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Pac-12 top 25 for 2011: No. 19

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players continues.

You can see the final post-2010 top 25 here. It doesn't, however, include players from Colorado or Utah.

19. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford

2010 numbers: Thomas ranked fourth in the Pac-10 with 7.5 sacks. He also finished with 68 tackles -- 11.5 coming for losses -- with an interception and two fumble recoveries.

2010 ranking: Unranked

Making the case for Thomas: The 6-foot-4, 240-pound redshirt junior will enter his third year as a starter. He earned freshman All-American honors in 2009 and was honorable mention All-Pac-10 in 2010. He's rolled up 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons and made a seamless transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker last fall, when the Cardinal ended up ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense. ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper rated Thomas the No. 2 junior outside linebacker in the nation. If you were projecting a player who will lead the Pac-12 in sacks this fall, Thomas might be the favorite.

20. Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington State

21. Robert Woods, WR, USC

22. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA

23. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

24. David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

25. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State