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http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/74655/top-pac-12-players-no-15-11
Shaq Thompson ranked 14th best player of the Pac-12, so ahead of the rest of the 4 defensive stars.

Am I the only one who finds him a little overrated? All off-season I've seen him projected as a top half of the first round NFL draft pick, on All-american teams, on all kinds of watch lists, and he usually comes first when pundits talk about our defense.
Don't get me wrong, I think he is a good player and he has a very very high potential, but as far as actual production on the field, I think there is a disparity between what I have seen and what the media says. I see good plays but I also see areas for improvement with Shaq.
I would rank Peters and probably Kikaha ahead of him. Shelton is also excellent but kind of one dimensional, less exciting player.

Obviously he could have a Myles Jack-type season and in that case all this talk would be validated. But he hasn't had it yet.
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He's getting the hype from ESPN and everyone is drinking it.

He'll be one of the better players on the defense, but he's not better than Kikaha or Peters imo. And it's amazing to see how different the perception is between Shaq and Feeney despite the two putting up similar stats in the 2 years here (and that's not even counting the fact that Shaq had played more snaps than Feeney).

Thompson: 152 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 11 PD, 4 INT, 1 FR, 1 blocked kick
Feeney: 131 tackles, 11 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 8 PD, 2 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR
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Stat lines are remarkably similar. I never would have thought that. I should drink less more during games.
 
Myles Jack cured cancer during winter conditioning where he worked less hard than ever yet outworked everyone
 
True freshmen and linebackers don't win Heismans. But Jack was phenomenal last year.
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He was great and looked like a future All American. If he gets 100+ carries, he could even be special enough to eventually get an invite to the Heisman ceremony, but it's absurd to even mention him as one of the best players in college football last year. I could name at least five from the Pac 12 that were better before even getting into the other major conferences. Jack wasn't even the best player on UCLA's defense. An OLB who isn't a pass rusher will never be the best player in the country. Neither Jack or Shaq were even come close to playing at Mason Foster's (A truly great college LB) 2010 level.

Shaq's freshman year: 74 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 INT, 6 PD, 1 FR

Jack's freshman year: 76 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT, 11 PD, I FR, 1 TD

I think Jack is better, but their numbers are pretty comparable on the defensive side of the ball their freshman years. Shaq had a very good freshman year. He didn't progress as much as everyone hoped for his sophomore year. This year, if/when both get a chance to run the ball will be a better comparison.
 
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