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.

Today in our Ranking the Big Ten series we looked at the top tight ends in the conference, as the league will be led by a potential All-American candidate.

Past rankings: QB | RB | WR |

The former walk-on will enter his fifth-season at Wisconsin as one of the top tight ends in college football.

In 2016 Troy Fumagalli was the Badgers primary underneath target, finishing with 47 catches for 580 yards and two touchdowns. Over the last three years he has 89 catches for 1,080 yards and three touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6, 250 pound Fumagalli will continue to be the Badgers safety blanket on third down situations. His best game a year ago came against LSU where had a career day with 7 catches for 100 yards.

The great tight end tradition over the last few years at Penn State will continue, as the the Nittany Lions will be led by another NFL prospect in junior Mike Gesicki.

As a sophomore, he set a PSU single season records for tight ends with 48 catches and 679 yards. Those records have stood at Penn State since 1977. Gesicki also tied the single season tight end record in 2016 with five touchdowns.

You an pretty much can count on Gesicki for three to five catches for 50 to 60 yards per game.

Ohio State senior tight end Marcus Baugh started all 13 games for the Buckeyes in 2016, finishing with 24 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see how his role changes going forward under Kevin Wilson as OSU's new offensive coordinator. Most Nebraska fans know that Tim Beck was not one to get the tight ends very involved in the offense.

Baugh had shoulder season over the off-season, so it will be interesting to see how he comes back off of that.

One of the No. 1 weapons in Purdue's offense this season will be their tight ends. Leading the way for the Boiler Makers will be junior Cole Herdman, who finished with 35 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns.

New Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm is known for his wide open offensive attack, Herdman figures to have a big role in it this year with all Purdue lost at wide receiver.

Putting Iowa sophomore Noah Fant on this list is more a projection, but if you know Iowa's history, it makes perfect sense.

The Omaha South product figures to be the Hawkeyes No. 1 tight end, and with all they lost at wide receiver, Fant could end up being Iowa's No. 1 receiving target. Iowa prides themselves in their development of tight ends, and Fant looks to be the next guy in line.

As a freshman, Fant had nine catches for 70 yards and one touchdown, but showed flashes of what type of player he's going to be in the future.