ESPN Ranks Broyles No. 2 Player in Big 12

ESPN’s Big 12 blog ranks OU wide receiver Ryan Broyles as the conference’s second-best overall player heading into the 2011 season.

“No player in the Big 12 is a more instinctive receiver with a better sense of space than Broyles. His reception numbers are inflated because of Oklahoma's heavy inclusion of the bubble screen game in its offense, but he can do a whole lot more, and bubble screens or otherwise, yards are yards.

“Broyles is nearly impossible to cover one-on-one and has a knack for finding a hole in even the best zones. That said, he's no Wes Welker. He's got the straight-line speed to beat defenders, and often does. He's only 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, but he can go up and get jump balls, too.

“He's the league's best punt returner, and that's thanks to his shiftiness and ability to move in space with or without the ball. No other player in the league has that type of skill, and Broyles lands at No. 2 on our list because he does.”