Our countdown of the Pac-10's top 25 players continues.

No. 5. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State

2009 numbers: The 6-foot-1, 311-pound senior recorded 43 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also forced four fumbles and recovered another.

Most recent ranking: Paea was ranked seventh in our final Pac-10 top-30 list last year.

Making the case for Paea: The 2009 first-team All-Pac-10 defensive tackle and two-time team co-captain is perhaps the most powerful player in the nation. You've surely seen the video by now. It's likely that Paea will set a new bench press standard at the NFL combine next spring, after which he should cement his status as an early-round -- perhaps first-round -- draft pick. But Paea is not just strong. His 30-inch vertical jump and 4.37 shuttle run are defensive tackle records at Oregon State. He's an ex-rugby star who is still learning the nuances of football, but his explosive quickness combined with his power makes him almost unblockable one-on-one at the college level. His 19.5 career sacks rank third on the Beavers' career list. He's on the Lombardi, Outland and Nagurski watch lists. He's also made a number of preseason All-America lists: Phil Steele, Lindy's, Athlon and NationalChamps.net.

No. 6. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State

No. 7. Rahim Moore, S, UCLA

No. 8. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA

No. 9. Mike Mohamed, LB, California

No. 10. Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona

No. 11. Mason Foster, LB, Washington

No. 12. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona

No. 13. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon

No. 14. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC

No. 15. Cameron Jordan, DE, California

No. 16. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

No. 17. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

No. 18: Colin Baxter, C, Arizona

No. 19: Chase Beeler, C, Stanford

No. 20. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State

No. 21. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

No. 22. Owen Marecic, LB/FB, Stanford

No. 23. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC

No. 24: Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon

No. 25 Kai Forbath, K, UCLA