Pac-12 top 25 for 2013: No. 4

Ted Miller, ESPN Senior WriterAug 27, 2013, 03:00 PM
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- Covered college football since 1997
- Graduate of the University of Richmond
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Our countdown of the Pac-12’s top 25 preseason players in 2013 continues.

A lot of good players, as it happens every season, 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.

4. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA

2012 numbers: Barr led the Pac-12 in total sacks with 13.5 -- that number also ranked second in the nation -- and was second in the conference in total tackles for a loss with 21.5. He was tied for third with four forced fumbles. He finished the season with 83 total tackles, five pass breakups and a blocked kick.

2012 postseason ranking: No. 11.

Making the case for Barr: Barr could be the first Pac-12 player picked in the 2014 NFL draft. Just about every draft projection has him as a top-10 pick. That's not what our top 25 is about, but it's worth noting. Barr converted from F-back -- a running back, H-back hybrid position -- last year. He's got a tremendous amount of upside, and coach Jim Mora is expecting to get a little of that in 2013. If Barr, first-team All-Pac-12 in 2012 and a consensus preseason All-American, improves his numbers from last fall, he should be in the running for several major awards, including national Defensive Player of the Year. Barr, at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, is 13 pounds heavier than last year, and he should be far more seasoned playing outside linebacker in the Bruins' scheme, which was new to the entire unit last fall. It's notable that Barr produced not only plenty of memorable plays -- chief of which was his clean-hit sack of USC QB Matt Barkley that ended Barkley's season -- but he also was remarkably consistent. He recorded a sack in 11 of UCLA's 14 games.

5. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

6. Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona

7. Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford

8. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

9. David Yankey, OG, Stanford

10. Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State

11. Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford

12. Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State

13. Austin Seferian Jenkins, TE, Washington

14. De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon

15. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington

16. Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford