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Pac-12 Football: Breakout player from every team for 2016

By Gabe Encinas

October 24, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Britain Covey (18) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
October 24, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Britain Covey (18) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (90) celebrates after a tackle in the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (90) celebrates after a tackle in the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Once again, Stanford is losing a lot of defensive talent. Blake Martinez was the heart and soul of the defense last season and it’ll be hard to replace his production. While the Cardinal do have some younger linebackers in the mix, ready to step up, there might be a big time contributor on the defensive line who is ready to make the jump.

Solomon Thomas finished 10th in tackles for Stanford, recording 39 as a defensive tackle. But he was able to get into the backfield and disrupt the offense quite a bit, earning 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

This is an extreme sleeper pick, but as a young defensive tackle who didn’t get a lot of reps in 2015 because of depth, he’s someone who could come up big in a full-time role for the Cardinal.

Next: 8. Jaleel Wadood

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