Big Ten Football: Power Ranking Top 5 Playmakers Heading into 2015 Season
The start of the college football season is still more than three months away, but 2015 is already shaping up to be a potential banner year for the Big Ten.
Not only does the league possess perhaps its largest crop of first-round picks in conference history, but there's also no shortage of young and emerging playmakers heading into the upcoming campaign. And it's not just at Ohio State, as the Big Ten continues to make its case for being college football's top conference.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the league's top five playmakers heading into the 2015 season.
Rankings are based on previous production, the player's value to his respective team and potential heading into the upcoming season.
5. Corey Clement
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Replacing a Heisman Trophy finalist in Melvin Gordon will be no easy task, but if there's one position you can bet on as a success in the Big Ten in 2015, it's running back for Wisconsin.
From Ron Dayne to P.J. Hill to Montee Ball to the aforementioned Gordon, the Badgers have a longstanding history of producing impact players out of their backfield.
That shouldn't change with the arrival of head coach Paul Chryst and running backs coach John Settle, especially with the potential that Corey Clement has already shown.
Despite playing in the rather large shadow of Gordon, who totaled 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2014, the 5'11", 217-pound Clement flashed plenty of promise in his sophomore season. Carrying the ball just 147 times, Clement rushed for 949 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014, never tallying more than 17 carries in a single game.
With Gordon now in the NFL as a first-round pick with the San Diego Chargers, it's Clement who will see the lion's share of the carries in Madison.
If Wisconsin's history is any indication, he'll do just fine in his new role, having already emerged as one of the Big Ten's up-and-coming playmakers.
4. DaeSean Hamilton
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Although Illinois wideout Mike Dudek's season is in doubt after suffering a torn ACL in the spring, the Big Ten will still be the home to one of the country's top sophomore wide receivers.
Filling the void left by Allen Robinson, DaeSean Hamilton emerged as Christian Hackenberg's favorite target at Penn State a season ago, and he should only see his numbers increase as his role does as well.
Catching 11 balls for 165 yards in his Nittany Lion debut, it didn't take long for Hamilton to prove that he was capable of contributing at the college level. The 6'1", 211-pounder wound up with 82 catches for 899 yards and two touchdowns on the season en route to being named a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
With an improved offensive line expected to be blocking in front of Hackenberg—ESPN's Todd McShay projected him as the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft—the Penn State signal-caller should only have more time in the pocket to find the Nittany Lions' emerging star down the field.
More trips to the end zone for Hamilton would certainly be welcomed in State College, but 82 receptions as a freshman makes for a promising starting point for one's college career.
3. Jalin Marshall
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If potential is taken into account, then there may not be a playmaker with more promise in the Big Ten than Jalin Marshall, who has proven to be the first player capable of filling head coach Urban Meyer's "Percy Harvin role" at Ohio State.
A hybrid wide receiver-running back, Marshall showed plenty of versatility throughout the Buckeyes' run to a national title, totaling 38 receptions for 499 yards and six touchdowns through the air, in addition to 145 yards and one rushing touchdown on 25 carries.
Only adding to the former high school quarterback's value was his status as Ohio State's top punt returner, as he took back 25 balls for 283 yards and a score.
Although the Buckeyes don't know who will be playing quarterback for them in 2015, it's a safe bet that Marshall will serve as one of the focal points of the OSU offense.
Coming on late at the end of the 2014 season, the Middletown, Ohio native only showed a portion of what he's capable of, but Marshall's talents should be on full display in what will only be his sophomore season.
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2. Leonte Carroo
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After finishing second in the Big Ten in receiving yards behind Michigan State's Tony Lippett, Rutgers' Leonte Carroo toyed with the idea of entering the 2015 NFL draft. Ultimately, the 6'1", 205-pounder opted to return to school for his senior season in hopes of improving his draft stock a year from now.
“NFL scouts have told me what I need to work on," Carroo said, via Dan Duggan of NJ.com. "They already told me things like production don’t matter. I’ve shown what I can do at the college level as far as touchdowns and catches. They just want to see me work on the little things to improve on my game.”
Currently projected as a mid-round pick in next year's draft, Carroo is coming off a junior season that saw him record 55 catches for 1,086 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Scarlet Knights will be breaking in a new quarterback following the departure of Gary Nova, but Carroo's presence should help ease their transition at signal-caller.
How that will affect Carroo's status for next year's draft remains to be seen, but the Edison, New Jersey native is already one of the most proven pass-catchers in the Big Ten. A big senior season could pay big dividends in the draft next spring and mean another big campaign for Rutgers in its second year in the Big Ten.
1. Ezekiel Elliott
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After not making either of the Big Ten's first or second teams in postseason honors, Ezekiel Elliott proved that he might not only be the league's best running back, but perhaps the country's.
Reeling off 696 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in Ohio State's three postseason games, Elliott played a key role in the Buckeyes' run to the national title, earning Sugar Bowl and national title game MVP honors in the process.
The 6'0", 225-pounder now enters his junior season as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy and a projected first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
"I just feel blessed to be given this opportunity," Elliott said in April. "Being able to compete for the Heisman, it's surreal, it's a blessing, and I can't do nothing but thank God and my boys for the opportunity to get to experience all of this."
Having sat out spring practice while recovering from offseason wrist surgery, Elliott should be at full strength by fall camp and the start of the season.
Ohio State's chances of repeating as national champions will likely hinge on the production of its top playmaker, who will look to maintain what was unprecedented momentum gained at the end of the 2014 campaign.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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