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Three underclassmen offensive linemen were named to the All-Big 12 First Team a year ago, but who will be the league’s best blocker in 2017?

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The All-Big 12 First Team was unmistakably youthful up front in 2016, with three sophomores being honored by league voters. Two of those underclassmen, Texas’ Connor Williams and Oklahoma’s Orlando Brown, will stage their own head-to-head version of the Red River Rivalry throughout the upcoming season. Both are supremely talented left tackles who’ll have the attention of NFL scouts throughout 2017. And both will vie in what will likely be their amateur finale for any national honor designed exclusively for offensive linemen.

Top Returning Big 12 Offensive Linemen

5. Austin Schlottmann, TCU

Now that Baylor’s Kyle Fuller and West Virginia’s Tyler Orlosky have used up their eligibility, Schlottmann is the favorite to become the league’s top center in 2017. The senior was the Horned Frogs’ best blocker a year ago, rising to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Schlottmann has also proven he can handle the guard position, but his leadership, smarts and experience make him particularly valuable at the pivot for the TCU offense.

4. Zach Crabtree, Oklahoma State

Crabtree is one of the conference’s best pass protectors, which is especially appreciated by star QB Mason Rudolph. The fourth-year starter in Stillwater has the ideal length at 6-7 and 310 pounds to prevent incoming traffic from affecting the pocket. And he’s coming off a well-deserved Second Team All-Big 12 junior season. But beyond the accolades and the measurables, Crabtree is also the kind of passionate, high-energy Cowboy who helps fire up the guys around him.

3. Dalton Risner, Kansas State

There are so many reasons to like Risner, but none more than his versatility and quick retention of new assignments. He excelled as a redshirt freshman center in 2015, and then rose to the All-Big 12 First Team as a right tackle last season. Risner was one of Bill Snyder’s captains as a sophomore, too, testament to his maturity and reservoir of intangibles. The junior is a roll-up-the-sleeves grinder, a perfect fit for the no-nonsense Wildcat attack.

2. Orlando Brown, Oklahoma

Brown could be preparing for a career in the NFL today, following in his late father’s footsteps. Instead, he’ll maul opposing Big 12 linemen for at least another year. Brown is one of college football’s most imposing athletes, a 6-8 and 340-pound tackle, with the agility of a strongside defensive end. After earning First Team all-Big 12 in 2016, his trajectory could lead to All-America recognition and a run at individual national award honors.

1. Connor Williams, Texas

Tom Herman inherited a wealth of quality talent from Charlie Strong in Austin, none better than Williams at left tackle. He’s the prototype in a next-level blindside protector, long, agile and plenty tough enough to create an identity for his unit. It took only two years for Williams to ascend to an All-American level, which will make the subsequent seasons every bit as exciting for the Longhorns and whichever organization drafts him in 2018.

MORE: Top Returning Offensive Linemen For College Football In 2017