ESPN College Football

Colleague Mel Kiper Jr. recently put together his top-five juniors and seniors at each position. You'll recognize plenty of the Big 12 talents on his list. Here's where they landed:

SENIORS

Quarterbacks

• No. 4: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
• No. 5: Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

Running backs

• No. 1: Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M

Fullbacks

• No. 1: Cody Johnson, Texas

Receivers

• No. 2: Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M
• No. 3: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Tight ends

• No. 1: Michael Egnew, Missouri

Offensive tackles:

• No. 1: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
• No. 3: Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State

Outside linebackers:

• No. 2: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
• No. 4: Keenan Robinson, Texas

Safeties

• No. 4: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State

A few thoughts:

• I'm not the only one who keeps seeing the lopsided talents at the top on offense versus defense, right? Believe me when I tell you this, folks: Prepare for puntos mucho in the Big 12 this season.
• I wouldn't be too surprised to see Fuller above Broyles on this list. Broyles is obviously a better college receiver, but he may find his size (5-foot-11, 187 pounds) to be a challenge at the next level, and NFL teams won't have the same concerns over the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Fuller. I see them both having solid, lengthy, productive NFL careers, but Fuller is slightly less risky. Also, against NFL corners, Fuller's size offers a bigger target for quarterbacks and a better red zone option.
• Look at the offensive players who did make the list: Big 12 players were No. 1 at four positions and three positions had two Big 12 prospects in the top five. Not a bad senior class.

Now, the younger guys who will be draft-eligible after this season (not including sophomores with a redshirt season.)

JUNIORS

Quarterbacks

• No. 3: Landry Jones, Oklahoma
• No. 4: Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Fullbacks

• No. 2: Braden Wilson, Kansas State

Receivers

• No. 2: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
• No. 3: Josh Gordon, Baylor

Centers

• No. 3: Ben Habern, Oklahoma

Defensive ends

• No. 5: Brad Madison, Missouri

Outside linebackers

• No. 1: Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
• No. 3: Zaviar Gooden, Missouri

Punters

• No. 2: Ryan Doerr, Kansas State
• No. 3: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

Some more thoughts:

• I haven't really asked around about what NFL scouts think of Baylor's Griffin III, but this is the first time I've seen him show up on a list like this from our draft gurus, Kiper or McShay. Perhaps unfairly, Griffin's athleticism prompts some fans around the league to label him as a scrambler, but anyone who watched Baylor for any extended period of time last season got a clear look at how much he's grown as a passer from his freshman year in 2008 to last year's sophomore season following his 2009 knee injury. I'd expect it to continue, but could Griffin have a decision to make by the end of the season? He's told me he plans to stay for four years, but once the money starts to become more and more real, he wouldn't be the first guy to change his mind.
• As for receivers, well, Alshon Jeffery over Blackmon? Strongly disagree, both as a college receiver and in regard to their potential pro careers.
• Got 40 minutes to spare? Ask Bill Snyder what he thinks of Wilson sometime. You could probably keep him going for a few days. Players like Wilson are what Snyder is all about.
• Very surprised to see Gordon on this list this early. I love his athleticism and his ceiling is absolutely sky high, but his production to this point hasn't been there. Don't be surprised if that changes in 2011, but I hadn't seen his name thrown out on a list like this before.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

I know this makes me sound like a coaches, but I actually think that special teams really does account for a third of a team's success. And I think that solid play in all facets is especially critical in the Big 12 because of the small margin of error in most games.

Here's a look at how I rank the special teams in the conference, giving each team a master rating including all facets of the kicking game.

1. Texas: The best combination kicking game in the league with two-deep talent at both kicker and punter and Jordan Shipley to take care of the returns. The Longhorns always have fast, talented athletes covering kicks as well. And I'm curious to see if Justin Tucker really will be able to produce rugby-style punts with both feet.

2. Oklahoma State:The Cowboys have the best kickoff/punt returners in the conference in Dez Bryant and Perrish Cox. Special-teams coach Joe DeForest always does an outstanding job, although he’ll be in tough spot replacing Matt Fodge as his punter this season.

3. Nebraska: Alex Henery was the best kicker in the conference with a knack for making huge kicks. It's curious that Nebraska coaches would risk that success by having him double up as a punter this season. But he actually came to college as a walk-on punter. Niles Paul will get the start as both punt returner and kick returner. And Adi Kunalic led the nation in touchbacks as a kickoff specialist.

4. Kansas State:I’m basing this as much on past success as anything else -- Ron Prince’s team blocked four punts for touchdowns last season. Brandon Banks is a threat to break a big return on every play and he’ll be doubling as a kick and punt returner this season. Even with Bill Snyder taking over, I’m still thinking this will be a productive unit as they break in new kicker Josh Cherry and new punter Ryan Doerr.

5. Baylor: The Bears have the most consistent punter in the conference with Derek Epperson. Look for improvement from kicker Ben Parks. One key will be boosting punt returns with new returner Krys Buerck after ranking only 118th nationally as a team last season.

6. Iowa State: I think that Jack Trice Stadium might be the toughest facility in the conference because of its swirling winds. Paul Rhoads has some confidence with Grant Mahoney back at kicker and Mike Brandtner at punter. Leonard Johnson is one of the most effective kickoff returners in the conference. But the Cyclones need a boost on punt returns and in covering kicks.

7. Oklahoma: For a team with as many athletes as the Sooners, I was surprised with their difficulties in covering kicks last season. That’s the immediate concern for them. DeMarco Murray was a threat on every return, but I doubt he plays there much because of his recent injury problems. Dominique Franks, Ryan Broyles and Cameron Kenney are expected to contribute in the return game. And Kenney might even push Tress Way for punting duties. Coaches have also been impressed with the improved range of kicker Jimmy Stevens. We’ll see if that holds up when the season starts.

8. Texas Tech: The story about Matt “Lynwood” Williams was one of the best in college football last year as he emerged from an in-game kicking contest to win most of the kicking honors for the Red Raiders. Donnie Carona was a disappointment as a kicker, but may emerge as a punter along with Ryan Erxleben (yeah, he’s the son of former Texas punter Russell Erxleben) as the Red Raiders wait for Jonathan LaCour to come off a Big 12-mandated suspension. Edward Britton and Jamar Wall will be involved in returning kicks, along with many others.

9. Texas A&M: Here’s a stat that shows how far Texas A&M’s once vaunting kicking game has fallen in recent years. The Aggies haven’t converted a field goal of 50 yards or more since 2000. Randy Bullock is back as the kicker and freshman Ryan Epperson and Ken Wood are still battling for the punting job. Christine Michael inherits the kickoff return duties, but look for heralded junior-college cornerback Coryell Judie to be involved some way.

10. Missouri: No Jeremy Maclin and Jeff Wolfert means that the Tigers will rebuild one of their strongest units last season. Their net punting figures to improve after Jake Harry’s strong start. Grant Ressel won the kicking job in a tight battle, but might be pushed this season. Gary Pinkel is sorting through his options in the return game but won’t have anybody nearly as gifted as Maclin. And they need to do a better job covering kicks after allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown for the first time last season.

11. Kansas: The Jayhawks desperately need some improvement in this category. Jacob Branstetter converted 75 percent of his kicks, but his longest was only 34 yards. Punter Alonso Rojas’ net average was only 33.9 yards. And the Jayhawks ranked 118th nationally in kickoff returns as Marcus Herford accounted for most of the returns. They showed some strong improvement late in the season when Dezmon Briscoe took over.

12. Colorado: The Buffaloes had the worst field-goal percentage in the country as they converted only 29 percent last season. They also lose Josh Smith, who set a school record for total kick return yards. Coaches think that Andre Simmons will be able to help here, but I’ll take a wait-and-see attitude before I get too excited.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Bill Snyder has never been the biggest fan of spring games.

In a perfect world, the veteran Kansas State coach likely would have preferred to use his final spring practice in a more controlled atmosphere than at the spring game.

But his first-string offense and defense showed some flashes as it outscored the backups, 45-0. Snyder actually flipped the score at halftime to make it more spectator-friendly after the starters on the Purple team had jumped to a 17-0 edge at the break. They punctuated the game by scoring four touchdowns in the second half.

"Have you ever seen anything as boring as that?" Snyder joked with reporters after the scrimmage concluded.

Five months have passed since Snyder accepted the rebuilding job after his three-season sabbatical. There were some bright spots in the spring game despite some rocky performances earlier in practice.

The first-string offense directed by quarterback Carson Coffman piled up 483 yards. The first-string defense was even better, limiting the KSU backups to nine first downs and 123 total yards.

"This team just needs to practice, practice, practice," Snyder said.

Here are some things that we learned during the course of the spring:

• Coffman appeared to make some headway late in practice, but the quarterback position still remains open.

Coffman showed flashes by passing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The four quarterbacks who alternated with the second-stringers were a combined 9-for-26 for 62 yards with two interceptions.

"We're much improved from where we were in the beginning of the spring, but we still have a lot to work on," said Coffman, who appears to have earned the respect of his team after they voted him as an offensive captain.

• Look for South Florida transfer Grant Gregory to challenge as soon as he arrives on campus after battling Matt Grothe for the job earlier in his career with the Bulls.

And heralded junior college transfer Daniel Thomas of Northwest Mississippi Community College will get a shot, too. If Gregory emerges to challenge Coffman, we might see Thomas moved to running back to capitalize on his athletic skills.

• One of the other bright spots of the spring was the play of freshman running back Jarell Childs, who narrowed the gap and is challenging Keithen Valentine for the starting job. Valentine finished with 92 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game and still is considered as the No. 1 contender at the position.
• Attendance for the spring game was 12,850. But the most impressive number might have been 450 -- the number of recruits and parents who attended the game.
• Freshman punter Ryan Doerr looked solid throughout the spring, capping his efforts by averaging 45.4 yards per punt in the spring game while kicking for both teams. Included in his barrage were long kicks of 60 and 58 yards.

That production is important for the Wildcats, particularly because incumbent D.J. Fulhage averaged only 38.1 yards per kick last season -- good for 93rd nationally.

• Some questioned the move of Logan Dold to running back to the secondary. While we didn't get a chance to watch him play in the spring game, his athleticism will help in the secondary.
• New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning's retooled 4-2-5 defense looks like it will be productive, although the big game might be taken with a grain of salt, considering it was against the second-stringers.

The new alignment will employ three safeties and hopefully be more productive than the group last season that was 117th in total defense, 106th in pass defense, 110th in scoring defense and 112th in rush defense.

Former walk-on linebacker Alex Hrbec accounted for a huge game with 19 tackles and Brandon Harold chipped in with nine tackles and three sacks to key the play along the defensive line.

• Harold looks a lot more comfortable as a rush end than a defensive tackle, as was experimented at times last season.

"He was a good player last year, and I think one thing that's happened with Brandon is he's becoming a little bit more physical," Snyder told the Topeka Capital-Journal. "He's gained some weight and I think he's just about to turn the corner in the weight room. He can handle a lot of weight.

"He's gaining, and I say gaining, he's still an awfully good player. But you have to realize he was a true freshman last year, so it's in his normal progression that he should get better if he's really focused on it. He should be an improved player year in and year out. And he is making those strides and he is concerned about it -- he wants to be a good player."

Harold contributed three sacks in the spring game and appeared to be one of the most productive Wildcats.

• Wide receiver Brandon Banks clearly looks like the Wildcats' most productive offensive player - as he was most of last season. Banks produced 141 yards on six receptions, including a 64-yard grab from Coffman for a touchdown.

"I'm pretty comfortable but we're going to get to keep working at it as the season comes along, and keep getting better every day," Banks said. "Grade-wise we are probably a C, but there is room for improvement. I think the second-team offense is improving a little bit, but everyone needs to step up and get better, including me. So we're in pretty good shape right now."

• Snyder made a symbolic gesture during the spring game by wearing the old-school Kansas State uniforms that looked like those worn by the Dallas Cowboys. The Wildcats won't be able to wear those once the season starts because of contract obligations with Nike.

And Snyder had an interesting look himself, wearing a coat and tie as he patrolled the sidelines. His wardrobe, he said, could be attributed to not having time to change after some activities earlier in the morning.