ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Missouri offensive lineman Kurtis Gregory might be one of the steadiest, most productive players in the conference.

In an offense that has produced pinball numbers during his career, Gregory has been an underrated reason for the Tigers' overall success.

And with several key skill positions gone from last season's North Division championship team, Gregory will be even more important to help bridge the gap with new teammates surrounding him.

Player: Kurtis Gregory
Team: Missouri
Position: Guard
Vitals: 6-foot-5, 305 pounds; Sr.; Blackburn, Mo. (Santa Fe)

Why he was picked: Gregory has emerged as a prime producer, starting the last 28 games for the Tigers. Missouri's offense has developed into one of the nation's potent and productive offenses over his career. After starting his career at left tackle, he moved to right guard last season. His presence helped the Tigers rank in the top 10 nationally in four major statistical categories -- passing offense, scoring offense, total offense and passing efficiency.

What 2009 will hold: The Tigers will turn their offense over after losing key producers like Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin. New players will emerge and they no doubt will lean on a veteran offensive line of which Gregory is a senior member. If the Tigers can come close to producing the kind of numbers they have done in recent years, Gregory will be a big part of it.

The countdown

30. Missouri RB Derrick Washington
31. Texas Tech LB Brian Duncan
32. Texas S Earl Thomas
33. Kansas State WR Brandon Banks
34. Oklahoma LB Keenan Clayton
35. Baylor S Jordan Lake
36. Oklahoma State CB/KR Perrish Cox
37. Texas C Chris Hall
38. Texas Tech DE/DT McKinner Dixon
39. Kansas State DE Brandon Harold
40. Oklahoma FB Matt Clapp