A postseason ranking of the Big East's top 30 players ...

No. 8

Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers, Sr.

Preseason rank: NR

Why him here: McCourty had not been properly appreciated, at least by me, going into the season. Maybe that's because he played his first three years alongside his twin brother, Jason, who's now in the NFL.

But in 2009, Devin stood out on his own. He showed himself as the best cornerback in the Big East, an outstanding cover guy who also finished second on the team with 80 tackles. Though he had but one interception, his 10 pass breakups ranked second in the league.

If that weren't enough, he was also a special-teams dynamo, blocking two kicks, forcing a fumble and returning a kickoff for a touchdown. If not for Mardy Gilyard, McCourty would have won the league's special teams player of the year award, and he was in the running for its defensive player of the year trophy as well.

After a good showing at the Senior Bowl, there's talk of McCourty moving up in the draft to first-day status. He's no longer overlooked or unappreciated.

Previous:

No. 9: Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati