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Pac-12 Top 25 for 2013: No. 21

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 preseason players in 2013 continues.

A lot of good players, as it happens every year, won't make the preseason list. It is in their hands to make the postseason list.

You can review our 2012 postseason top 25 here.

21. Carl Bradford, LB, Arizona State

2012 numbers: Bradford posted 81 tackles, including 58 solo, and was third in the league in tackles for a loss with 20.5. His average of 1.58 tackles for a loss per game was 11th nationally. He was also fourth in the conference with 11.5 sacks to go with three forced fumbles and an interception.

2012 postseason ranking: Unranked.

Making the case for Bradford: His 2012 body of work went mostly unnoticed because the guy who plays defensive tackle for the Sun Devils just happened to win the league's defensive player of the year. (That would be Will Sutton, who probably will appear somewhere on this list). But Bradford's credentials are more than enough to land him on the preseason top 25 and with another stellar season, there's a good chance he lands in the top 10 of the postseason list. Once a fullback, Bradford is the perfect fit for ASU's hybrid linebacker/rush end position. He's thrown down the gauntlet with Sutton as both are gunning for the school's single-season sack record. He and Sutton combined for 44 tackles for a loss last year -- the most of any tandem in school history -- and they were the school's first duo since 1994 to record double-digit sacks each. Expectations are high for the Sun Devils. And the projected performance from Bradford is a big reason why.

22. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State

23. Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon

24. Marion Grice, RB, Arizona State

25. Ben Gardner, DE, Stanford