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Ranking the Top 25 Big 12 players: No. 2

The official list of the Big 12's top 25 players is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we're revealing the list day by day here on the blog. Here's a refresher on my exact criteria.

We're in the top 10 now, so it might get a bit heated.

Got beef? Let's squash it.

No. 2: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

2010 numbers: Caught 131 passes for 1,622 yards and 14 touchdowns. Also returned 34 punts for 268 yards.

Most recent ranking: Broyles was ranked No. 3 in our postseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Broyles: No player in the Big 12 is a more instinctive receiver with a better sense of space than Broyles. His reception numbers are inflated because of Oklahoma's heavy inclusion of the bubble screen game in its offense, but he can do a whole lot more, and bubble screens or otherwise, yards are yards.

Broyles is nearly impossible to cover one-on-one and has a knack for finding a hole in even the best zones. That said, he's no Wes Welker. He's got the straight-line speed to beat defenders, and often does. He's only 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, but he can go up and get jump balls, too.

He's the league's best punt returner, and that's thanks to his shiftiness and ability to move in space with or without the ball. No other player in the league has that type of skill, and Broyles lands at No. 2 on our list because he does.

The rest of the list: