No. 2. Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
2010 numbers: He led the nation and the ACC with 15.5 sacks, and he led the ACC and was second in the country with 26 tackles for loss. He also had 20 quarterback pressures, two pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble, and was second on the team with 74 tackles.
Previous ranking: Not ranked.
Making the case for Bowers: There's a reason Bowers wasn't on this list in the preseason. He had yet to live up to the hype he drew in 2008 as the nation's No. 1 recruit. That changed last year, when Bowers had a breakout season that led many to believe he could be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft. That's because he was so disruptive in the passing game, he tackled well and was quick to get into opponents' backfields. He tossed blockers aside and also escaped double-teams. He won the Bronko Nagurski and Hendricks Awards, and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Had Clemson fared better as a team, Bowers probably would have been No. 1 on this list.
The countdown:
No. 3 Rodney Hudson, OG, Florida State
No. 4 Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
No. 5 Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
No. 6 Russell Wilson, QB, NC State
No. 7 Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
No. 8 Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami
No. 9 Nate Irving, LB, NC State
No. 10 Greg Reid, CB, Florida State
No. 11 Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
No. 12 Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
No. 13 Quinton Coples, DT, North Carolina
No. 14 Kenny Tate, S, Maryland
No. 15 DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson
No. 16 Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
No. 17 Montel Harris, RB, Boston College
No. 18 T.J. Yates, QB, North Carolina
No. 19 Alex Wujciak, LB, Maryland
No. 20 Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson
No. 21 Chris Hairston, OT, Clemson
No. 22 Anthony Allen, RB, Georgia Tech
No. 23 Brandon Washington, OL, Miami
No. 24 George Bryan, TE, NC State
No. 25 Conner Vernon, WR, Duke