No. 12. Blake DeChristopher, OT, Virginia Tech
2011 stats: He started all 14 games at right tackle and graded out over 90 percent in both games against Clemson. He also played all 66 snaps and graded out at 93 percent with a team-high eight knockdown blocks in the win over Miami, and he played every offensive snap against Wake Forest and graded out at 91 percent with five knockdown blocks. He earned a 94 percent grade at Georgia Tech.
Previous ranking: Not ranked.
Making the case for DeChristopher: What, the beard isn’t enough? If we were ranking beards, you know he’d be No. 1 on the list. Instead, how about the fact that he had eight knockdowns and a 92 percent grade against Clemson in the ACC title game? DeChristopher was the veteran of the offensive line, a first-team All-ACC pick with 51 career starts to his name. Last year he logged over 900 snaps on offense and became the Hokies’ first lineman to win the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy. He graded out at over 90 percent in almost every game this season. The redshirt senior will be tough for the Hokies to replace.
No. 13 Shawn Powell, P, Florida State
No. 14 Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina
No. 15 Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
No. 16 Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
No. 17 Sean Spence, LB, Miami
No. 18 Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
No. 19 Joe Vellano, DT, Maryland
No. 20 Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
No. 21 Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest
No. 22 Terrell Manning, LB, NC State
No. 23 Matt Conrath, DT, Virginia
No. 24 Omoregie Uzzi, RG, Georgia Tech
No. 25 Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
