College Football 2012 Top 150 Players: No. 93 Wes Horton USC DE

Every day here at Your Best 11, we are counting down to the start of the regular season with our top 150 players for the 2012 season.

No. 93: Wes Horton, No. 96, USC, Defensive End

Strengths

Wes Horton is the "Steady Eddie" of the Trojans defense. His biggest selling point is his understanding of the position and ability to be in the right place, doing the right thing on every play.

The kid is an anchor for the University of Southern California—a perfect fit for Monte Kiffin's scheme, as he is capable of handling his responsibility and funneling the action to his outstanding linebackers.

Horton is a lot like Baker Steinkuhler of Nebraska but at the defensive end position. He just does his job in solid fashion and gives his team exactly what it asks of him.

Weaknesses

Horton is going to have to play 2012 without Nick Perry, and that is going to be interesting to watch.

While Horton was the sound ballplayer, Perry was the superstar athlete, and without that bookend, it will be interesting to see how teams attack Horton.

Horton is not a unique athlete or a ballplayer that is going to defeat a double-team on a play-by-play basis, and if no stud emerges on the opposite end, his abilities will be taxed.

2012 Predictions

Last year, with Perry opposite him, Horton was a second-team All-Pac-12 player. This year, without Perry, it is going to be intriguing.

Horton is going to continue to do his job, but how that develops will be heavily dependent upon the talent opposite Horton. Expect the redshirt senior to put up his standard 25 tackles, four tackles for loss and be an imposing threat on the end of the defense.

He will help the star linebackers get their tackles as he handles his responsibilities, and Horton should make it back on to the All-Pac-12 team.