Ranking the Big Ten: Defensive End

As the 2019 season draws nearer by the day, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the top players to watch in the Big Ten Conference.

We continue our annual Ranking the Big Ten series today with the defensive ends, a group that boasts some of the most disruptive forces off the edge in the country.

Related: QB | RB | WR | TE | C | G | T

Few returning defensive players in the Big Ten are as decorated as Willekes, who was a second-team All-American, a consensus first-team all-conference selection, and was named the league's Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2018.

A former walk-on who earned a scholarship prior to his sophomore year in 2017, Willekes has been a mainstay on Michigan State's defensive line. Last season was by far his best yet, as he led the Big Ten and ranked eighth nationally with 20.5 tackles for loss.

Willekes also was fifth in the league with 8.5 sacks, and his career-best 78 total tackles led all FBS defensive linemen.

Now back for his senior campaign, Willekes has a chance to etch his name as one of the most productive Spartan defenders ever.

Epenesa wasn't even a starter for Iowa last season, but early NFL mock drafts for the 2020 class are already projecting him as a potential top-10 pick.

A former five-star recruit in 2017 who was rated the No. 1 defensive end prospect in the country, Epenesa was an absolute monster when he was on the field last season.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pounder led the Big Ten and ranked 12th nationally with 10.5 sacks, along with 16.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, eight hurries, four pass breakups, and a blocked punt.

Epenesa earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts, and now he's expected to be a Preseason All-American heading into the 2019 season. Iowa might have lost a lot up front, but Epenesa is as good as they get.

Ohio State continues to reload at defensive end, as Young looks to be the next on a laundry list of Buckeye stars at the position.

After losing Nick Bosa to the NFL a year ago, Young will now take on even a bigger role as a junior in 2018. That's saying something, too, as the 6-foot-5, 256-pounder led the Buckeyes with 9.5 quarterback sacks as a sophomore.

He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and was a third-team pick by the media last year, and he's now a preseason first-team all-conference selection by Athlon heading into 2019.

Should Young have the type of season most expect, it's almost certain he'll become the next OSU defensive end to hear his name called early in next year's NFL Draft.

Only Willekes blew up the defensive stat sheet more than Gross-Matos did last season, as the Penn State end ranked second in the Big Ten with 20 TFLs to go along with eight sacks.

Gross-Matos was making plays at a torrid pace in 2018, owning a stretch of five straight games with at least a half sack and eight straight games with a tackle for loss.

The last Nittany Lions to have the TFL numbers Gross-Matos did as a junior were LaVarr Arrington and Aaron Maybin, and he's well on his way to following their footsteps again both at PSU and on to the next level.

Gross-Matos was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the media but only a third-team pick by the coaches. He'll be looking to add to those accolades in 2019 as a preseason all-conference pick by Athlon.

Gaziano has been a pass-rushing force for Northwestern over the past three seasons, as he's racked up 21 sacks and 33 tackles for loss in his college career.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound native of Scituate, Mass., earned All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year in 2018 as a second-team selection by the coaches and a third-team pick by the media.

He's now posted 16.5 sacks over the past two seasons, which rank second of any Big Ten player over that span. Gaziano currently ranks third on the Wildcats' career sacks list, and there's no reason he can't climb even higher up that chart by the time he's done in Evanston.