Quarterbacks AJ McCarron of Alabama, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois and Derek Carr of Fresno State are among 10 finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, presented in January to the player who best displays ideals in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition. Criteria stipulates, as the award name implies, that only seniors are eligible.
All three are considered NFL draft prospects, and with the emphasis on character seemingly ever-growing where draft evaluations are concerned, consider any from this group to be beyond reproach in that respect. Other finalists include Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland, Arizona State safety Alden Darby, Oklahoma center Gabe Ikard, Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews, Tulane kicker Cairo Santos, Penn State offensive guard John Urschel and BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
NFL Media draft analyst Gil Brandt has seven finalists ranked among the nation's top 100 senior draft prospects, including Matthews (No. 2), Carr (No. 33), McCarron (No. 34), Ikard (No. 49), Urschel (No. 63), Van Noy (No. 82) and Borland (No. 84).
The 10 finalists advanced from a field of 30 semifinalists chosen in September.
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