With a tip of the cap to ESPN's Bill Barnwell, who assembled triplet rankings for pro football, we decided to do the same for the Pac-12.

Here are the parameters: We've selected a trio of skill players from each team in the conference. And the rules: Each player comes from a different position group, so the defensive version of this series features a player from the defensive line, linebacker group and secondary. We then ranked each program's troika against the others in the Pac-12, and we'll be unveiling each in reverse countdown order.

We continue to the No. 3 Stanford Cardinal.

DL Solomon Thomas: With Pac-12 tackle leader Blake Martinez gone along with veteran defensive linemen Aziz Shittu and Brennan Scarlett, Thomas is now the undisputed leader of Stanford's front seven. Expectations are massive for the junior entering 2016. Though Thomas is better suited for the end position, he's versatile enough to slide over to tackle, and that adaptability should come in handy for a Cardinal team that faces a daunting reloading effort up front. Thomas is the unit's anchor, and he'll be counted on to deliver a productive season if Stanford intends to defend its Pac-12 title.

OLB Peter Kalambayi: The Cardinal must replace plentiful talent on this level of the defense. Martinez is gone, and so is outside linebacker Kevin Anderson. That leaves Kalambayi as the one truly established veteran of this unit, so there's much weight on the junior's shoulders to put heat on opposing quarterbacks in 2016. Kalambayi notched 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season; Stanford will probably count on an uptick in both of those statistical columns. With notable speed to go along with his hunger for opposing quarterbacks, Kalambayi has the tools to make this his breakout year.

DB Quenton Meeks: The Cardinal's secondary looks to be the strength of this defense, which is notable for anyone who has followed Stanford football for an extended period of time. Thanks to several productive recruiting cycles here, David Shaw's team is loaded on the back end. That was clear in last season's Rose Bowl throttling of Iowa, which saw Meeks deliver a pick-six. The freshman also snagged two critical interceptions in Stanford's narrow win over Washington State. Expect more solid play from Meeks now that he's a sophomore. Keep an eye on his cohorts, all of whom showed promise as underclassmen in 2015. They should continue to improve -- especially with fifth-year senior Zach Hoffpauir back to support them.

Evaluation: Stanford's defense took a statistical stumble last year after ranking atop the Pac-12 for three straight seasons. Can this Cardinal unit reclaim its spot atop the conference? The situation in the front seven is not promising -- simply because Stanford must replace so many players at those positions. But Thomas and Kalambayi have true star potential, and that secondary featuring Meeks appears locked and loaded for a big year. This trio is a solid foundational base. The Cardinal defense must now effectively fill in its other gaps.