21) Jake Knott, junior LB, Iowa State
Knott started off his sophomore season as somewhat of an unknown, a sophomore who made 23 tackles and broke up a pass as a true freshman. He ended it as one of the Big 12's top defensive players.
Knott signed with Iowa State after finishing first-team All-State by The Des Moines Register, showing talent both as a linebacker and as a wide receiver, where he caught 37 passes for 844 yards and five touchdowns.
But there wasn't any doubt where he'd be playing for the Cyclones. He played in every game as a freshman, then stepped into the starting lineup seamlessly as a sophomore. He had double-digit stops in eight of the Cyclones' 12 games, finishing with 130 on the year. But his biggest value was as a turnover machine, with Knott intercepting a team-high four passes and forcing a team-high four fumbles.
Those numbers helped the 6-foot-2, 243-pound Knott earn some mention as the league's defensive player of the year, and he finished second-team All-Big 12 according to both the Associated Press and the Coaches.
Now, he'll resume that same chase as a junior, with his chances of postseason honors likely resting on whether he can continue to churn out turnovers at the same rate for a team that will need them to compete with a more stacked Big 12 schedule.
2010 Stats: 130 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, one recovered fumble, five passes broken up
No.22: Oklahoma State S Markelle Martin
No.23: Missouri DL Brad Madison
No. 24: Missouri WR T.J. Moe
No. 25: Texas Tech OL Mickey Okafor
No. 26: Missouri TE Michael Egnew
No. 27: Texas A&M CB Coryell Judie
No. 28: Texas DB Kenny Vaccaro
No. 29: Oklahoma DE/LB Ronnell Lewis
No. 30: Texas A&M RB Christine Michael
No. 31: Kansas OL Jeremiah Hatch
No. 32: Texas Tech OL Lonnie Edwards
No. 33: Missouri DE Jacquies Smith
No. 34: Oklahoma WR Kenny Stills
No. 35: Texas WR Mike Davis
No. 36: Texas DE Jackson Jeffcoat
No. 37: Kansas State DB David Garrett
No. 38: Oklahoma OL Gabe Ikard
No. 39: Texas Tech RB Eric Stephens
No. 40: Baylor OL Philip Blake
No. 41: Missouri LB Zaviar Gooden
No. 42: Texas DL Alex Okafor
No. 43: Texas A&M DL Tony Jerod-Eddie
No. 44: Kansas RB James Sims
No. 45: Texas Tech S Cody Davis
No. 46: Iowa State CB Leonard Johnson
No. 47: Kansas State S %%MATCH_37%%
No. 48: Baylor DE/LB %%MATCH_36%%
No. 49: Kansas State DE %%MATCH_35%%
No. 50: Kansas DE Toben Opurum