Super Bowl 2012: Looking Back at Giants and Patriots Top-Rated College Recruits

National Signing Day in college football is on Wednesday, and as the New York Giants and New England Patriots prepare for Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday, now is the perfect time to look back at which players were highly coveted coming out of high school.

Each roster is littered with great college players, but some guys were given very high praise before stepping foot on a college football field.

Of course, a lot of the athletes playing in the Super Bowl were admired before they even played a down in the NFL, which is a completely different level of talent than college. 

Declaring players elite before they get a chance to prove themselves happens all too often in football. 

Some of these players proved their doubters wrong and overcame poor recruiting rankings to have great NFL careers. After all, they're getting ready to play in the biggest sporting event of the year, hoping to be crowned Super Bowl champion in a matter of days, so clearly, they have talent.  

There are 23 players from the SEC and 22 from the Big Ten, but it's Boston College that has the most players in the Super Bowl, with six. Although only five of them are active. 

With that said, here are a few players from each team that were given top ratings out of high school. 

Ryan Mallett, QB 

According to Rivals, Mallett was the No. 2 QB, No. 4 overall player and No. 1 player from the state of Texas in the class of 2007. Listed at 6'6", 235 pounds coming out of high school, it's easy to see why Mallett was wanted by nearly every team in the country. 

The No. 1 QB in Mallett's class was Jimmy Clausen, who ended up at Notre Dame. Both QB's had solid college careers, and it remains a mystery as to which one will end up with the better NFL career. 

Mallett committed to play at Michigan, but after Lloyd Carr retired and the Wolverines hired Rich Rodriguez, he decided to transfer to Arkansas. The Patriots selected him in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  

It's not hard to believe that Bill Belichick is grooming Mallett to be Tom Brady's successor, and in a few years, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mallett starting for the Patriots. Then again, Belichick could always hype him up and later use him as trade bait. It's always so difficult to get a read on Belichick. 

Marvin Austin, DT 

The next best recruit on either Super Bowl roster is rookie Marvin Austin, who, according to Rivals, was the No. 1 defensive tackle and No. 7 overall player in the class of 2007. 

Austin committed to North Carolina over Florida State, Tennessee, USC and Illinois. Coming out of high school, Austin was listed at 6'3, 291 pounds and could run the 40-yard-dash in 4.68 seconds. 

Today, Austin is listed at 6'2", 312 pounds. Austin had a lot of hype after a stellar junior season, but he got into trouble with the NCAA for receiving improper benefits, and he along with other North Carolina players were suspended for the entire 2010 season. 

Had he been able to play, Austin likely would have ended up as a first-round pick, but instead, he was drafted in the second round by the Giants in the 2011 NFL Draft. 

Austin has missed the entire season for the Giants because he tore his pectoral muscle in the preseason, but I'm sure he's glad he's with the Giants, because the team has a chance to win a ring. 

Brandon Spikes, LB 

According to Rivals, Spikes was the No. 2 linebacker, No. 13 overall player and No. 1 player from the state of North Carolina for the class of 2006.

Allen Bradford was the No. 1 linebacker in 2006, and he chose to play for the USC Trojans. Bradford was drafted the sixth round of 2011 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but now plays for the Seattle Seahawks.

Clearly, it's Spikes who ended up with the better college career and will amount to more in the NFL. He committed to play for Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators, anchoring the defense to help win two national championships.   

Coming out of high school, Spikes was listed at 6'4", 235 pounds. Today, Spikes is listed at 6'2", 250 pounds, which means he must have been wearing platform cleats or something when he was measured back in the day. 

The Patriots selected Spikes in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, and he's only going to get better as his career moves on.  

Kenny Phillips, S

Coming out of high school, Phillips was listed at 6'2", 195 pounds. Today, Phillips is listed at the same height, but he weighs 217 pounds. 

According to Rivals, Phillips was the No. 1 safety, No. 12 player in the country and No. 2 player in the state of Florida for the class of 2005. Fred Rouse was the No. 1 player from Florida, and he ended up at Florida State. Rouse never amounted to much at the college level, though.

Phillips chose to play for his hometown Miami Hurricanes and went on to have a great career, leaving after his junior year.

He was selected by the Giants in the 2008 NFL Draft with the last pick of the first round. The Giants had just won the Super Bowl, and now, Phillips will get his chance to win a ring.