ESPN.com staff 0 Shares Print Football season can’t come soon enough but, until that opening kickoff, we’re here to help you pass the time. Every day this week, as part of a new series, we’re debating the top — or, in some cases, second-best — player at different positions. We won’t always agree, but we’ll always give you our reasons for a particular pick. Up next: After Rutgers’ Leonte Carroo, who is the best wide receiver in the Big Ten? Austin Ward: Ohio State WR Michael Thomas Michael Thomas is unquestionable the national champion Buckeyes’ primary target at receiver. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY SportsHis career hasn’t exactly followed a traditional path, but it seems pretty likely to end just the way everybody anticipated when Thomas burst on the scene with a huge performance in the spring game before his true-freshman campaign. There wasn’t much to get excited about that fall and he surprisingly took a redshirt as a sophomore, but Thomas is more than living up to the hype now after leading the Buckeyes in receptions a year ago on the way to the national title. The next step is piling up more yardage while continuing to be a reliable intermediate threat with a nose for the end zone. After posting a line of 54 receptions for 799 yards with nine touchdowns while in some ways taking a back seat to Devin Smith last season, Thomas is unquestionably the primary target and should improve on those totals across the board regardless of who winds up starting at quarterback for Ohio State. And if Thomas is truly just hitting his stride now and living up to all the promise, he could easily stamp himself as the best in the Big Ten. Josh Moyer: Illinois WR Mike Dudek Sure, Dudek might still be recovering from a torn ACL in the spring. But he’s healthy, he could even give our consensus No. 1 wideout — Carroo — a run for his money. In case you’ve forgotten about this incredible video, Dudek has been running 22 mph on the treadmill since he was 16 years old. That’s what New York Jets wideout Brandon Marshall is capable of now — as a five-time Pro-Bowler. In high school, Dudek boasted a 37-inch vertical and at one point had the 15th-best SPARQ score in the country. …
Continue Reading: B1G roundtable: Best receiver after Rutgers’ Leonte Carroo
