Top 40 Huskers for 2019: 6-10

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: 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40

Davis has shown more and more flashes of NFL-level potential in each of his first three seasons, and his senior campaign should be his best yet.

Voted Nebraska's Defensive Lineman of the Year and an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection in 2018, Davis finished third on the team in both tackles for loss (8) and sacks (3.0) while posting a career-high 41 total tackles.

The 6-foot-2, 310-pounder will help give the Huskers a veteran defensive line that should be one of the strengths of the team. If he can consistently put those same flashes together, his stock could soar in 2019.

Of all the concerns Nebraska has entering fall camp, the uncertainty of Washington's legal situation is one of the biggest.

The sophomore running back is currently in the midst of a court trial in California while facing felony and misdemeanor charges. He was also cited on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia on campus last month.

He did minimal football-related activities during the spring, and there is a legit question of how all of his off-the-field issues have hurt his overall development both physically and mentally.

His status for the season opener, and maybe beyond, remains to be seen. But when Washington is on the field, there is little debate that he is one of the Huskers' top offensive playmakers.

He played in 11 games as a true freshman last year, making two starts, and finished third on the team with 455 rushing yards and fourth with 221 yards receiving.

Opposing quarterbacks tested Bootle all last season, and more often than not he answered the challenge.

The Miami, Fla., native tied for the Big Ten lead and ranked ninth nationally with a whopping 15 pass breakups (1.3 per game), tying for the second-most in Nebraska history and the most by a Husker since Fabian Washington in 2004.

He wasn't able to haul any of those in for interceptions, which played a part in him only being a consensus third-team all-conference selection. If teams try to throw at him that much again in 2019, Bootle could be in line for even bigger numbers.

Lined up opposite of Brenden Jaimes at right tackle, Farniok gives Nebraska a pair of established veterans at the tackle positions going into 2019. He started all 12 games for the Huskers at right tackle last year, and his play steadily improved as the year went on.

However, the question remains of whether Farniok's long-term future will remain at tackle, or will NU decided to move him inside to guard to help get the five best linemen on the field? That will come down to the situation at center and Cam Jurgens' injury.

Farniok started two games at right guard as a redshirt freshman in 2017, and with the arrival of heralded freshman Bryce Benhart and some depth concerns on the interior o-line, it could be a move that eventually makes sense. For now, though, Farniok is primed to open the year at tackle.

Daniels hasn't even played a game at Nebraska yet, but he made an immediate impact on the Huskers' defense with his play and leadership when he arrived this winter as a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State.

The 6-foot-3, 320-pound native of Dallas played four seasons for the Cowboys, but an injury last year limited him to just four appearances and preserved his redshirt eligibility.

He opted to spend his final college season in Lincoln with his younger brother, nose tackle Damion Daniels, and now he's primed to be the No. 1 man in the middle of NU's defensive line in 2019.