brown (Pascagoula) 0.9926

At 6-6, 205, Brown was highly recruited in 2008 and chose Southern Miss, where he caught 134 passes for 2,207 yards and 24 touchdowns over three seasons. He skipped his senior year to enter the NFL Draft but ended up signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. He never played in the NFL and has played the last three seasons in the Indoor Football League.

4. C Chris Spencer (Madison) 0.9922

The 6-3, 305-pound anchor on the Ole Miss offensive line from the Class of 2001, Spencer was a first-round NFL Draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks, taken 25th overall. He played six seasons in Seattle before two-year stints with the Bears and Titans. He has 95 career starts but hasn’t played since an Achilles injury before the 2015 season.

5. DE Chris Jones (Houston) 0.9913

After a stellar career at Mississippi State, the 6-5, 250-pound Class of 2013 recruit has since beefed up to 310 and was chosen in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 NFL Draft. As a rookie he played all 16 games for the Chiefs, starting 11.

6. RB Jerious Norwood (Brandon) 0.9906

At 6-feet and 200 pounds, Norwood chose Mississippi State as a Class of 2002 recruit where he set the Bulldogs’ rushing record with 13 100-yard games and set the all-time team mark with 3,222 career rushing yards. A third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2006 NFL Draft, Norwood played five years with the Falcons (2006-10) and one more with the Rams (2011).

7. S Darren Williams (Clarksdale) 0.9892

One of the jewels in the recruiting class of 2002, the 6-3, 205-pounder chose Mississippi State. A three-year letterman from 2002-05, Williams was dismissed from the Bulldogs by head coach Sylvester Croom for violating team rules. He finished his college career at Jacksonville State but never played professionally. He was shot and killed in Atlanta in 2006.

8. DT Jerrell Powe (Waynesboro) 0.9890

Coming out of the recruiting class of 2005, the 6-3, 350-pounder selected Ole Miss but didn’t qualify academically until two years later. He didn’t become a full-time starter until 2009 but did enough on the field to make him a sixth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played three seasons with the Chiefs and one more with the Houston Texans, and is currently a free agent.

9. QB Jason Campbell (Taylorsville) 0.9853

Highly sought after in the recruiting class of 2000, the 6-5, 190-pound Campbell starred at Auburn, throwing for 7,299 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushing for nine scores 48 games over four years. A first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 2005, Campbell had an eight-year pro career with four different teams, throwing for more than 16,000 yards and 87 TDs.

10. CB Derek Pegues (Batesville) 0.9851

A bit undersized at 5-10, 192, Pegues was still highly recruited out of high school and chose Mississippi State, where he played all 11 games as a freshman and started over the next three seasons. He was a 2007 All-SEC First Team selection, but his size was a factor in keeping him out of the NFL.