ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

No. 8

Syd'Quan Thompson, CB, California: Remember Thompson's dubious debut? In front of 107,000 hostiles at Tennessee. As a redshirt freshman. With a cast on his injured hand. Against future NFL first-round draft pick Robert Meachem. That just couldn't go well and it didn't. The spotlight shone bright and Thompson yielded two big-play touchdowns as Cal wilted. It could have crushed him. But, instead, Thompson, a budding four-year starter, came back strong and became a first-team All-Pac-10 cornerback as a junior after recording 70 tackles -- 7.5 for a loss -- with 14 passes broken up and four interceptions. He also ranked fourth in the conference in punt returns (12.3 yards per return), including a 73-yard jaunt for a score. He ain't big, at 5-foot-9, but he's a solid 191 pounds and he can flat cover. He'll be the anchor of one of the nation's top secondaries, which welcomes back all four starters from a unit that ranked third in the nation with 24 interceptions and ranked sixth in pass efficiency defense. Despite his lack of ideal height, he'll likely be a first-day NFL draft pick.

9. Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon

10. Walter Thurmond, CB, Oregon
11. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
12. Joe McKnight, RB, USC
13. Dexter Davis, DE, Arizona State
14. LeGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon
15. Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA
16. Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon
17. Charles Brown, OT, USC
18. Will Tukuafu, DE, Oregon
19. Josh Pinkard, DB, USC
20. Reggie Carter, LB, UCLA
21. Stafon Johnson, RB, USC
22. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State
23. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, DE, Washington
24. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State; Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
25. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
26. Tyson Alualu, DE, California
27. Devin Ross, CB, Arizona
28. Keaton Kristick, LB, Oregon State
29. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
30. Everson Griffen, DE, USC