Top 40 Huskers for 2019: 1-5

Voting Criteria: Player's importance to the team in 2019, 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 writers Robin Washut and Nate Clouse.

Previous Rankings: 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40

The addition of Mills this offseason provided a major sigh of relief for Nebraska's coaching staff, as it added a player who would be an immediate factor in the running game at a position that needed all the established depth it could get.

With the uncertain status of Maurice Washington, Mills will enter fall camp with every opportunity to win the starting running back job going into the season opener, and given his production at every level of football, there's a good chance he could stay there.

As a true freshman at Georgia Tech he rushed for nearly 800 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mills is a powerful, downhill runner that really seems to excel running between the tackles. He's not the flashiest player, but you can't argue with his production.

A Freshman All-Big Ten selection and an honorable-mention pick last year as a sophomore, Jaimes returns as arguably Nebraska's most talented and proven commodities on the offensive line entering fall camp.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound native of Austin, Texas, has started 21 straight games, including all 12 last season as the Huskers' left tackle. He'll hold down that spot again in 2019, but he still has plenty to prove going into his junior campaign.

Along with improving some of his consistency in pass protection, Jaimes has been charged to step up as more of a vocal leader on the o-line, especially with losing three key voices on the unit from last year.

There's no question who the heart and soul of Nebraska's defense is, as Barry has emerged as one of the faces of the program the past couple years.

Add in the concerning lack of depth at inside linebacker, his role takes on even greater importance. When you look at Nebraska's linebacking corps entering fall camp, it's eye-opening how many snaps Barry played in 2018 compared to the rest of the group.

Barry was on the field for a whopping 786 defensive snaps last season as a junior, while the other seven returning linebackers that saw action combined for 861. The Grayson, Ga., native was also as productive as any NU defender, leading the team with 112 total stops to become the first Husker with a 100-tackle campaign since 2014.

Barry was named Nebraska's Defensive MVP and a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the league's media for his efforts, and now he enters his senior season tabbed as a second-team preseason all-conference pick by Athlon.

In a position full of youth and inexperience entering the 2019 season, Spielman is the one proven weapon Nebraska knows it has at wide receiver.

Even playing in the shadow of the record-setting Stanley Morgan Jr. last year, Spielman ranked second on the team with 68 catches for 818 yards and hauled in a team-high eight touchdown grabs. Despite that production, the Eden Prairie, Minn., native only earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts.

Looking ahead to the second year of Scott Frost's offense at Nebraska, though, the sky is the limit for what Spielman could do as a redshirt junior. Spielman has proven capable of being a dynamic performer as a receiver, runner, and returner on special teams, and he could very well break a number of Morgan's school records set by the time his college career comes to a close.

Unlike a year ago, there is zero question who Nebraska's quarterback is and who will be the face of the program in 2019. Martinez broke onto the scene last fall by winning the top job for the season opener as a true freshman and only got better and better with every game he played.

The Fresno, Calif., native completed 224-of-347 passes (64.6 percent) for 2,617 yards and 17 touchdowns with just eight interceptions while rushing for 629 more yards and eight scores.

Martinez's rapid development was so impressive that many are already mentioning his name in early Heisman Trophy talk entering this season. That's a lot of pressure to put on a young player, but Martinez seems ready for the task with his play on the field and confident leadership and maturity off of it.