The top 50 players of 2016 (50-41)

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

Ahead of what promises to be another action-packed season, theScore is counting down its top 50 players in college football.

We begin the list at No. 50, with one of the Big Ten's most talented - and underrated - offensive linemen.

50. Dan Feeney - G, Indiana

Feeney surrendered just one sack last season while manning the right guard spot for Indiana, and would've likely been the top guard picked in the NFL draft had he declared early. Instead, Feeney opted to return for his senior season, where he'll look to clear paths for running back Devine Redding to pick up his second straight 1,000-yard season.

49. Cameron Sutton - CB, Tennessee

A three-year starter at Tennessee, Sutton has already proven himself to be one of the SEC's elite cornerbacks. The athletic defender is stout in both man and zone coverage, and almost never misses an opportunity to crank someone in an opposing uniform. Expect more fireworks from Sutton in his encore season.

48. James Conner - RB, Pitt

If not for the MCL injury, and later a cancer diagnosis, Conner would probably already be in the NFL. Those two setbacks kept Conner an amateur athlete, but have also set up what could be one of the greatest comeback seasons in NCAA history. Conner only played in one game last year, but two years ago posted 1,765 rushing yards, seventh-most in the nation, along with 26 touchdowns, the third-highest total.

47. Malik Jefferson - LB, Texas

Jefferson did a little bit of everything for Texas in his true freshman season, finishing with 61 tackles, second-most on the team, and six quarterback pressures, which led the Longhorns. He also notched seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks en route to capturing Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors.

46. Carl Lawson - DE, Auburn

Lawson is still looking for his breakout campaign, but reporting to camp healthy should go a long way in allowing that to happen. The pass-rushing end has played just seven games in the past two years due to injuries, and has only five career sacks in 21 games. Still, he's garnered a ton of buzz ahead of the new campaign, and Tigers offensive lineman Austin Golson went so far as to call Lawson the best player he's ever lined up against.

45. Cam Smith - LB, USC

Smith is coming off a torn ACL that cut his freshman season short, but said at the beginning of August he felt 100 percent. That's good news for USC fans, since Smith emerged last year as the Trojans' best defensive player, as well as maybe the best defensive freshman in the Pac-12. He was solid all year when healthy, but enjoyed a real coming-out party against Utah in October, when he registered nine tackles and three interceptions to help USC take down what was the nation's third-ranked team at the time.

44. Luke Falk - QB, Washington State

With no shortage of opportunities to air it out at Washington State, Falk accumulated the fifth-most passing yards in college football as a sophomore. The numbers could have been even better, though, if his receivers didn't have a whopping 42 drops. If they can squeeze the ball this year, Falk could approach the 5,000-yard plateau and emerge as a dark-horse contender for the Heisman Trophy.

43. Reuben Foster - LB, Alabama

Foster enjoyed a successful first season as a starter for Alabama in 2015, but will have to assume more responsibility on and off the field this year, following the loss of Reggie Ragland to the NFL. The hard-hitting Foster, who dropped about 15 pounds in the offseason to get faster and prepare himself for the greater workload, racked up 73 tackles one season ago.

42. Jalen Hurd - RB, Tennessee

As if his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame wasn't enough to deal with, Hurd also knows how to make defenders miss, and focused on improving his speed over the offseason. In Hurd, Tennessee possesses one of the most complete running backs in college football, gifted with the ability to run, catch, and block. He's a virtual lock to hit the 1,000-yard benchmark as a junior, but also impacts the game in several other ways.

41. Mike Williams - WR, Clemson

It's either cause for optimism or concern that Williams has very little experience playing with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Williams, who missed nearly all of the 2015 season due to a devastating neck injury, has plenty of rust to shake off and chemistry to build with Watson, who wasn't the starter when he hauled in 1,030 yards and six touchdowns two years ago. Watson is a better quarterback than Cole Stoudt, though, which is good news for Williams.