Top 40 Huskers for 2018: 26-29

Voting Criteria: Player's importance to the team in 2018, overall talent, and future potential for the upcoming season. A player's long-term/NFL prospects were not taken into consideration.

Voting Panel: Publisher Sean Callahan, HuskerOnline.com staff Robin Washut, Nate Clouse, Mike, Matya, and Gregg Peterson.

The Huskers may have struck gold with Williams not only because was able to enroll this spring, but he also appears to be a great fit for what NU wants to do on offense, which is to play fast.

The JUCO transfer says he has been clocked at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash which adds even more speed to the receiving corps. Williams showed a knack for running nice routes and finding soft spots in the defense during spring ball, and he understands how to get open and create separation from defenders with his combination of route running ability and speed.

After seeing immediate action in 10 games as a true freshman, Ferguson's impact has been few and far between the past three seasons. He ended up redshirting his second year in 2016, and then only played in five games with three total tackles in 2017.

But the change in defensive scheme this offseason could benefit Ferguson as much as anyone, as he generated strong praise from his coaches this spring - particularly from outside linebackers coach Jovan Dewitt - and looks poised to be a major factor as a junior.

Through the first half of his redshirt freshman season, Akinmoladun looked like he was well on his way to becoming Nebraska's next great pass rusher after racking up 4.5 sacks in his first five games.

But his production has taken a massive dip ever since, and Akinmoladun now enters his senior year hoping to rekindle the fire he showed back in 2015. The good news is that he's reportedly now the strongest he's ever been in his life, squatting well over 700 pounds, and should be an important veteran piece on NU's defensive line.

Entering the spring there was a lot of buzz about Wilbon potentially being the frontrunner to win Nebraska's starting running back job. While the emergence of top JUCO transfer Greg Bell may have changed that discussion a bit, Wilbon is still very much in the mix in the backfield rotation.

The senior was NU’s second-leading rusher with 88 carries for 379 yards and hauled in 21 receptions last season, the fifth-highest total on the team. That versatility should help him see the field regardless of if he's the starter or not.