As the 2017 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 Ranking the Big Ten series today with the outside linebackers, a unit that put up some huge numbers last season and is absolutely loaded with NFL potential.
Previous Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | DT | DE
1. Tegray Scales, Indiana
There may not be a better kept secret in the Big Ten Conference that Indiana senior Tegray Scales.
Though he didn’t receive much national acclaim, the 6-foot, 228-pound Scales put up one of the most productive individual defensive seasons of any player in college football last year.
He led the nation in tackles for loss (23.5) and ranked 10th - and first in the Big Ten - with 126 total tackles, 93 of which were solo stops.
Scales also led the Hoosiers with seven sacks and posed nine double-digit tackle games, which led the conference and ranked third nationally.
All of that helped him earn second-team All-American honors by Sports Illustrated, making him the first IU linebacker to win any kind of All-American distinction since 1987.
He was also a third-team All-Big Ten selection.
Scales had an opportunity to forego his senior season and make an early jump to the NFL, but he decided to come back for one more year in Bloomington. There’s no question that many more eyes will be watching him this time around.
2. Jerome Baker, Ohio State
Just like seemingly every year, Ohio State features a slew of defensive players who are projected to be first-round or second-day picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.
If there was one player who may carry more importance to the Buckeyes than anyone else this season, though, junior linebacker Jerome Baker might be the most valuable of them all.
Baker was initially primed to be a backup to Dante Booker and contribute on special teams entering the 2016 season.
But when Booker went down in Week 1 with a season-ending injury, the 6-1, 225, native of Cleveland, Ohio, instantly capitalized on the opportunity and established himself as a mainstay on the Buckeye defense.
Baker ended up ranking second on the team with 83 tackles, adding 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a pick-six to earn honorable-mention All-Big Ten.
Now he’s tasked with having to replace Raekwon McMillan (a second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins) as the new starting middle linebacker, and everything is setting up for Baker to have a meteoric rise this season.
3. Mike McCray, Michigan
Mike McCray was somewhat overshadowed last season while playing on one of the best defenses in all of college football.
A closer look reveals that the 6-3, 248-pounder had a junior year that definitely should have garnered more attention.
When all was said and done, McCray ranked second on the team with 76 tackles and fourth with 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and seven pass breakups as well as two interceptions.
Having decided to return for his fifth season in Ann Arbor, McCray will have every opportunity to build upon his honorable-mention All-Big Ten campaign in 2017.
4. Dante Booker, Ohio State
Prior to suffering an MCL injury in the 2016 season opener against Bowling Green, Dante Booker was on track to be one of the anchors of a loaded Ohio State defense.
He ended up losing his job to Baker, even after he was medically cleared to return late in the year.
However, with ample time to heal and with Baker moving inside to middle linebacker, 2017 could be the breakout year Booker has been waiting for.
Even though the injury have prevented him from putting up the same type of numbers as others on this list, the 6-2, 233, native of Akron, Ohio, was still tabbed a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy’s and Athlon and is currently ranked the No. 3 outside linebacker in 2018 NFL Draft class by CBS.
5. Markus Bailey, Purdue
Markus Bailey won’t get the same level of praise and accolades as other top Big Ten linebackers, primarily because, let’s face it, he plays on a Purdue defense that ranked among the worst in FBS last season.
But when you look at his individual production, Bailey is clearly the best thing the Boilermakers have going for them on the defensive side of the ball.
As a redshirt freshman last season Bailey led the team in tackles (97) and interceptions (four), marking just the 10th time in program history a player had achieved that feat.
Now entering his sophomore year, Bailey is already the face of the defense. In fact, Big Ten Network’s Tom Dienhart went as far as to say that the Columbus, Ohio, native “may be the top player … on the entire team.”
